SP Campground Review – Lost Dutchman State Park, Apache Junction, AZ

The stunning Supersition Mountains at Lost Dutchman State Park!

A simply gorgeous State Park with stunning views of the Superstition Mountains just East of Phoenix, AZ.

Link to campground here: Lost Dutchman State Park, Apache Junction, AZ
Link to map location here: Lost Dutchman State Park, Apache Junction, AZ

1. Site Quality = 4.5/5
   Very nice sites here with just very few dings. There are 2 main camping areas:
   Main Campground (sites 1-70) - These sites are all paved either back-in or pull-through with excellent separation and lovely “sitting areas” containing picnic table, fire-pit and grill. Only ~1/2 of sites have hook-ups (50amp/water) whereas the rest are non hook-up. All outer-sites are nicely large especially the enormous pull-throughs (many of which could easily fit 2 rigs) and most have excellent views of Superstition Mountain. Only ding is some of inner sites (esp. 1-15, 33-38) are smaller and best suited to smaller rigs while a *few* of the back-ins are a tad uneven.
   Overflow Campground (sites 75-104) – This is a brand new addition to the park and all sites here are currently first-come-first-serve. All sites are cleared dirt with picnic tables and fire-pit. Although primitive they are nicely large with decent separation and good views of the mountain. It’s a simple loop, but easily one of the nicest overflow sites I’ve seen.
2. Facilities = 3.5/5
   Good facilities. The bathrooms are large and kept nicely clean. Showers are individual rooms with separate bench area and very good water pressure and temperature. Only slight ding is they have those annoying spray heads.
3. Location = 5/5
   This is an excellent location. You are right at the base of the Superstition Mountains with simply lovely views all-around and direct access to miles of hiking trails right from your campsite. Nearby Apache Junction has basic shopping needs and Mesa/Phoenix are only ~1/2 hour away.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Another fabulous pooch park. Lots of space to hang out in camp plus dog-friendly trails all around. Very little cholla too so a good camp for paws on the ground.

Overall Rating =  4.5
BONUS ALERT = Camp will full views of the gorgeous Superstition Mountains!

Summary: I fell in love with the Superstition Mountains last time we stayed in Pheonix and this park puts your right in the middle of the action. It’s a lovely State Park with large paved sites (pull-throughs are especially enormous), good separation, nice “sitting areas” and simply excellent views of Superstition Mountain all-around. Lots of hiking directly from your campsite plus direct access to the Apache Trail for lakes/sightseeing as well as short drive to shopping. Although you’re only ~1/2 hour from Phoenix it feels like a whole other world, and if you catch the desert blooms in spring you’ll be rewarded with quite the special show. A simply lovely park that may well be our fav in the area. No doubt we’ll be coming back!

Extra Info: Good Verizon signal (3-4 bars on both 3G & 4G). 72 reservable sites of which ~35 have 50Amp/water (remainder are non hook-up). Additional 30 first-come-first-serve primitive sites in overflow camping section (this is a recent addition!). Sites cost $30/night (Jan-Mar), $25/night (off-season) for electric/water, $17/night (Jan-Mar), $15/night (off-season) for primitive. On-site dump station.

View of our site (#20). Slanted at the front, but lots of flat space for the rig.

View down our row. Site #19 on left with us in #20 on right.

View towards upper end of loop. Empty site#21 on left with #23 behind it.

View towards top of loop. Site #32 on right, #31 on left. Both have excellent views.

View of large pull-throughs down left-side of campground. Site #49 on right with #47 behind it. Site #46 on left.

Another view of large pull-throughs. #57 on left, #54 on right

View of smaller sites in middle. #5 on right, 4 behind on left.

View of the other smaller sites. Empty #35 on left, truck in #34 on right

Typical “sitting area”. This is from site #38

View of pull-through in overflow campground. This is site #78. RV in site #98 behind.

Another view of overflow. Empty pull-though #100 on right with RV in #99 behind.

View of facilities

Breezing Through Phoenix, Desert Blooms…And Getting Caught!

BLOOMs in the desert!!

Hiking in blankets of yellow!

We’ve stopped for a few days in Phoenix. This is really just a quick breeze-through and we’ve had no plans other than stocking up, re-charging and getting ready to head north.

We’ve been packing it in too.

On the way here we took ”the beast“ through Blue Beacon for a quick wash (rinsing off several months of serious boondocking dust!) followed by some hand waxing at our site (done mostly by Paul, the hardy stud). Then, once we got here we picked up our mail and (dismay of dismay) I realized I’d been caught turning on red by one of the many notorious traffic cameras in Phoenix back in Feb and needed to take a 4-hour class to dismiss the ticket -> my second ticket (in my life) and I felt like a right fool, but we managed to cram in and get it done. Between that and back-to-back shopping outings there’s really been no time for much else. It’s been a crazy coupla days!

Alas, such is RV life sometimes.

A gorgeous sunset from our site

Despite our packed schedule we’ve managed to enjoy our surroundings. This time around we chose to stay at Lost Dutchman State Park right at the base of the Superstition Mountains. I drove through this area last time we were in Phoenix, but this is our first time staying here. I have to say I am mucho impressed. Lovely, large sites with gorgeous views all around plus excellent hiking right at your doorstep. In fact I think this is going to become our new all-time favorite park in the area.

Studies in yellow

And more…

But the biggest bonus is that desert has exploded into bloom!  The view from our campsite is dominated by the sheer red walls of Superstition Mountain and the entire valley and base is covered in a thick, brilliant blanket of yellow flowers. There are so many blooms, so much yellow that I could easily lose myself and do a photo-study just of that. It’s a crazy and stunning transformation!

The desert bloom is something I look forward to every year, but it’s often a short and fleeting show. Also there’s a delicate balance between blooms and temperature. By the time the blooms come out, it’s starting to get too hot for our paws and the likes of us. By pure luck we’ve managed to catch it perfectly this time around. Temps are getting hotter (Phoenix is flirting with the 90′s right now), but we’ve still got enough cool mornings and evenings to go out and enjoy the show. Sheer perfection!

We’re headed out again tomorrow morning for higher elevations (lower temps) and (hopefully) a brand new rockin’ spot in the boonies. See ya on the other side…

Yellow gorgeousness

Another great sunset

The bloom blanket

Sunrise at Superstition Mountain

CP Campground Review – Usery Mountain Regional Park, Mesa, AZ

Early morning hike on Pass Mountain in Usery

A lovely & spacious county park campground just East of Phoenix in Mesa, AZ.

Link to campground here: Usery Mountain Regional Park, AZ
Link to map location here: Usery Mountain Regional Park, AZ

1. Site Quality = 3.5/5
   Very nice sites here with just a few dings. Sites are large simple packed dirt, either pull-through or back-in with spacious “sitting areas” containing fire-pit, large concrete picnic table and grill. Sites are very well separated and very sunny, surrounded by dense & pretty cactus landscape. Each site has 50Amp and water (no sewer). Sites on East side (42 through 61) have full views of lovely PassMountain while a few on South end (29 through 37 or so) have small slices of valley views too. Only real ding is that some sites, especially pull-throughs or inner loop are rather uneven requiring leveling blocks to get close to flat. Nicest and most private sites are outer-facing back-ins.
2. Facilities = 3.5/5
   Simple, but nice facilities here. Large, clean flush toilets and individual (very spacious) shower stalls with separate bench area. Only slight ding is regular showers have somewhat low water pressure and somewhat annoying spray head (Note/ the disabled shower has a detachable head & better control). On-site dump station.
3. Location = 4.5/5
   This is a great location. You are right next to Mesa/E.Phoenix and all it’s associated shopping, plus you are only ~15 miles from the fabulous Supersition Mountains further east. There are ~30 miles of hiking/biking trails only a short drive from camp, plus playground, archery range and picnic areas around the park. Only slight ding is the nearby firing range which does create some background noise during the day. Lots (and lots) of birds in this park, so a great stop for birding enthousiasts plus park offers tons of programs.
4. Pet Friendliness = 4.5/5
   Another great pooch park. Lots of space to hang out in camp plus fully dog-friendly trails all around. The only dings are that there are *alot* of large cholla cactus around (hard on the paws -> be sure to hike with pliers) plus the main portion of hiking trails are not accessible directly from camp but require ~1 mile of driving or walking on the main road to access (not a huge deal, but a small inconvenice if you like to hike 2x/day). There is a short 1/2 mile nature trail in camp off site #37 and many folks take their dogs to romp in the group campground space by #58

Overall Rating = 4
BONUS ALERT = Camp deep in desert nature just a few miles east of Mesa, AZ

Summary: All the Maricopa County parks around Phoenix are quite lovely and Usery is no exception. It’s a spacious park situated in a handy location on the East side of Pheonix in Mesa, AZ. The campground itself is in a small valley surrounded by desert and pretty Pass Mountain that dominates the view. Sites are large and spacious dirt although several (especially pull-throughs and some of the inner-loop sites) are rather uneven. Each site has lovely “sitting area” with picnic table, fire pit/grill, very good separation and dense cactus surroundings. The most spacious and flat sites are the outer-facing back-ins. You are in a great location close to shopping in Mesa and only a short drive (~15 miles) from the lovely & wild Superstition Wilderness to the East. Lots of hiking/biking trails on-site although they require ~1 mile walk or drive from camp and often get busy by mid-morning. This campground seems to be a bird-magnet with tons of on-site birds and even a dedicated “bird-watching site” (very nice). Only dings are the nearby firing range which does provide some background noise during the day plus there is alot of large cholla cactus (be careful for the paws). Campground is very popular in winter so definitely book ahead to get in. Overall a lovely park and, together with McDowell up north, one I would certainly return to if passing through the area.

Extra Info: Full Verizon signal (both 3G & 4G). 73 sites with water/50Amp electric (no sewer) all reservable on-line. Sites cost $25/night. The park does get full in winter, but has a small overflow parking lot (no hookups) by the visitor center if main campground is booked. On-site dump station.

Typical back-in site. This is #59 on east side with a view of Pass Mountain.

Typical pull-through. We’re in #55 on left. Huge site but rather uneven.

View of typical “sitting area” with fire-pit, grill and picnic table. This was from site #55

View down east side of campground. RV in site #48 on right with #50 behind it.

View of “inner sites” on east side. #52 on left with #53, 54 behind it.

View towards southern end of loop. Site #43 on left with pull-through #42 behind it.

View of one of more uneven sites. #36 shown.

View down west side of campground. Site #17 in front with pull-through #16 behind it.

View down middle of loop. Site #64 on left with truck in #65 on right.

View of facilities.

Prickly Galore & Desert Adventures -> Usery Mountain Regional Park, AZ

Pretty sunset by the Cholla tree

Paul left a few days ago for Miami so I’ve been on my lonesome here in Usery Mountain Regional Park. Although I’m missing the hubby already, it’s nice to have a few days of alone time too. It’s pooch, 2 cats and a Dane loose and alone in the desert…very exciting stuff I tell you (I swear if I had a mask I could yodel “hi ho Silver” and make a film out of it), but the reality is that we’re just having some great, lazy days and taking advantage of the TON of stuff there is to do here.

Usery Mountain Regional park is 3,648 acres of desert goodness set at the western end of the Goldfield Mountains just east of Phoenix, AZ. The sites don’t have quite the majestic valley views of McDowell (the spot we stayed at last year), but they’re spacious with lots of natural surroundings and some fabulous hiking (around 30 miles of it) not too far from camp. Plus the park is conveniently close to shopping and the like. I’m pretty stoked we managed to get 2 weeks at this place.

Panoramic of the campground from the Wind Cave Hike. Lots o’ space here!

Yes, it’s me & yes, that’s my biking outfit too (and yes, those are cactus in the background -> get used to it).

EARLY morning hike to Wind Cave on Pass Mountain

Polly and I have been totally digging the trails, taking time to meander around the valley plus tackling the more strenuous ~3-mile “Wind Cave” hike up Pass Mountain to the views near the top.  The nature and views are fabulous, but one thing we’ve discovered is that we need to get our butts out early to avoid the crowds…and by early I mean around 8AM. By 9AM people start coming in and by 10AM most of the trails are teeming with hikers. It’s not too surprising I guess. If you don’t learn to hike early in the desert you don’t hike much. The heat will get you just about any time of year by ~mid morning.

But I’ve been expanding my outdoor repertoire too. Many of the trails here are multi-use so I’ve been mountain biking too!

Polly poses in Wind Cave

Now I should specify that I use that term in it’s veeeery loosest sense. I may well be the only mountain biker (in the US?) who rides the trails in hiking pants, a straw cowboy hat and slip-on Keens…this being my standard go-to outfit for just about any outdoor excursion. I may look like a redneck and, at the pace I ride, just about anyone short of the age of 90 can easily overtake me, but I sure do enjoy the time to stop and smell the cactus.

One of the ENORMOUS Cholla Trees in the park. Wind Cave is near the top of that mountain in the background.

Empty trail at ~8AM…perfect!

Which lead me to the cactus…oh yeah…there’s cactus here. Massive, stupendous specimens all around creating a near-infinite landscape of prickly galore. This is cactus country and you better like it!

The “jumping Cholla” don’t just jump here, they grow to the size of friggin’ trees and seed entire acres of desert with their deadly offspring. Saguaro’s aren’t just around here, they propagate like bunnies into “Saguaro forests” that go for miles and soar 40-feet into the air. Thankfully doggie is a well-versed desert pooch and avoids most of the traps, but hiking with a set of pliers is a necessity just in case. Oh and if you don’t like cactus pictures you may be disappointed in the blog for the next month or so….just letting you know…

Still I won’t be alone for long. I’ve already met a very cool fulltime family (Boyinks4Adventure) who are hosting here in the park, plus buddies are coming down for a long hike tomorrow. So, social activities will once again be on the agenda. Until then, I leave you with some cactus shots…..enjoy!

Cholla are almost luminous in early AM sun

One of the many cool hiking trails in the park

On the biking trails in the park

Saguaro shadow

Just another fiery desert sunset

Taggart enjoys the afternoon sun at our site

A Day in the AZ Desert – Sun, Rain, Fog & SNOW!

“Welcome to Arizona, where summer spends the winter – and hell spends the summer.” ~Popular saying, modified from a booster slogan in the 1930s

Late afternoon glow in the mountains

The Sonoran desert may be the Devil’s sauna in summer, but I’d venture to say there ain’t nothing cooler in winter.  For a nature and photography rat like me this barren and fabulistic landscape is the cream cheese of all places, with extra parmesan on top.

You really only need one day to understand why…

And today was one of those days…

Fog lies low in the valley for our desert sunrise

It started off gorgeous with a beautiful pink dawn reflected in white by fog lying low in the valley. The cats had woken us up at the crack of light demanding body-warmth and food (we are mere slaves to the feline kingdom you see). But the early rise had given us the gift of a perfect desert sunrise viewed from the warmth of our RV window. It was the living color of life and the start of a fabulous day!

Dark clouds and snow on the peaks!

But the desert was feeling fickle today. The pink horizon had barely disappeared before a cold wind started gusting and whipping the clouds into a dark mass over the mountains, gobbling up the dry landscape like a hungry monster. The angry mass rolled in heavily and fast bringing first tentative drops of rain followed by a heavier pour and then a sudden switch of wardrobe to snow-flakes. It was snowing in the desert -> big, beautiful, fluffy flakes of winter-wonderland white draping the landscape in a white glove. How coooool!

A perfectly sunny afternoon

Having spent it’s chilly mood the desert relented and switched yet again. The sun struggled its way through and started to burn off the chill. The wind dropped, almost as dramatically as it had started, the clouds parted and brilliant white-tops greeted us from the distant mountains. It had turned into a picture-perfect T-shirt wearing summer day. Time to bring out the sunglasses, pop out the peppermint mocha and slide back into the recliner outside!

The end of yet another beautiful day

The afternoon passed peacefully with just a few coyotes, and the warmth of a desert winter to keep us company. But every great play finishes with the best scene at the end, and this particular story was no different. In grand desert style the sun sank slowly behind the western mountains coloring the clouds in brilliant edges of orange and red. Temperatures dropped and the cold desert night took over the watch. It was the perfect color finish to a perfect winter desert day.

And the best bit is we get to do it all again tomorrow…

P.S. By the way all the mountain pictures were taken directly from our RV windows at McDowell Moutain Park. It’s THAT nice here!