Exploring the Superstitions

Arizona’s Superstition Mountains are like no other mountain range in the continental United States. The ancestral ground of the western Apache and sacred heights of the neighboring Pima, these mountains were once a veritable no-man’s land of soaring cliffs, dead-end box canyons, and eerie hoodoos of stone, marking them as one of the last places on earth that any person would dare to tread. While this range appears on the surface to be a veritable nature lover’s paradise with towering saguaro cactus forests, desert wildflowers, and roadrunners, it is also home to rattlesnakes, plants and animals that stick, sting, or bite, and modern gun-toting, dry-gulchers. In fact, in the last century, the Superstition Mountains have claimed the lives of more than 500 visitors, marking it as the West’s deadliest wild area. Part hiking guide, part history book, Superstitions: Hiking the Ghost Trails of Mystery Mountain vividly brings the supernatural beauty, mystery, and majesty of this unique area to life.Within the pages of Superstitions, readers will first be swept up in the legends of the Superstition Mountains, encountering colorful historical characters such as 1840s gold prospectors, brave-hearted Apaches, and sly outlaws. Readers will encounter the native flora and fauna of the range, from poisonous rattlesnakes to rare flowers. And finally, an in-depth guide to every trail in the range, will satisfy even the most experienced of hikers.Including a foldout map and dozens of original photos, Superstitions belongs on the shelf, or in the backpack, of every history buff and every veteran hiker.

"It’s safe to say that Annerino is enamored with the Superstition Mountains, which he finds “treacherous, hauntingly beautiful, and deceptively enchanting.” Rising slightly over 5,000 feet, the Superstitions are not imposing or majestic by most standards but, when one considers the 654 people who perished in these “Killer Mountains,” they may be the darkest and most violent. Intimately familiar with the region, Annerino features only trails that he traversed. In addition to his stunning photography, he includes directions, topographical maps, field notes, and trip reports. To assist readers with planning and preparation, emergency contact information (including Pinal County Search and Rescue) is listed as well as links to trail maps, lodging, local sights and, for prospectors still searching for the Lost Dutchman’s Gold, treasure maps along with a government site noting required permits and regulations. Readers will also find an account of the Mountains’ colorful and tragic history, descriptions of native flora and fauna, and, lest we forget, an appendix of those who met their end there. In all, it is a complex guide certain to appeal to beginning and seasoned outdoorsmen alike." --Vicki Ann Duraine, Pima County Public Library, "Southwest Pick of the Year"