Photo by Mare Czinar

If a voyage to Mars is out of your budget, a trip to the Superstition Mountains might be just as satisfying – and a heck of a lot cheaper. Scoured and scarred by millions of years of volcanism and erosion, the terrain surrounding Black Mesa is a wonderland of otherworldly rock outcroppings, crags, and cactus-covered hills and valleys. This hike combines three trails to form a loop around the tar-colored lava flows of the prominent 2,850-foot escarpment. As the sun travels across the sky, changing light illuminates riotous forests of teddy bear cholla that creep up lichen-encrusted ravines. Carousels of contorted landforms create a feeling of having been transported to another planet. To enhance this vicarious “outer space” experience, hang around until dusk and watch the stars and planets emerge on the inky-black sky above. Or, for a real treat, witness the full moon rise on Sunday, April 20, beginning at 7:43 p.m.

Length: 7.4 miles roundtrip
Rating: moderate
Elevation gain: 530 feet
Getting there: From Phoenix, take Highway 60 east to the Idaho Road (Highway 88) exit. Continue east on Highway 88 past Lost Dutchman State Park to First Water Road (Forest Road 78) on the right. Go 2.6 miles on FR 78 to First Water trailhead.
Hike directions: Follow the Dutchman’s Trail No. 104 to the signed junction for the Black Mesa Trail No. 241. Go left on Trail 241 and continue for three miles to the Second Water Trail No. 236 junction. Go left at the junction and follow Trail 236 for 1.5 miles back to the trailhead. 
Information: Visit fs.fed.us/r3/tonto/recreation/rogs/hikingtrail/wilderness/Trails/superstition/BlackMesaTrail241.pdf or call 480-610-3300.