Springtime in the Superstitions! Bright yellow brittlebush, blue lupine, and scattered gold poppies line the Peralta Trail to Fremont Saddle, as weather-worn hoodoos and spires reach high into the brilliantly blue Arizona skies over the Superstition Range. Our concerns with the weather turn out to be totally unfounded on this absolutely perfect day for hiking – with the temperature holding in the mid to upper 60s and a cool, refreshing breeze blowing gently out of the west throughout the day.

The juxtaposition of warm sunshine and cool breezes compliment each other to perfection on this delightful March day, causing us to wonder why more hikers did not turn out to join us on such a beautiful day. What better place to be on such a day as this?

As the trail steadily gains elevation on the trek to Fremont Saddle, the views become ever more spectacular as we look back into the vast expanses of Peralta Canyon. We will climb almost 1400 feet in elevation from the trailhead, before topping out on the saddle.

The Sonoran Desert encompasses many hundreds of square miles of southern Arizona, but few places within this vast desert come close to matching the rugged beauty of the Superstition Mountains or contain the diversity of flora and fauna found within this range. With the abundant rainfall of this past winter and early spring, the desert canyons of the Superstitions are even more breathtaking than usual – with flowing streams and washes, lush green growth everywhere, saguaros swollen and fat with rainwater, and a mosaic of desert wildflowers painting the landscape in a riot of spring colors.

Brian, Joe, and Chuck stand on Fremont Saddle – at 3,766 feet, the highest point reached by trail in the western Superstitions. Weaver’s Needle, easily the most recognized landmark in the Superstition Range, looms in the background, with a peak elevation of 4,553 feet. Named after legendary mountain man, trapper, and miner, Pauline Weaver, the needle is more accurately a volcanic plug in geological terms – the hardened neck of an ancient volcano long since eroded away.

The Superstitions were literally born out of fire and brimstone, the end result of millions of years of some of the most active and violent volcanic activity seen in North America, with five massive volcanoes spewing billions of tons of hot ash and lava high into the stratosphere and then pouring it back down onto this tortured and twisted land in a hellish rain straight out of Dante’s Inferno.

Weaver’s Needle from East Boulder Canyon

On most weekends, particularly during the busy spring months, there is a steady stream of hikers trekking to the saddle and back, often to the extent of ruining the wilderness experience and reminding one more of the busy trails to the top of Piestewa Peak or Camelback Mountain.