Dutchman's Second Canyon Loop

To get to the trail head, drive past Lost Dutchman State Park on the 88 and then take the dirt road (on your right) with arrows leading you to First Water Trail Head.  There is an outhouse at the trailhead, so I suggest visiting it before you begin this hike.  I also started this hike about an hour before sunrise, so I could be on the trail as the sun was coming out from the horizon- I highly suggest getting an early start.

After signing in at the trail register, head out on the Dutchman Trail.  Soon you will come to a fork with Second Water Trail.  Turn left off Dutchman trail and onto Second Water Trail.  You will now stay on this trail for about 3.5 miles, until it ends at Boulder Canyon Trail.  The sound of rushing water will greet you- especially if you do this hike in the winter or spring time- as you enter Boulder Canyon.  At the fork take a right, and now you must keep your eyes open for cairns marking your path.  You will cross the river multiple times during this section of the trail, and your feet will most likely get wet, so I suggest wearing wool socks on this hike.

You will keep heading upstream through Boulder Canyon until the trail ends.  So if you ever think you've lost the trail, just follow the river and eventually you'll spot some cairns pointing you in the right direction again.  Boulder Canyon Trail ends at the intersection with Dutchman Trail.  You can either turn right here which will take you back to the trail head and make this hike around 11 miles instead.  Or you can do what I did and turn left to make a loop around Black Top Mesa.

So after turning left, follow the Dutchman Trail as it winds it's way through the canyon and then switchbacks up to gain a bit of elevation and gives you beautiful view of Weaver's Needle.  You will pass intersections with Peralta trail and Terrapin Trail (both on your left).  Continue passed these until you reach the intersection with  Bull Pass Trail.  Turn left onto Bull Pass Trail.  This is the steepest section of the trail, so be careful coming down the loose rock on the backside.  After around 1.6 miles, Bull Pass Trail meets back up with Dutchman Trail. Congrats you've finished this short extension loop!

Now turn right onto Dutchman Trail.  You will now be staying on this trail for around 4.5 miles as it meanders through the canyon and takes you back to the First Water Trailhead. 

Note:  If you search Dutchman's Second Canyon trail into google, it will not direct you to a trail description of this loop. When I decided to go for a long solo hike, I chose random trails from the Superstitions Trail Map.  The individual trails that made up this loop are Second Water Trail, Boulder Canyon Trail, Bull Pass Trail and Dutchman's Trail.  So combining all these together, I came up with a name for my loop (which is also kinda like a funky figure-8).

For camping, check out Camp at Lost Dutchman State Park.