Lost Goldmine Trail - 11.7 Miles Round-Trip

The Lost Goldmine Trail runs 5.85 miles east from the Hieroglyphics - Lost Goldmine Trailhead in Gold Canyon to Peralta Road. It passes through a rolling bajada in Barkley Basin on the southwest edge of the Superstition Wilderness.

Trail Map | Photo Gallery

The trail features an abundant collection of cholla, ocotillo, barrel cactus, saguaro, palo verde and mesquite. This food-rich ecotone supports jackrabbit, coyote, javelina and a variety of snakes and raptors:

The Lost Goldmine Trail splits from the Hieroglyphics Trail (.13 miles) and turns east. It undulates steeply across two major washes before moderating in the upper bajada (1.0 mile : 2,167').

Mild-moderate undulations continue east with expansive views across the bajada and surrounding mountains. The trail edges higher and wraps around the base of a protruding butte (2.05 miles : 2,181') to the K Trail split on the far side (2.75 miles : 2,251').

Rolling travel continues through prolific teddy bear and chain fruit cholla gardens to a gate (4.4 miles : 2,393'), and on to the west Lost Goldmine Trailhead on Peralta Road (5.85 miles : 2,315').

Cholla in the Bajada

Gravel and sand brought down from the mountains in arid climates form alluvial fans at their base. Over time these depositions grow and join to form broad, gentle slopes that may extend several miles from the base of a mountain range.

These loosely-packed, well-drained slopes create ideal conditions for cacti - especially the Teddy Bear Cholla. All cholla have woody skeletons and jointed branches. Stem segments are not truly cylindrical, but rather a series of connected, raised tubercles from which spine-bearing areoles emanate.

The spines of most cholla are covered with a papery sheath that reflects sunlight and protects the stems from overheating. This feature is especially pronounced in the Teddy Bear Cholla.

Teddy Bear Colla appear covered with soft beige bristles, which account for its common, innocuous name. However these bristles are hardened spines, each tipped with a microscopic barb, or glochid.

These imperceptible barbs earn it its second nickname, Jumping Cholla, because entire joints can detach and imbed a transgressor with the slightest touch.

Teddy Bear Cholla average 4-7' high with a dark base (where older joints have dislodged) and light colored extremities of new growth. Although Teddy Bear Cholla flower, they rely on fallen joints for reproduction, which root easily where they land. Through clonal propagation, a local population of teddy bear cholla may consist entirely of genetically identical individuals.