Overview
The Hieroglyphic trail is an easy to moderate hike in the Superstition Mountains. There are several scenic points along the trail but the highlight of the journey is the historic hieroglyphs at the end from which the trail derives its name. Located in the city of Gold Canyon, the trail provides visitors with not only a moderate amount of exercise and some wonderful views but a little bit of Native American history as well.
Getting to the Trial
The trail head is located on the outskirts of a housing development. Some GPS devices will attempt to direct you to the Hieroglyph Trail home owners association so be careful. The home owners association will be at the end of a one lane dirt road as opposed to the trail head which is near a parking lot that is directly off a paved road. If your navigation device attempts to send you down a road that is marked no outlet do not obey your device and instead continue to drive in search of the trail head. According to local expert Breanne McNitt, the street that you want to stay on until you get the parking lot is Cloudview Avenue (“Hike the Hieroglyphic Trail”). Before you begin on the trail, there is a sign at the trail head that gives a little bit of history on the conservation of the trail that is very much worth reading. There is one port a John located in the parking lot but no facilities on the trail. There is one gate at the beginning of the trail head and two gates on the trail that should not be locked during regular hours. There are signs posted on the gates explaining that the gates exist to separate people from cows.
Cost
There is no cost associated with hiking the trail or parking. However, parking is limited and on a first come first serve basis.
Hiking the Trail
Difficulty
The Hieroglyph trial borders the line between easy and moderate in terms of excursion. There are several parts of the trail that are almost flat walking pats but just as many areas where the terrain is rocky and roughly resembles steps. The trail is not paved at any part but for most of the trail the terrain is firm rock and dust. According to the website, The Outbound Collective the trail is three miles long and there is an elevation gain of five hundred feet (McNitt). There is a division where the Hieroglyph Trail separates from another trail but the separation is clearly marked with a sign.
Signs marking a Division in the Trail
Weather
According to the website for Arizona State Parks, the average high temperature around the trail ranges from sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit in January and February to one hundred and four degrees Fahrenheit in July. The average low temperature ranges from forty degrees Fahrenheit in January to seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit in July and August (Annual Weather). Please check your local weather station for the temperature and precipitation for the day you plan to go hiking and plan accordingly because there is no shelter on the Hieroglyph trail.
What you Need to Bring
Overall the trail is very well maintained but hikers still need to wear loose clothing and close-toed, comfortable shoes. Protection from the sun including a hat and/or sunglasses will also beneficial to visitors. Bringing approximately twice the amount of water you would regularly consume in two hours is advised. There are pools at the end of the trail during the wet season but they are not deep enough to swim in. The pools are fed by rainfall so the water is mostly stagnant but if you are truly interested in wading in the water waterproof or close toed aquatic shoes are advisable. A camera or other device with which to take photographs is also highly encouraged.
Sights on the Trail
Visitors to the trail will be treated to a lovely view of downtown Apache Junction at approximately the halfway point of the trail. As of this posting there is a little statute of rocks stacked on top one another that appear to be created by visitors to the trail. Some of the local Flora include saguaro and cholla cactus. After approximately one hour and fifteen minutes of hiking visitors are rewarded with a window into the past. Several sets of Hieroglyphs are located at the end of the trail to the left and across a small valley that fills up with water during periods of moisture. The Hieroglyphs include drawings of four legged animals, geometric shapes, and people.
History of the Hieroglyphs
The Hieroglyphs that await those who make it to the end of the trail were originally created by the Hu Hu Kam People who inhabited the area up until 1,500 years ago. The area is still important to their descendants (The American South West). Thus the Hieroglyph trail has historical significance that hikers should be aware of and respect when they visit. Local writer Robert Stieve, argues that the terms used to describe the ancient drawings at the end of the trail are mostly incorrect. In an article for Arizona Highways, he says that the term Hieroglyphs refers exclusively to the ancient writing systems of the ancient Egyptians and that the writing at the end of the trail are actually petroglyphs (Stieve). Probably because of this distinction, the trail is sometimes referred to as the Petroglyph trail.
History of the Trail
The Hieroglyph trail was originally founded in the 1994 by the Superstition Area Land Trust in response to the influx of people trespassing on that area. The trail was completed with the help of volunteers in 2002 and is now open to the public (See Image Below).
Sign at the beginning of the Trail
Works Cited
“Annual Weather.” Lost Dutchman State Park, https://azstateparks.com/lost-dutchman/explore/weather.
“Hieroglyphic Trail.” The American Southwest, https://www.americansouthwest.net/arizona/superstition-mountains/hieroglyphic-trail.html.
“Hieroglyphics Trail, Superstition Wilderness: Hieroglyphics - Lost Goldmine Trailhead, Phoenix - Scottsdale - Mesa, Arizona.” ProTrails, http://www.protrails.com/trail/601/phoenix-scottsdale-mesa-hieroglyphics-trail.
McNitt, Breanne. “Hike the Hieroglyphic Trail.” Hike the Hieroglyphic Trail, Hieroglyphic Trailhead, The Outbound Collective, Inc., 27 Feb. 2017, https://www.theoutbound.com/arizona/hiking/hike-the-hieroglyphic-trail.
Stieve, Robert. “Hieroglyphic Trail.” Arizona Highways, Arizona Highways Magazines , 11 Feb. 2019, https://www.arizonahighways.com/hiking/hieroglyphic-trail.
<body id="cke_pastebin" style="position: absolute; top: 656px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; left: -1000px;">
</body> <div> </div>
