By moonlight in Lost Dutchman State Park. Local legend has it that in the 1880s a German, Jacob Waltz, hid a fortune in gold in the rugged Superstition Mountains. Legend says Waltz would disappear into the mountains, and reappear with gold, and he always out-foxed followers by traveling at night. Today, rangers lead full-moon hikes in the winter months, weaving through silhouettes of a classic desert landscape, and Saturday hikes beginning in November. The dramatic Superstitions loom over saguaros and splayed ocotillo plants.
Cholla cling to what they can get their needles into, and hiking trails drop through sandy washes.
Stop by the Visitor Center for maps. The park also offers shaded picnic areas, and camping. If you have time for just one stop, this is it. The 3,000-plus plants that flourish here are from desert regions all over the world. Walk through the 323 acres, and Thompson's point will be made.