A few isolated pockets of ponderosa pine may be found at the highest elevations. Lightning storms frequently rage in July and August and flash floods are a constant danger. Light snow may fall in winter. Rattlesnakes, scorpions, centipedes, millipedes, black widow spiders, recluse spiders, and the Walapai tiger kissing bug all live here. There are no perennial streams.
Ranchers graze domestic cattle near springs by special permit.
Despite the harsh setting, much of Superstition Wilderness, especially the Peralta and First Water Trails, is overused by humans. These two trailheads receive about 80 percent of the annual human traffic, and the U. S. Forest Service calls the 6.3-mile Peralta one of the most heavily used trails in Arizona. Other trails within the Wilderness, in particular the Tule, Upper Horrell, and Miles Ranch Trails, are virtually untrodden. There are about 180 miles of trails, ranging from excellent to poor, as well as other unmaintained tracks. Group size is limited to 15, but management prefers smaller groups.