Location: Gold Canyon
Top Things to do in Gold Canyon
What to do and see in Gold Canyon, Arizona (AZ): The Best Nature & Parks
Gold Canyon is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. The population was 10,159 at the 2010 census. The community is sometimes incorrectly called Gold Camp.
Restaurants in Gold Canyon
1. Peralta Canyon
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 50 reviews
Reviewed By AnitaJack - Sartell, United States
Took us 2 hours to reach the Weaver's Needle viewpoint, and was it worth it! We hiked an additional 20 minutes to reach the lone tree just to the right of the needle. Highly recommended . We brought oranges for a snack at this sight. Our knees felt it on the way down. 4 1/2 hour hike.
2. Hieroglyphic Canyon Trail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 129 reviews
Reviewed By PMR2056 - Rochester, United States
This trail is not too long, and has a moderate ascent over its duration so it is suitable for most people. The views back down the canyon are nice to stop and enjoy on the way up and back down. Tall Saguaro catus along the way make for good picture opportunities. The rocks, water, and history via the hieroglyphics at the end make it a fine destination to get to. The trail is a bit rocky, so you do have to watch your step along the way.
3. Heirogliphic Trail
4. Wave Cave Trail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 33 reviews
Reviewed By cindyjoep
Spacious and photogenic cave with expansive views of the valley below. Cool and breezy, which feels wonderful after enduring the tough, vertical section of "trail" leading up to the cave. Bring some snacks...and make sure to have plenty of water! For some interesting history, check out the 22-minute "Apache Kids Cave" video on YouTube. There are two places to park: the main parking lot and the "Overflow" lot that is .7 miles further down the road from the main parking lot/trailhead. We parked in the Overflow lot, which resulted in us taking a longer hike to the cave that was an easy trail and hugged the side of the mountain along the way. However, on the way back, we couldn't find the turnoff to it, so we just kept walking straight to the main parking lot, then walked the .7 miles on the road back to our car. This worked okay. After getting off the "easy' trail to the cave, you must follow the signs and the painted white arrows on the rocks along the way. The last section is quite technical...no way is it "moderate". But the real challenge is coming back down that same section of "trail" nearest the cave. As with any hiking that's not flat, coming down is often more challenging than going up. Going up works your quads, but coming down challenges your sense of balance to stay upright. My wife and I are seasoned hikers and it took us 80 minutes to get from the Overflow parking area to the cave, and took us a bit longer coming down because of the technical, vertical nature of the section of trail directly in front of the cave. Bring a small backpack with at least two water bottles per person and a light snack to munch on in the cave. Careful of bringing chips or other salty things, though. You will need to stay hydrated. Oranges would be perfect. As you get closer to the mountain the cave is on, you can see it about halfway up the largest mountain on the left. It is a slot opening on an oblong section of rock. The opening slants slightly down, with the right side lower than the left. Very fun hike and the cave is worth it!
5. Lost Goldmine Trail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3 reviews
Reviewed By Karekey
The Lost Dutchman state park was a great find on our visit to Scottsdale, we hiked the Treasure loop trail and then had a picnic lunch under one of the shaded tables. The hike is very exposed and obviously go early and take plenty of water. It rained a bit going down and we were glad we had poles as the rocks were slippery. We enjoyed the varied cactus on the trail but were hopeful to find wildflowers but understand the drought caused a poor flower year. There was a small fee to enter the park which we were glad to pay to keep these beautiful areas open
