Here is the topographic map with Terrapin Trail (yellow) meeting Dutchman Trail (orange) to the right of Upper Black Top Mesa Pass, bottom center
The beetling cliffs off Bluff Spring Mountain loom over where Terrapin and Dutchman trails meet. Patches of yellow are Mexican Poppies blooming on the talus slope. Terrapin Trail climbs the ridge, to right. Here is where I caught up with mounted expedition members, the spotted rump of an Appaloosa figures prominently next to the signpost.
Terrapin Trail almost immediately starts a climb up to an eponymous pass between Bluff Springs Mountain and Weavers Needle. From here, it is the best way into the mountain. The trail name is a misnomer, as terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) turtle habitat is near the ocean. There is a desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) you might encounter during the rainy season as they are otherwise inactive.
Click Me for another posting from Black Top Mesa
Al at Terrapin and Dutchman trails. His Appaloosa is enjoying fresh grass.
Click me for the next Superstition Wilderness post, “Desert Color.”
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Michael Stephen Wills Photography 
Beautiful! And with a real cowboy, like in the movies!
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Apache Junction, the town closest to the Superstition Wilderness, businesses have hitching posts for the horses people ride into town.
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