Yesterday I headed to Lost Dutchman State Park to hike the Siphon Draw Trail up to the Flatiron.

The trail quickly leaves the state park and into Tonto National Forest and the Superstition Wilderness area.

The winter sun hung low in the sky most of the morning as I ascended into the Basin.  Rounding a corner and Flatiron comes into view for the first time. 

The Basin is a incredible rock feature below the Flatiron that includes a waterfall in the rainy season...no water on this day.

The "hike" portion of the trip ends at the Basin as the trail shoots up a canyon to Flatiron where the scrambling/climbing begins.  It was rather grueling for about the next hour but I was handsomely rewarded upon reaching the summit.

After finishing the six-mile round trip around 4:30 in the afternoon, I decided to stay in Lost Dutchman State Park for sunset. I set up my tripod to catch the late afternoon light on the rock formations I had just came down from.

The wait was well worth it as the sunset fired up the winter sky...

As the sun set below the horizon, the silence of the Sonoran Desert was pierced by the howls of coyotes and the hoots of owls.  All in all it was a spectacular day.