Weaver's Needle
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Weaver's Needle rises to 1,388 m in Arizona. White Mountain stands 1,844 m to the east, 11 miles off. The nearest named place is Bluff Spring Mountain, a peak 1.1 miles away. Apache Trail Historic Road passes 6.5 miles off.
The story
Weavers Needle is a 1,000-foot-high (300 m) column of rock that forms a distinctive peak visible for many miles around. Located in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix, Arizona, Weavers Needle was created when a thick layer of tuff (fused volcanic ash)—a volcanic plug—was heavily eroded, creating the spire as an erosional remnant with a summit elevation of 4,555 feet (1,388 m). It is set in a desert landscape of cactus and mesquite bush, with large Saguaro cacti particularly prominent. The peak was named after mountain man Pauline Weaver. Weavers Needle has played a significant role in the stories of the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine. The Needle's shadow reportedly indicates the location of a rich vein of gold, and many treasure hunters have searched for it. The hunt for gold around Weavers Needle has been pursued by hundreds (possibly thousands) of people. Weavers Needle has a large split in the side that makes it look like it has two tops, not one. This can only be viewed from the side. Weavers Needle can be climbed as a four-pitch route. Each of the pitches is rated a 5.3 or less, with the second pitch being more of a class 4 scramble. The route is trad (traditional climbing), and opportunities for protection with traditional gear are ample. No permit is required to hike to Weavers Needle, to climb, or to camp at the top. Highly experienced climbers will often free-solo, and rappel from the fixed anchors at the top. Despite the relatively low rating of the climb, this is not recommended for beginner or intermediate climbers. The area surrounding Weavers Needle was burned in the Sawtooth Fire in June 2020.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q9371825, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 1388 m
How to reach it
- 6.5 mi off the Apache Trail Historic Road
- 12.4 mi off the Gila-Pinal Scenic Road
- 25.7 mi off the From the Desert to Tall Pines Scenic Road
Overlooks nearby
- Fish Creek Vista · 8 mi
- Apache Lake Vista · 12 mi
- Barrier-Free Lookout · 16 mi
- Observation Lookout · 16 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Bluff Spring Mountain: 1.1 mi
- Black Top Mesa: 1.4 mi
- Palomino Mountain: 1.8 mi
- Superstition Peak: 2.3 mi
- Black Mountain: 2.6 mi
- Bluff Spring Mountain Spring: 1.2 mi
- Willow Spring: 1.2 mi
- White Rock Spring: 2.1 mi
- Holmes Spring: 2.1 mi
- Bluff Spring: 2.1 mi
- Peralta Regional Park: 4.5 mi
- Dinosaur Park: 6.2 mi
- Lost Dutchman State Park: 6.7 mi
- Laguna Recreation Site One Hundred Fifty: 7.4 mi
- Boulder Recreation Site: 7.5 mi
- Mine: 4.9 mi
- Fireplace Chimney: 5.1 mi
- Tortilla Ranch (Abandoned): 6.2 mi
- Old Dynamite Shack: 10.0 mi
- Lost Dutchman Monument: 10.4 mi
- Wallace Rose Garden: 16.2 mi
- Gateway Garden: 16.2 mi
- Tropical Garden: 16.2 mi
- Wallace Forest: 16.2 mi
- Sonoran Desert Exhibit: 16.2 mi
- Dacite Cliffs: 2.6 mi
- Black Point: 8.2 mi
- Ittindi Rock: 8.8 mi
- Satchin Cliff: 8.8 mi
- Sheep Bend: 10.0 mi
- Goldfield Ghost Town: 7.2 mi
- Superstition Mountain Museum: 7.6 mi
- Renaissance Festival & Artisan Marketplace: 8.5 mi
- Pirate's Assault Catapault: 8.7 mi
- Peephole and Little Arch: 10.6 mi
- Boulder Picnic: 7.5 mi
- Acacia Recreation Area: 8.0 mi
- Butcher Jones: 12.9 mi
- Water Users Picnic: 13.0 mi
- Pebble Beach: 14.3 mi
- Dragontail Tower: 8.7 mi
- Bella Vida Mural: 10.3 mi
- Peaceful Little Ones: 16.2 mi
- Do You Hear What I Hear?: 16.2 mi
- The Ring of Life: 16.3 mi
- Dungeon Tour: 8.7 mi
- San Tan Historical Society: 19.2 mi
- Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum: 21.0 mi
- River Of Time Museum: 23.4 mi
- Back Beach: 9.9 mi
- Fish Beach: 10.0 mi
- Sandy Beach: 10.6 mi
- Buckhorn Beach: 17.4 mi
- Goldfield Ghost Town: 7.0 mi
- Reymert: 16.9 mi
- Pinal City: 17.1 mi
- Usery Mountain Regional Park: 14.2 mi
- San Tan Mountain Regional Park: 24.6 mi
- Massacre Falls: 4.4 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 13.1 miles of Weaver's Needle. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Mountain | E 80° | 1,844 m | 11.1 mi |
| Iron Mountain | E 90° | 1,838 m | 11.6 mi |
| Cimeron Mountain | ENE 70° | 1,690 m | 10.6 mi |
| Montana Mountain | E 99° | 1,685 m | 12.6 mi |
| Castle Dome | ENE 57° | 1,611 m | 12.2 mi |
| La Barge Mountain | E 87° | 1,542 m | 7.7 mi |
| Superstition Peak | SW 228° | 1,541 m | 2.3 mi |
| La Barge Mountain | E 87° | 1,541 m | 7.7 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:30 | 18:05 | 18:37 |
| June solstice | 05:17 | 19:02 | 19:39 |
| September equinox | 06:14 | 17:51 | 18:24 |
| December solstice | 07:26 | 16:44 | 17:22 |
Local time (America/Phoenix).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Oct–May.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 55 | 57 | 62 | 69 | 77 | 86 | 91 | 90 | 85 | 74 | 63 | 54 |
| Precip in | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.5 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Apache Junction 5 NE, 7 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/433565151
Day trips start here
- Fountain Hills · 24 mi
- Gilbert · 25 mi
- Mesa · 26 mi
- Chandler · 29 mi
Take the scenic way to Weaver's Needle.
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