Gold Canyon Homes For Sale

The town of Gold Canyon, Arizona is relatively new with most of the communities built after 2000. However, the myths and mysteries of the nearby Superstition Mountains go back hundreds of years. These legends mostly relate to gold, lost gold, and people’s futile, and often fatal attempts to  find it. 

Seeking the Gold in the Superstition Mountains but Finding Something Else 

Legend has it that the Apaches hid untold riches somewhere  in the Superstition Mountains. For over 300-years, Spanish explorers, miners, a medical doctor, a Jesuit priest, and an assortment of treasure hunters sought to hit it big, mostly to no avail.

The story of the Superstition Mountains and the Lost Dutchman Mine is, to say at the least, a fascinating one. Who doesn’t like a good treasure hunt story wrapped in mystery, murder, and superstition? Supposedly, a curse falls upon anyone trying to locate mine and its gold. While that may sound far fetched, the body count is not. 

The first to fall foul of this curse was a group of Spanish explorers who sought the help of the local Apaches in finding the gold. Closely guarding the location of the mine, the only help the Apaches gave them was to help them disappear. 

The same fate awaited a Jesuit priest. He too was on a quest for fame and riches but got instead an express pass to the hereafter. 

In 1848, a Mexican family was slain when the locals found them sniffing around for gold. And in 1931, some said these disappearances weren't true. But what is true is the fate of Dr. Ruth.

Dr. Adolph Ruth set out on a two-week trek in the Superstition Mountains. He was sure he’d find the hidden treasure. Months later the only thing found was the poor doctor’s head with two bullet holes in it. 

62-year old treasure hunter James Cravey set out in the 1940’s to find the mine and the gold within it. The only thing discovered was Cravey’s headless body. That same decade James Kidd, after poking around the Superstition Mountains, all of a sudden was seen flashing around big bucks. Did he find the gold?   He had no family, and nobody could figure out where he got this sudden windfall. Mr. Kidd’s spending spree was short lived, however.  In 1949, he too simply vanished from the face of the earth. 

Headless corpses kept popping up around the Superstition Mountains during the 1950’s and 1960’s. What struck the authorities as puzzling was none of the heads were ever found.

To this day, the location of the Lost Dutchman Mine, and the heads, remain a mystery.  

Gold Canyon is a Great Place to Play

Fortunately, such gruesome events never occur in today’s Gold Canyon. In fact, the city scores an “A” in low crime by a leading neighborhood ranking company. Another characteristic of Gold Canyon which deserves an “A” is its proximity to a wide array of amazing outdoor activities that few places can match.

Perhaps the most popular place to go is Lost Dutchman State Park which is just a few miles from Gold Canyon and 40-miles from Phoenix. While some people still come for the gold, most enjoy the scenery,  peaceful hiking trails, there are six, and camp sites. A few of these have RV hookups.

Another popular attraction is the Goldfield Ghost Town which features real-life abandoned buildings including a saloon, boarding house, blacksmith shop, and all the other establishments one expects in a Western-era frontier town. 

And speaking of old Western cowboy towns, the ApacheLand Movie Ranch will take you back to where many old Hollywood westerns were filmed. 

Now a historical landmark, the movie ranch was once the setting for the classic western “Gunfight at the OK Corral” starring Kirk Douglas and Bert Lancaster. The popular TV series from the 1960’s “Have Gun Will Travel'' was also shot here as were other long forgotten films.

If golf is your  passion, the Gold Canyon Resort & Dinosaur Mountain Golf Course is the place for you. It’s sloping topography and picturesque scenery may distract you on the green because it is so magnificent. Regardless, it is considered one of the best golf courses in Arizona. 

If the Arizona heat is becoming just too much for you, a day at Canyon Lake will do the trick. You can water ski, paddle around, or take a riverboat cruise where the dining is outstanding. 

And finally, for those who want to take a step back in time, the annual Renaissance Fair, which takes place from mid-February through the first week of April, will be a delightful experience. Enjoy the outdoor circus, costumed players, and medieval arts and crafts. Many of the vendors sit under 14th century style tents and serve meals any jousting knight would enjoy.   

Real Estate in Gold Canyon

The property market in Gold Canyon is similar in many ways to the rest of the state, in that home prices are increasing at a fast clip. However, the price increases are not as high as other Arizona cities. 

The median price of a home in Gold Canyon is well above the national median price. According to a market trends study by Movato, resale inventories in Gold Canyon have decreased by 6% from the previous month with 87 homes currently on the market.

There are a number of active adult retirement communities in the area, particularly in neighboring Apache Junction. In Gold Canyon, there is the Monteas at Gold Canyon, a resort-style community with many amenities, social events and a striking natural landscape.

If you’d like to spend your sunset years golfing while not breaking the bank doing it, Mountain Brook Village might be the place for you. Homes here cost almost half of what you might pay in tonier North Scottsdale active adult communities.

If price, amenities or the proximity to stores and restaurants are important to you, make sure you have a real estate professional at your side. There are so many different communities to choose from in the Gold Canyon area that it helps to have knowledgeable experts who know their way around. 

Contact the people at Arizona Network Realty, they have a stellar reputation and really know the Gold Canyon real estate market. They’ll help you find the perfect house and save you time and money doing it.

And once you settle in, you can pull out your pike and shovel and try your luck in the Superstition Mountains looking for the elusive Lost Dutchman Mine. On second thought, maybe that’s not a good idea.  Show Less...