Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Like the Siphon Draw, Monument Canyon rises up from the desert floor south of the iconic Flatiron cliff, along the westernmost boundary of the Superstition Wilderness. Directly north of Broadway Cave, a well-worn trail leads toward the canyon entrance, where the remnants of an early-1900s mining homestead come into view. Only a lone chimney remains—what’s left of a short-lived prospector’s camp, abandoned not far from the mine this German prospector eventually walked away from.
Although I missed the mine itself, I continued up the steep Monument Canyon, teetering and weaving my way around the western cliff bands. The route eventually led to a low-level Class 5 scramble/climb through a weak point in the cliffs, where I intersected the Superstition Ridgeline Trail.
Following the Ridgeline to Flatiron completes this challenging "Reverse Flatiron" route—easily the hardest Reverse Flatiron I’ve tackled to date, which includes the Canyon of Waterfalls and Massacre Falls routes.
This is a dangerous off-trail route that demands expert-level route finding, a strong understanding of navigating via basic topography, and the ability to hike and climb through difficult class, 3, 4 and 5 terrain for roughly 10 miles, and 3,332' of elevation gain. By any standard, this route is difficult.
Like the Siphon Draw, Monument Canyon rises up from the desert floor south of the iconic Flatiron cliff, along the westernmost boundary of the Superstition Wilderness. Directly north of Broadway Cave, a well-worn trail leads toward the canyon entrance, where the remnants of an early-1900s mining homestead come into view. Only a lone chimney remains—what’s left of a short-lived prospector’s camp, abandoned not far from the mine this German prospector eventually walked away from.
Although I missed the mine itself, I continued up the steep Monument Canyon, teetering and weaving my way around the western cliff bands. The route eventually led to a low-level Class 5 scramble/climb through a weak point in the cliffs, where I intersected the Superstition Ridgeline Trail.
Following the Ridgeline to Flatiron completes this challenging "Reverse Flatiron" route—easily the hardest Reverse Flatiron I’ve tackled to date, which includes the Canyon of Waterfalls and Massacre Falls routes.
This is a dangerous off-trail route that demands expert-level route finding, a strong understanding of navigating via basic topography, and the ability to hike and climb through difficult class, 3, 4 and 5 terrain for roughly 10 miles, and 3,332' of elevation gain. By any standard, this route is difficult.
