The Bluff Spring Loop is a moderate 9.1-mile trek that begins and ends at the Peralta Trailhead, and takes 5 hours to complete. There are three trails at this trailhead. The Dutchman's, Bluff Springs, and Peralta. To make things more confusing, on the map below, the Dutchman's trail is incorrectly named "Miner's Trail", and Bluff Springs Trail is misnamed "Dutchman's Trail". On this hike we went out the Dutchman's Trail and soon had a nice view into Peralta Canyon. The trail goes up and over a rise. In a few more minutes, you are in a rich desert surrounding with many saguaro cacti in Barkley Basin. Continuing east, Miner's Needle is quite impressive. The trail climbs gradually up to Miner's Summit, and from here you can get a glimpse of Weaver's Needle to the left of Bluff Spring Mountain. Head northwest to the junction of Bluff Spring and The Dutchman's Trails. Take the Bluff Spring Trail up Bluff Canyon toward Weaver's Needle. Continuing in this direction the trail will open up and bend to the south and soon you will be at the junction of the Terrapin and Bluff Spring Trail sign. Stay on the Bluff Spring Trail and drop down into Barks Canyon. Follow the contours on your map and you will eventually be on the west side of the canyon. The trail turns south and west a few times before you reach the parking lot.
Always have a good topo map of the area, and a compass.
Trail map for Bluff Springs Loop. The two trails on this map are incorrectly named. I have added the correction in red text. Click on map for larger image.
For the best trail descriptions, maps, and history and legends of the area, get a copy of "The Hiker's Guide To The Superstition Wilderness" by Jack Carlson and Elizabeth Stewart.