On September 20, 2025, around 6:15 PM, we caught the cougar shadow. The cougar shadow is a phenomenon that happens only twice a year, in the third weeks of March and September (Visit Mesa, n.d.). On clear days, as the sun sets, the sun casts a shadow over the Superstition Mountains that looks just like a pouncing cougar. The phenomenon lasts for only about 15 minutes, and then it is gone.
I have wanted to catch the cougar shadow for several years now (having seen it posted about in social media, and on the local news), but in March, the day we set aside to see it was cloudy. Clouds obscure the sun, and therefore the shadow and the phenomenon. I worried a little bit about our ability to see the shadow this time, as I saw clouds gathering over the mountains. My husband assured me that the clouds were in the wrong direction from the sun, and therefore of no concern.
To catch the phenomenon, we drove a ways out down a two lane road in Apache Junction (about half an hour from our home). The Visit Mesa (n.d.) site says to pull off near Goldfield Road and Superstition Boulevard, and that is what we did. There are several pullout areas there, as well as open land on which to walk out. We arrived about 5:15 pm, and found only a few cars there at that point. Later, probably six other parties joined us. We sat in our car and watched the mountain until about 6:10 pm or so. As we saw the shadow on the mountain growing, we got out to watch and photograph it. The phenomenon lasted only as long as the sun was starting to set. As the sun set lower and lower, the shadow faded, and then went away. (We did see the last tinges of sunrise as we departed).
As my husband said, God does nothing on accident, so we consider this phenomenon a gift of God. It was a joy and a thrill to catch it, and perhaps we will do it again sometime. As it is, September 20th was supposedly the last day of the phenomenon for 2025, so that will have to wait until Spring 2026.
Visit Mesa. (n.d.). An insider's guide to the cougar shadow on the Superstition Mountains. https://www.visitmesa.com/blog/an-insiders-guide-to-the-cougar-shadow-on-the-superstition-mountains/
This is so cool! Congrats on catching the cougar!!! And thanks for telling us about it!!!
ReplyDeleteYou can thank my mom for the post. I didn't think it was necessary since everyone around here *knows* about the shadow, but Mom suggested making a post, so I did.
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