BOATINGCAMPINGFISHINGWATERSPORTS 20 Great Places In AZ To Have Fun On The Water By Jim Allen 0 1016 Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp 1. Ashurst Lake, Coconino Countycogdog/Flickr Located 20 miles south of Flagstaff, this is a lovely site to fish for some Rainbow Trout when you want to escape the heat. 2. Bartlett Lake, Maricopa CountyJeff Shewan/Flickr This reservoir is large and popular with the Phoenix crowd because it’s located less than an hour outside city limits. We can’t guarantee it always looks this quiet. 3. Big Lake, Apache CountyJason Thompson/Flickr We think this area lives up to its name plus you can find a wide variety of fish species to catch! 4. Canyon Lake, Maricopa County Kevin Stuart/Flickr Another large reservoir that’s actually not too far from Apache Junction in the Tonto National Forest. Can you imagine what it looked like before the river was dammed? 5. Cataract Lake, Coconino County U.S. Forest Service, Southwestern Region/Flickr This area is actually a lot prettier than its name suggests. We wouldn’t mind opening up our tents to a sight like this. 6. Chevelon Canyon Lake, Coconino County Alan Levine/Flickr Leave your little Smart Car at home if you plan to visit this reservoir. This picturesque site is only accessible by dirt road and a bit of hiking. 7. Dogtown Lake, Coconino County U.S. Forest Service, Southwestern Region/Flickr Melting in this heat? Maybe heading for the sparkling waters at Dogtown Lake would be a refreshing change. 8. Granite Basin Lake, Yavapai County Michelle Milla/Flickr One of the smaller lakes surrounding Prescott, Granite Basin is a great location for camping, hiking, fishing, and photography. 9. Kaibab Lake, Coconino County U.S. Forest Service, Southwestern Region/Flickr Another little lake sitting outside Williams, this area is quite popular with the camping and fishing crowd. Also, I don’t know about you but that snow is looking refreshing right about now. 10. Lake Havasu, Mohave County Iris Donovan/Flickr You may want to head out here once the temperatures come down a bit. When you do be sure to check out the London Bridge (don’t worry, it won’t fall down.) 11. Lake Mead, Mohave County U.S. Geological Survey/Flickr Next time you’re headed to Las Vegas, stop by our state’s largest reservoir which has traditionally been popular for boating and fishing. You can occasionally also see the ruins of the St. Thomas, the town that once existed there. 12. Lake Pleasant, Maricopa County Richard Topalovich/Flickr Another wildly popular area for the Phoenix crowd, this lake has plenty of areas for your family to enjoy picnics, fishing, and a variety of water sports. 13. Lake Powell, Coconino County Wolfgang Staudt/Flickr Another major reservoir in the Southwest, Arizona shares this lake with Utah. It has also been the filming site for a handful of movies and the inspiration behind one of Edward Abbey’s novel. 14. Mormon Lake, Coconino County U.S. Forest Service, Southwestern Region/Flickr Just barely a lake, the depth here fluctuates during the seasons between 10 feet and nothing at all. 15. Patagonia Lake, Santa Cruz County s_mestdagh/Flickr A little more than 20 minutes north of Nogales sits Patagonia Lake, a popular site for sports fishing and bird watching. 16. Potato Lake, Coconino CountyU.S. Forest Service, Coconino National Forest/Flickr Who would have thought such a tiny place would look so dramatic? You probably won’t have any luck fishing here but the tiny lake is a popular site for hikers and picnickers. 17. Roper Lake, Graham County dmallen321/Flickr Just seeing the picture of this lake, which sits minutes outside of Safford, makes me want to go there now. 18. Saguaro Lake, Maricopa County JMK PHOTOGRAPHY/Flickr Birding, boating, fishing. What else could you ask for in a lake? 19. Tempe Town Lake, Maricopa County Alan Stark/Flickr Okay, this one is a bit divisive. You have one camp that professes their love for Tempe Town Lake while another claims it is nothing other than a large, green swimming pool. No matter which side of the argument you sit on, it does make a great setting for some stunning pictures. 20. Woods Canyon Lake, Coconino County Alan Levine/Flickr This large lake is another popular destination for fishing, camping, hiking, and kayaking. What do you think of our list? Tell us in the comments below.