Portrait of Five Lakes

In this arid land called Arizona, lakes are few and far between, but desert dwellers, with an avidity which is understandable, make the most of them. Man is the big lake builder in this land of little rain, land of the hot sun. Over on the Colorado, piles of steel and concrete, gracefully designed to harness crusty and muddy Old Red, have backed up such imposing bodies of water as Lake Mead, Lake Mohave and Lake Havasu, commodious all-year playgrounds for the waterminded (and who isn't water-minded out here where it gets so dry a wit once said even the frogs have to carry their own canteens?). Laguna Lake, near Yuma, that puts the no-longer-muddy waters of the Colorado to good use, is not to be overlooked, as any fishing Yuman can tell you. Yuma, by the way, a desert metropolis that grew out of sand dunes, probably has more fishermen per capita than any other place in the country.Residents of the Salt River Valley need drive only a few miles to enjoy the pleasures of such man made lakes as Carl Pleasant on the Agua Fria; Horseshoe and Bartlett on the Verde; Roosevelt, Apache, Canyon and Saguaro on the Salt. Boat building, as incongruous as it may sound, is a thriving industry in Phoenix, and a stranger to these parts cannot help but exclaim, with awe and surprise, “How come?” on seeing so many boats and trailers parked in residential sections of Valley communities.

San Carlos, on the Gila, despite the long dry spell that has scorched the Gila watershed, serves the good folks of eastern Arizona in many pleasant ways. Lyman Reservoir, on the Little Colorado near St. Johns, built primarily for storing water for irrigation purposes for some of Arizona's highest cultivated acres, serves, too, as a recreational center.

Lyman Reservoir, on the Little Colorado near St. Johns, built primarily for storing water for irrigation purposes for some of Arizona's highest cultivated acres, serves, too, as a recreational center.

If you look closely at a map of Arizona, and wear your strongest glasses, you will see pin points of blue which will call to your attention more lakes than you ever imagined existed in a state where water is a treasure. Not big, none of them, but exquisite jewels cherished in a dry land.Around Flagstaff you'll find lakes with such names as Mormon and Mary, Marshall, Vail, Potato, Long, Ashurst, Boat, Kinnikinick, Roger, Hay and Daze. White Horse Lake, south of Williams, not only attracts summer campers but is a watering place for birds and wildlife, making the lake an ideal place for the nature lover who wants to study creatures of the forest. They'll gladly share their prized possession with you.In the White Mountain area the fishing fame of Big and Crescent Lakes extends beyond our spacious borders. If you know what road to take you'll eventually stumble upon Bench and Tunnel and River Lakes on the Little Colorado near Greer, and others like Chuck Box, Wildhorse and small reservoirs like Colter and White Mountain.

Our desert and our mountain lakes complement each other. When winter curls icy fingers over most of the land, our desert lakes, shimmering mirrors of translucent blue in the warm, winter sun, come into their own. It would be impossible to estimate the number of people, coming from near and far, who take advantage of the benign weather for the rest, relaxation, and sport offered by our impounded waters. Literally thousands of people, modern nomads of the motor age, park their trailers beside the lakes along the Colorado and loaf in the sun while time and the river flow leisurely on. As the saying goes, they never had it so good.

sible to estimate the number of people, coming from near and far, who take advantage of the benign weather for the rest, relaxation, and sport offered by our impounded waters. Literally thousands of people, modern nomads of the motor age, park their trailers beside the lakes along the Colorado and loaf in the sun while time and the river flow leisurely on. As the saying goes, they never had it so good.

The lakes on the Salt, skirted by historic and scenic Apache Trail, are, if anything, even busier. Here is sport, here is scenery, here is serenity and here is the sun for visitor and resident alike.

Our mountain lakes become our featured attraction in summer. Their invitation is hard to resist. With it they promise fishing, music of pines composed by cool and friendly mountain breezes, the chatter of happy trout streams, beflowered meadows bright in the sun, comfortable camp sites, lazy days for those who wish to escape more harried and hurried lives. From the desert floor of Arizona, burdened with summer's sometimes too uncomfortable embrace, a half day's drive over a fast, modern highway brings you to the cool of the mountains. The Whites, in eastern Arizona, with their miles and miles of trout streams, their delightful lakes, their imposing forests, their crisp, invigorating weather, even in summer, attract desert dwellers like a magnet. It is difficult to imagine, but such lucky people can have their cake and eat it too.

Who could ask for more?