I've been scanning my topo maps looking for a AZ wilderness lake and haven't found a single one. Must be related to glaciers or the lack thereof. In CO almost every wilderness has dozens if not hundreds of lakes.

If you know of a AZ wilderness lake, please help a frozen Coloradoan.

Thanks

I think the best you can get is the Granite Basin Reservoir, which is just outside the Granite Mountain Wilderness. There are also several tanks in the Blue Range Primitive Area. Neither of them are what I think you have in mind though.

If you are looking for natural lakes, within a wilderness that are accessible in winter, than Point Reyes in California is your answer:

Bubba,

You did good.

Thank you

In particular, this is what you want. The trail continues north far beyond this point but in terms of lakes and a single day's endeavor, you can't beat it.

MtnHermit wrote:I've been scanning my topo maps looking for a AZ wilderness lake and haven't found a single one. Must be related to glaciers or the lack thereof. In CO almost every wilderness has dozens if not hundreds of lakes.

If you know of a AZ wilderness lake, please help a frozen Coloradoan.

Thanks

There are virtually no true lakes in Arizona. Any body of water found in the state is likely formed by a dam.

The only true "lakes" I know of off-hand are Mormon Lake, about 30 miles southeast of Flagstaff, and nearby Stoneman Lake. Both are on the San Francisco Volcanic Field and looking at Stoneman especially, seem to be natural craters probably formed when ground fell into a subterranean void. Mormon is more of a big flat mud patch than a watery lake. Jacob Lake on the Grand Canyon North Rim (Kaibab Plateau) is just a small watery sump about 50 feet across.

Arizona has relatively few playas as compared to California, Nevada and New Mexico. There's one in Cochise County (Willcox Playa) and another north of Kingman (Red Lake Playa I think). If the climate was wetter, these would be lakes. Otherwise, virtually the whole state is a system of mountains and valleys, with all watersheds letting out toward the Colorado River, and no basins that would be water-filled if we had a wetter climate.

MtnHermit wrote:I've been scanning my topo maps looking for a AZ wilderness lake and haven't found a single one. Must be related to glaciers or the lack thereof. In CO almost every wilderness has dozens if not hundreds of lakes.

If you know of a AZ wilderness lake, please help a frozen Coloradoan.

Thanks

Hey MH, I know of a natural lake in the Arizona mountains. It's currently frozen (and gated) right
now, but the gate opens on April 29th. It's a very small lake, but it's still natural.

Mingus Lake is not in a wilderness area. In size, it is practically a tank.

Not that it matters, but I just remembered the Pomeroy Tanks, near Flagstaff. The Sycamore Rim Trail is one of my favorite Arizona trails, especially when Sycamore Falls is going.

If you're looking for LAKES, bypass AZ completely, and proceed directly to the Big CA. You'll be glad you did!