Saguaro Lake Cruise

On Feb 28th we viewed Saguaro Lake via a 90 minute narrated cruise aboard the Desert Belle Tour Boat.  Saguaro Lake is the 4th lake in a series formed by dams installed along the Salt River. Most well known is the first, Theodore Roosevelt Dam, which forms Theodore Roosevelt Lake. Following that is Horse Mesa Dam (Apache Lake), Morman Flat Dam (Canyon Lake), and finally Stewart Mountain Dam (Saguaro Lake).

   Saguaro Lake is a long, narrow lake that covers 1100 acres.  It is stocked with walleye, bass, trout, bluegills, crappies, and catfish by the Arizona Fish & Game Department.
    Located within the Tonto National Forest, rustic campsites are available by boat access only; hiking, biking, horse-back riding, and ATV trails wind their way through the desert areas surrounding Saguaro Lake.  A few RV campsites are available along the highway leading to the lake.
    Water from these lake reservoirs can be diverted for irrigation purposes.  According to the cruise narrator, some campers using boat access have awaken in the morning to find the water table has dropped by 4 feet or more, and their boat is now on dry land!
    Before driving home, we had lunch at Lake Shore Restaurant, located near the cruise departure area.