Chevelon Canyon Lake is a small

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

located in northern

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, about northwest of the town of Heber. It is one in a series of small, canyon-bound lakes located on the

Mogollon Rim The Mogollon Rim ( or or ) is a topographical and geological feature cutting across the northern half of the U.S. state of Arizona. It extends approximately , starting in northern Yavapai County and running eastward, ending near the border ...

, collectively referred to as the Rim Lakes. It is said to be among the most difficult to access in the region. It is also the second reservoir on Chevelon Creek, downstream from

Woods Canyon Lake Woods Canyon Lake is a small lake located in northern Arizona, United States, about east of the city of Payson, Arizona, Payson. It is one in a series of small, canyon-bound lakes located on the Mogollon Rim, collectively referred to as the ' ...

. The facilities are maintained by

Apache–Sitgreaves National Forests The Apache–Sitgreaves National Forest is a United States National Forest which runs along the Mogollon Rim and the White Mountains in east-central Arizona and into the U.S. state of New Mexico. Formerly two forest, it is currently managed as ...

division of the

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

Forest Service.

Description

Chevelon Canyon Lake was constructed in 1965 as part of a flood control and recreational project. It is small and moderately deep, having an average depth of and a surface area of . The long, narrow lake is formed by an earthen

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

impounding the Chevelon Creek in the

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous Chevelon Canyon. Long Tom Tank,

Willow Springs Lake Willow Springs Lake is a cold water lake located on top of the Mogollon Rim in northern Arizona, about east of the city of Payson in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, immediately adjacent to SR 260. It is a canyon-bound lake located ...

, and

, drain into upper Chevelon Creek, which flows into and through Chevelon Canyon Lake. Chevelon Creek drains to the northeast to the

Little Colorado River The Little Colorado River () is a tributary of the Colorado River in the U.S. state of Arizona, providing the principal drainage from the Painted Desert region. Together with its major tributary, the Puerco River, it drains an area of about in ...

. The lake is accessible via of unpaved forest road, Forest Road 169 and Forest Road 169B, much of which is difficult or impossible to pass due to heavy winter

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

falls between November and April. There is no direct road access to the lake, the final segment being closed to vehicular access and requires a short hike. As the gated road does not allow vehicle access the lake, boating is limited to small, light

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

s or personal flotation devices that can be carried to the primitive boat ramp. Boat motors on the lake are restricted to a single gas motor no larger than 10 horsepower. Amenities are limited to semi-primitive campsites with a restroom, located on the west side of the lake.

Fish species

In spite of the lake's remoteness and lack of access, it is a premier fishing location due to its stock of

rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...

and

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...

. The Arizona Game and Fish Department's desired species assemblage in Chevelon Canyon Lake is rainbow trout, brown trout, and Little Colorado sucker. Rainbow trout is stocked once per year, while Colorado sucker reproduce naturally in the lake and brown trout reproduce in the stream entering the lake. It has been proposed that the department resume stocking

Arctic grayling The Arctic grayling (''Thymallus arcticus'') is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family Salmonidae. ''T. arcticus'' is widespread throughout the Arctic and Pacific drainages in Canada, Alaska, and Siberia, as well as the upper Misso ...

, last stocked in 1990.

References

Sources

* *

Footnotes

External links

Arizona Fishing Locations Map

Arizona Boating Locations Facilities Map
* {{authority control Reservoirs in Coconino County, Arizona Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests Reservoirs in Arizona