Lake Mary may refer to one of two

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 ...

s 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 ...

southeast of Flagstaff. The name may also be used to refer to the two lakes as a whole. The pair of lakes impound the intermittent

Walnut Creek A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, ''Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true bo ...

upstream from Walnut Canyon. Recreational facilities at both lakes are maintained under the authority of the

Coconino National Forest The Coconino National Forest is a 1.856-million acre (751,000 ha) United States National Forest located in northern Arizona in the vicinity of Flagstaff. Originally established in 1898 as the "San Francisco Mountains National Forest Reserve", th ...

Upper Lake Mary

Upper Lake Mary, the furthest upstream of the two lakes, is formed by a small 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 ...

on Walnut Creek. In 1941, the city of Flagstaff built a second dam south of Lake Mary, creating Upper Lake Mary. The lake is long and narrow, with a maximum length of about , and a maximum width of about . During dry seasons the lake will narrow and shorten. Upper Lake Mary contains nine

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...

species for

angling Angling is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook or "angle" (from Old English ''angol'') attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated via a fishing rod, although rodless techni ...

, including black crappie, bluegill,

green sunfish The green sunfish (''Lepomis cyanellus'') is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. A panfish popular with anglers, the green sunfish is also kept as an aquarium fish by hobbyists. They are usu ...

, channel catfish,

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a p ...

and

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...

Largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, bu ...

, yellow bass and

yellow perch The yellow perch (''Perca flavescens''), commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch, American river perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Sam ...

are sometimes reported to be found in the lake as well. Also

golden shiner The golden shiner (''Notemigonus crysoleucas'') is a cyprinid fish native to eastern North America. It is the sole member of its genus. Much used as a bait fish, it is probably the most widely pond-cultured fish in the United States. It can be fo ...

s and

fathead minnow Fathead minnow (''Pimephales promelas''), also known as fathead or tuffy, is a species of temperate freshwater fish belonging to the genus ''Pimephales'' of the cyprinid family. The natural geographic range extends throughout much of North Amer ...

s are bait fish that are found in Upper Lake Mary.

Lower Lake Mary

Lower Lake Mary, the furthest downstream of the two lakes is located directly below the upper lake. It is the smaller, and the first to be developed, of two lakes, reaching a maximum length of during wet seasons. At its maximum capacity, the lake fills the valley from the small earthen dam at its head to the foot of the dam holding back Upper Lake Mary. During dry seasons, however, the lake has a tendency to dry up completely. The lake is named after Mary Riordan, a daughter of the wealthy lumber barons who built the dam in 1904 for a water supply for Flagstaff. Due to its tendency to dry up, the Lower Lake Mary does not have the water sports appeal of its upstream sibling. The lake is regularly stocked with rainbow trout during wet years. Any

species that is found in Upper Lake Mary can be found as well as a result of Upper Lake Mary spilling.https://www.fws.gov/southwest/federal_assistance/PDFs/Chapter%206c%20Lower%20Little%20Colorado%20River%20Sub-Watershed.pdf Both lakes are also home to populations of elk and

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

. The waters themselves attract various

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

species including the great blue heron and the bald eagle. During the warmer summer months, the region becomes a popular destination for birdwatchers.

References

External links

Arizona Boating Locations Facilities Map

Arizona Fishing Locations Map

Video of Lower Lake Mary

Video of Upper Lake Mary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mary Reservoirs in Coconino County, Arizona Coconino National Forest Reservoirs in Arizona

Upper Lake Mary

Lower Lake Mary

See also

References

External links