Woods Canyon Lake is a small

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

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 ...

, United States, about east of the city of Payson. It is one in a series of small,

canyon A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

-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 among the more developed and accessible of the Rim Lakes. It is also the first reservoir on Chevelon Creek, upstream from

Chevelon Canyon Lake Chevelon Canyon Lake is a small reservoir located in northern Arizona, about northwest of the town of Heber, Arizona, Heber. It is one in a series of small, canyon-bound lakes located on the Mogollon Rim, collectively referred to as the Rim L ...

. Woods Canyon Lake 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 Woods Canyon. It was created primarily for recreational purposes. Woods Canyon Lake Store Arizona

The lake is accessed via paved forest roads that are open most of the year, although access may be restricted due to

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 ...

during winter months from December to April. From April though September the lake is regularly stocked with

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...

and

tiger trout The tiger trout (''Salmo trutta'' × ''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a sterile, intergeneric hybrid of the brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') and the brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis''). Pronounced vermiculations in the fish's patterning gave rise ...

. A very small self-sustaining

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 ...

population can also be found in the lake.https://www.fws.gov/southwest/federal_assistance/PDFs/Chapter%206b%20Middle%20Little%20Colorado%20River%20Sub-Watershed.pdf Woods Canyon Lake Inner Tubing

The lake is well developed, having numerous maintained campsites, facilities for recreational vehicles, and access for

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...

s on the lake. The facilities are maintained by Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests 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. Woods Canyon Lake Campground

Fish species

Woods Canyon Lake is stocked with catchable-sized

and

. There is a very small self-sustaining

population that can also be found in the lake. Illegally introduced green sunfish are abundant in the lake.

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 Ameri ...

crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, mu ...

bluegills The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or "copper nose" as is common in Texas, is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and ...

and possibly golden shiners reproduce in the lake as well.

References

External links

*
Arizona fishing locations map

Arizona boating locations facilities map

Video of Woods Canyon Lake
{{authority control Reservoirs in Coconino County, Arizona Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests Reservoirs in Arizona