Saguaro Lake is the fourth

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

on the Salt River, formed by the Stewart Mountain Dam in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

. The

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

is off State Route 87, about halfway between Phoenix and the ghost town of

Sunflower The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a species of large annual forb of the daisy family Asteraceae. The common sunflower is harvested for its edible oily seeds, which are often eaten as a snack food. They are also used in the pr ...

. The

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, aqua ...

med end of the lake is at , at an elevation of . This lake is within the

Tonto National Forest The Tonto National Forest, encompassing , is the largest of the six national forests in Arizona and is the ninth largest national forest in the United States. The forest has diverse scenery, with elevations ranging from 1,400 feet (427 m) in ...

; the facilities are managed by that authority. A large fish kill was documented in the lake in 2017-2019 and in 2022, due to

golden algae The Chrysophyceae, usually called chrysophytes, chrysomonads, golden-brown algae, or golden algae, are a large group of algae, found mostly in freshwater. Golden algae is also commonly used to refer to a single species, '' Prymnesium parvum'', wh ...

Fishing

The lake is good for champion bass and carp fishing. Species that can be caught in the lake include: . Saguaro Lake aerial

Image:Saguaro Lake-Arizona-and marina.jpg, Saguaro Lake and marina. (2007) File:Butcher Jones Recreation Site Hiking.jpg, Lake Saguaro Hiking Trail

References

External links

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Arizona Game and Fish Saguaro Lake Website

Daily Water Level report from SRP

Arizona Boating Locations Facilities Map

Arizona Fishing Locations Map

Video of Saguaro Lake
{{authority control Reservoirs in Maricopa County, Arizona Tonto National Forest Reservoirs in Arizona