Discovering Arizona - San Carlos Lake

Located within the 3,000 square mile San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, San Carlos Lake is one of eight lakes with desert surroundings created by damming rivers in the hills around Phoenix, and like the others it has quite a dramatic setting with the deep blue waters framed by gaunt, rocky, cactus-speckled mountains - in this case, the foothills of the Gila, Mescal and Santa Teresa ranges.

The lake is subject to tribal regulations - a permit is required for all hiking, fishing, camping and off-highway driving. It is close to US 70, a main route between Phoenix and Lordsburg, NM, and is reached by IR 3 which loops around the south side, over the dam then north towards the capital town of San Carlos.

The lake was formed by the Coolidge Dam on the Gila River - the largest in south Arizona, this has its source in the Mogollon Mountains of west central New Mexico and once over the state border flows through a wide valley for over 80 miles.

It then enters a much deeper canyon through the Mescal Mountains, the penultimate series of hills before the deserts of the southwest begin, thus the mouth of this ravine was selected as the site of the dam, which was completed in 1930.