Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Apache–Sitgreaves National Forests (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Black Canyon Lake, Hulsey Lake, and Woods Canyon Lake. Also, be sure to include Big Lake in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Apache–Sitgreaves National Forests (Arizona).
Table of Contents
Black Canyon Lake
Lake in Arizona. Black Canyon Lake is a lake in Navajo County, Arizona, United States.[1]
Hulsey Lake
Lake in Arizona. Hulsey Lake is a lake near Escudilla Peak in the Apache National Forest, Arizona. It is located at 8,620 feet on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. It is an impoundment of Hulsey Creek, a tributary of Nutrioso Creek. Due to snow and ice, the lake is usually inaccessible from November to mid-April.[2]
Woods Canyon Lake
Lake in Arizona. Woods Canyon Lake is a small lake located in northern Arizona, United States, about 30 mi east of the city of Payson. It is one in a series of small, canyon-bound lakes located on the Mogollon Rim, 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.
Woods Canyon Lake is small and moderately deep, having an average depth of 25 ft (7.6 m) and a surface area of 55 acres (220,000 m2). The long, narrow lake is formed by an earthen dam impounding the Chevelon Creek in Woods Canyon. It was created primarily for recreational purposes.
The lake is accessed via paved forest roads that are open most of the year, although access may be restricted due to snow during winter months from December to April. From April though September the lake is regularly stocked with rainbow trout and tiger trout. A very small self-sustaining brown trout population can also be found in the lake.
The lake is well developed, having numerous maintained campsites, facilities for recreational vehicles, and access for boats on the lake. The facilities are maintained by Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests division of the USDA Forest Service.[3]
Big Lake
Lake in Arizona. Big Lake is a White Mountains' fishing lake, with attractive size, productivity and visitor amenities. As with most trout waters in Arizona, catch rates are best in spring, during late April and May after the winter ice thaws, and get better later in the summer and into fall until the lake freezes over again in late November. Big Lake is in Apache County and is managed by the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests.[4]
Willow Springs Lake
Lake in Arizona. Willow Springs Lake is a cold water lake located on top of the Mogollon Rim in northern Arizona, about 23 mi east of the city of Payson in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, immediately adjacent to SR 260. It is a canyon-bound lake located on the Mogollon Rim, and is part of the collectivity known as the Rim Lakes. It can be found upstream from Chevelon Canyon Lake. The facilities are maintained by Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests division of the USDA Forest Service.[5]
Escudilla Mountain
Mountain in Arizona. Escudilla Mountain is located in Apache County, Arizona, and is part of the White Mountains. The peak is approximately 3.5 miles from the Arizona-New Mexico border. The summit is the highest point in the Escudilla Wilderness which is administered as part of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.
The area was severely impacted by the Wallow Fire of June 2011.
A portion of Aldo Leopold's Sand County Almanac discusses Escudilla and that it was the location of the last grizzly bear killed in Arizona (in 1936).[6]
PS Knoll Lookout Complex
The PS Knoll Lookout Complex is a fire lookout tower and accompanying cabin located in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. It was constructed in the mid-1930s. The nine-acre site consists of 3 contributing buildings and 1 contributing structure. The buildings are a house, storage shed, and outhouse; the structure is the lookout tower. The lookout sits at an elevation of 8,045 feet, and rises to a height of 45.9 feet. It was constructed by the Aermotor Windmill Company in 1933.[7]
Fool Hollow Lake
Lake in Arizona. Fool Hollow Lake is a public lake located in Navajo County, Arizona, near the city of Show Low. The lake is operated by the Arizona State Parks Department, and consists of 150 acres, with an average depth of 23 feet together with a variety of fish species.[8]
Los Burros Ranger Station
The Los Burros Ranger Station is a forest ranger station situated in Apache County, Arizona. The station was manned by rangers who traveled to the nearby Lake Mountain Lookout.[9]
Wyndham Pinetop
Nature, Natural attraction, Hot springs
Address: 2000 S Worldmark Dr, Apache–Sitgreaves National Forests
Lake Mountain Lookout Complex
The Lake Mountain Lookout Complex is a 49-foot tall lookout tower erected in 1926 approximately 20 miles east of Lakeside, Arizona. It overlooks a portion of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. The lookout was staffed by a forest ranger who was stationed at the nearby Los Burros Ranger Station, from which they would ride out to the lookout each day. The tower was constructed atop Lake Mountain, at the 8250 foot elevation, by the Aermotor Windmill Company.[10]