The Lyman Reservoir is a
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
Little Colorado River
The Little Colorado River () is a tributary of the Colorado River in the U.S. state of Arizona, providing the principal drainage from the Painted Desert region. Together with its major tributary, the Puerco River, it drains an area of about in ...
located north of
Springerville. It is the largest lake in the region. Lyman Lake State Park attracts anglers, as well as campers and water skiers year-round.
History
Lyman Lake State Park was officially dedicated on July 1, 1961, making it Arizona's first recreational State Park. The run-offs from nearby Mount Baldy and Escudilla Mountain, the second and third tallest mountains in Arizona respectively, feed into Lyman Lake Reservoir.
Description
An irrigation impoundment on the
Little Colorado River
The Little Colorado River () is a tributary of the Colorado River in the U.S. state of Arizona, providing the principal drainage from the Painted Desert region. Together with its major tributary, the Puerco River, it drains an area of about in ...
, Lyman Reservoir consists of situated at . The lake lies entirely within Lyman Lake State Park. The weather is ideal in the spring, summer, and fall months with average temperatures ranging from eighty to ninety degrees. A few of many leisurely activities in the park include hiking, boating, swimming, fishing. Water levels fluctuate, but when full, the average depth is , with a maximum depth of . Lyman Reservoir is a warm water reservoir containing
largemouth bass
The largemouth bass (''Micropterus nigricans'') is a carnivorous, freshwater fish, freshwater, ray-finned fish in the Centrarchidae (sunfish) family, native to the eastern United States, eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada an ...
,
channel catfish
The channel catfish (''Ictalurus punctatus''), known informally as the "channel cat", is a species of catfish native to North America. They are North America's most abundant catfish species, and the official state fish of Kansas, Missouri, Nebra ...
, crappie, carp and a few walleye.
Amenities
The State Parks and Recreation Department maintains year-round visitor amenities. Due to the vast size of Lyman Lake, there are no restrictions on boat sizes. A wide variety of watercraft are also authorized in the park such as canoes, kayaks, and jet skis. The park consists of 56 campsites.
References
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External links
Lyman Lake State ParkArizona Boating Locations Facilities MapArizona Fishing Locations MapGrover's Hill Irrigation District
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Reservoirs in Apache County, Arizona
Reservoirs in Arizona