Saturday Drive: Lynx & Watson Lakes in Central Arizona
Odometer (Legend): 532,587
Odometer (ILX): 113,171
Trip Distance: 226 Miles
I recently saw one of those “You know you’re from such-and-such place when…” lists. It talked about the joys of living in sunny Arizona — a place where the best parking spot is determined by shade, not by distance. One of the items on the list was “You no longer associate bridges or rivers with water.” That is pretty true! We have dozens of bridges that cross over dry riverbeds. Many times, the only times those rivers get wet is during our rainy “monsoon” season in late summer.
For some reason, it’s tough for people to believe that we do have our fair share of water here in the Grand Canyon state. Central Arizona has a couple of beautiful reservoirs that I’d been wanting to check out for some time now, and I thank my friends Peter and Jack for cluing me in on them.
The Prescott National Forest covers 1.25 million acres of land in north-central Arizona and is an easy getaway (< 2-hour drive) from the Phoenix area. The key draw is the climate, since temperatures can be up to 20 degrees cooler in the summertime than they are in Phoenix. I took off on a Saturday morning and headed north on I-17 to do a little exploration of my own. Traffic was on the heavy side until I broke away on Highway 69 toward the Prescott Valley area.
A few minutes from downtown Prescott, Lynx Lake is a hot spot for fishermen since it’s stocked regularly with rainbow trout by the Arizona Fish & Game Department. It covers 55 acres and was formed in 1952 when a dam was built on Lynx Creek downstream. I took a little one-lane road to a parking area along the south end of the lake. I didn’t linger longer than a few minutes for pictures. Oddly enough, when I sent a picture of my car to Peter, he responded within minutes by sending me a picture of his car parked in the exact same spot. Great minds think alike.
Just 7 miles away from Lynx lies an even larger body of water called Watson Lake that dates back to the early 1900s and covers 70 acres of area. I paid my $2 day-use entry fee using the automated machine at the entrance to Watson Lake Park, then cruised around to see what this place was all about. A group of 25 or more motorcyclists had overtaken one of the parking lots, so I continued driving around and found the entrance to a boat ramp. I figured – what the heck – and drove down the ramp. Unfortunately, parking was not allowed so I had to loop back to the visitor lot to leave the car there. That was fine since it was a perfect 70-degree day and I wanted get out of the car and hike around anyway.
Watson is surrounded by a variety of sandstone rock formations. Water conditions were calm and I watched a few people launch kayaks from the ramp. For being a Saturday, things were pretty calm and quiet, tourist-wise. I plopped down on a rock and just soaked in the scenery (and sunshine) for about 20 minutes. When the time came to exit the park, there was a lineup of a half-dozen cars waiting to pay at the gate and enter. I rolled down my window down and held out my parking pass. A woman in a black Honda Civic graciously took it from me when I offered it to her. Saved her $2!
I had just one more place to visit before my trip was complete. I’d recently learned of Jack Ass Acres in New River off I-17 just north of Phoenix, so I pulled off the interstate long enough to get this picture. Jack Ass was once a gas station, convenience store, and souvenir shop but it appears to have been abandoned for decades. The building’s roof is crudely lined in barbed wire and the paint it peeling from every panel. Still, it makes a fun pit stop!
It was a fun day experiencing some of Arizona’s beautiful scenery and I hope you’ll enjoy the rest of the pictures here.
Heading toward Prescott Valley on Highway 69
Quick stop in the historic town of Dewey-Humboldt
Lynx Lake entrance
Approaching the parking area at Lynx Lake
Access to Lynx is via this one-lane, pine tree-lined, loop
Photo-op at Lynx
The ILX parked momentarily on the boat ramp at Watson Lake
Driving back up the boat ramp at Watson to the parking lot
Unfortunately, no swimming allowed!
A kayaker sets sail
Back to the parking lot
Another area of the lake with a dock
Heading back home, northbound on Highway 89
That’s not confusing at all. Two highways named “89A”?
Jack Ass Acres as seen from New River Road
Jack Ass sign
Starting this Wednesday, I’ll be in a 2015 Acura TLX for a week to drive & review it. Where will I go? Wait & see!
February 15, 2015 at 10:37 am
I want to photo shop my six speed coupe into the picture of Jack Ass Acres!
February 15, 2015 at 10:45 am
We’ll just have to go there the next time you visit. After we have lunch at Tortilla Flat and staple a $1 to the wall. Hope your weekend is going well!
February 15, 2015 at 1:08 pm
This is a great getaway spot!
February 16, 2015 at 7:39 am
Definitely – add it to your list! Worth checking out. The next time I go, I’m going to take the fun curvy road which heads to Prescott from Wickenburg. Just didn’t have enough time this trip for that scenic route.
February 16, 2015 at 7:57 am
That road is epic! Need to go on it bright and early though to avoid all the bikers and tourist.
February 15, 2015 at 1:37 pm
That’s a great stop for our Poker Run when Scottsdale hosts NALM 2016.
February 16, 2015 at 7:40 am
Agreed! Perhaps this will be our drive event.
February 15, 2015 at 2:13 pm
Holy Crow! There’s water in dem there hills!
February 16, 2015 at 7:40 am
Believe it or not, yes! It’s no Lucky Peak Lake, but it’s a few gallons worth!
February 15, 2015 at 8:47 pm
Water in Arizona! I had no idea. Looks like fun times and great photos — a typical weekend for you!
February 16, 2015 at 7:40 am
Yes indeed! It was a grand time. Hope your weekend went well, too.
February 15, 2015 at 9:01 pm
The 2.4 I-4 TLX? Or the 3.5 V-6? Anyway, a week you say? Maybe you should drive it up to Alaska… 😆
February 16, 2015 at 7:41 am
I’ll be in a V6 SH-AWD. Probably not enough time to make it up to Alaska and back, but I’m sure I’ll think of somewhere fun to take it.
February 16, 2015 at 12:47 pm
Gotta get up to Prescott sometime! It looks beautiful.
February 16, 2015 at 12:54 pm
It really is, Dave. Lots of great sights to see in that area – and some of the highways leading up to it are exceptionally fun and twisty. One of these days I need to get up there for an over-nighter and spend a little bit more time than just a day trip.
February 16, 2015 at 7:29 pm
I enjoy reading the comments of your faithful blog followers. This is yet another interesting post by you. I have always wanted to kayak and that body of water looks like the perfect getaway for such activity. Enjoy your weather down there before it creeps up to a level that will have you seeking such a retreat regularly!
February 16, 2015 at 7:53 pm
That’s for sure, and I definitely will! I have a buddy who might let me borrow his kayak sometime. Let’s pick up a new sport.