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Paddle the Edge of the Colorado Plateau

story and photos by Bruce Grubbs

Getting Started

For road, lake and stream information in the Flagstaff area: Peaks Ranger District 1824 S. Thompson St. Flagstaff, AZ 86001 (928) 527-3600 www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/ For lake levels and conditions statewide: Arizona Game and Fish Region II 3500 S. Lake Mary Rd. Flagstaff, AZ 86001 (928) 774-5045 www.gf.state.az.us/h_f/edits/lake_levels.shtml

Arizona is probably not the first place a sea kayaker thinks of as a paddling destination, but there is an astounding variety of flatwater paddling in the region centered on Flagstaff. Locals wanting a few hours of paddling often head out to nearby Upper Lake Mary, a reservoir southeast of town that supplies drinking water to the city. The lake, which is lined with grassy meadows and ponderosa pine, is about nine miles long and a quarter to three-quarters of a mile wide. Avoid the powerboat and personal watercraft crowd on the upper lake by launching at the Narrows, about the middle of the long, narrow lake, and paddling up lake into the no-waterski zone. To get to Upper Lake Mary from Flagstaff, drive south on Milton toward the I-17/I-40 junction, turn right on Forest Meadows Drive (signed for Lake Mary), left on Beulah Boulevard, left on Lake Mary Road and go 12.4 miles to the Narrows Boat Launch.

Numerous smaller lakes dot the forested plateau south and west of Upper Lake Mary. Some of them, like Mormon and Marshall Lakes, are great places to view wildlife, especially waterfowl. Both lakes are set in forested basins and rimmed by meadows.When full, Mormon Lake is the largest natural lake in Arizona, at about two by three miles. Others, like Ashurst and Kinnikinick Lakes, are frequented mainly by fishermen and offer a quiet paddling experience. Both lakes are limited to small motors, so you won't find the noisy, high speed crowd here.

Even further southeast, in the Mogollon Rim Country, a number of lakes are set in pine and fir forested canyons. My favorite is Blue Ridge Reservoir, which is about seven miles long and is set in General Springs and East Clear Creek Canyons, a pair of deep canyons draining north from the Mogollon Rim. The lush forest comes right to the edge of the water, and the paddler winds through the twisting canyon and between sandstone cliffs often only a hundred yards apart. Motors are limited to 5 hp, so this is also a quiet lake.

During the winter, paddlers can escape the frozen mountain lakes by heading south or west to any of the large reservoirs on the Salt, Verde, and Colorado Rivers. My favorite is Canyon Lake east of Phoenix. This long, narrow lake winds between thousand-foot cliffs in the canyon of the Salt River.