Saguaro Lake, Arizona: Water, Mountains, & Saguaro Country
June 28th, 2017
View of Four Peaks from Saguaro Lake
The Desert Meets Water
When you first enter Saguaro Lake, the dramatic contrast between the surrounding desert and the water is striking. One moment you’re on the highway, and the next the road dips down into a landscape that opens up to a painting-like vision of blue water nuzzled between mountains. The shift is sudden and unexpected, especially your first time. It will feel like you’ve traipsed upon something secret or hidden.
Mountain Medicine
Located inside Tonto National Forest, the mountains around Saguaro Lake envelope you with saguaro cactuses sprinkled all about. These mountains and much of the surrounding Superstition Mountains region were formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago.
While drifting about, you’ll notice saguaros clinging to ledges, arms twisted as if in mid-rant or high-five. Some are standing just fine and dandy, others look bedraggled and straggling, but every one looks like they’ve seen what we Wild West lovers can only wonder.
On a Boat, Desert Style
I love a no-hustle day. No scut work. No haulin’ arse to and fro. Just a dilly dally, frolicking type of day and Saguaro Lake is perfect for that. You can spend the day anchored in a cove or drifting with the sun and the mountain views.
Out on the pontoon boat, one minute I’m stretched out listening to the water and the wildlife… the next I’m drifting past volcanic canyon walls with the dogs curled up. Just desert mountains rising from the water which I cannot get my fill of, just bliss.
Views You Can Only Get From a Boat
Photos give you an idea but they never fully translate how close the desert feels when you’re floating inside of it. The lake reflects everything, the mountains, the saguaro silhouettes, the sky.
Visiting Saguaro Lake is a rare chance to see saguaro country at water level. This is a landscape that only exists in one part of the world… Arizona and Mexico.
Please understand that Saguaro Lake doesn’t show all of itself from one place. You’ve got do a little deserteering to see the layers you’ll never catch from land. Hidden coves and passages, rock walls in your face… Every direction is a postcard.
Finding Hidden Coves
Sailing the lake reveals secret coves and tucked-away hangout spots where you can cut the engine and let the boat drift a tad, or anchor near one of the rock walls with saguaros perched upon them.
There is a beachy area (which I’ll get to later on) where lots of people gather to drink, listen to music, and well basically party. I indulge in that a bit, but my favorite spots are the hidden ones… the areas of peace and solitude where I can absorb the vibration of the land where the water meets the desert.
This is a time when I recommend bringing a canoe, kayak, paddle board or renting a boat if you don’t own one.
Saguaro Lake does provide boat rentals.
The experience from a boat feels entirely different than standing along the shoreline with only one view. Out on the water, the desert opens up, the volcanic canyon walls and mountains are in your face, and the saguaros strut across the horizon.
Put it this way, on the shore you’re looking at a postcard. By boat, you’re in the postcard.
The Hangout Area
There’s a stretch along the shoreline that is only accessible by boat… no name that I know of, just a spot where speed boats, pontoons, and little fishing boats line up side by side.
Early in the morning it feels peaceful, but by 10 AM it becomes a neighborhood of strangers playing music and drinking loads of alcohol. All ages and types come together to have fun, even the pets. Before long, you start becoming a “regular,” seeing the same familiar faces drifting through the coves and on the beach.
Animal-Friendly
The dogs sprawled out on the deck, jumped in and out of the water, and made new pup friends.
Note: Bring plenty of fresh water since dogs can get sick from drinking too much lake water. Remember that boat surfaces can become extremely hot during the afternoon sun. Early mornings and sunset cruises are usually much easier on pets, especially during summer. Bring a dog life jacket, extra towels, and prepare a shaded spot on the boat. Keep an eye out for sharp volcanic rock, fishing hooks, snakes, and other desert hazards. Some dogs thrive around the lively beach shorelines and coves while others prefer the quieter canyon stretches, so it helps to pay attention to their comfort level. Keep mindful of these things and your pups will have a blast at Saguaro Lake!
After a Day on Saguaro Lake
The slow drifting through canyon coves, the saguaros standing above the shoreline, the sound of water tapping against the boat… it all leaves behind a kind of desert calm that lingers long after you’ve hitched the boat and headed home.
There’s something about being surrounded by blue water in the middle of the Sonoran Desert that stays with you. Maybe it’s the contrast of it all… volcanic mountains, giant cactus forests, hidden coves, strangers becoming familiar faces for the day. Whatever it is, Saguaro Lake has a way of instilling a calm that lingers for days, along with that feeling of “I can’t wait to do it again.”
Know Before You Go
✦ Arrive early, especially on weekends. Saguaro Lake gets busy fast once the Arizona heat kicks in.
✦ The main beach and cove hangout areas are boat-access only. A pontoon boat, canoe, kayak, paddleboard, or rental boat gives you the full experience.
✦ Bring more water than you think you need. The Sonoran Desert heat reflects intensely off both the rock and the water.
✦ There’s very little natural shade once you’re out on the lake. Sunscreen, hats, and shade canopies go a long way.
✦ Expect a mix of peaceful desert scenery and lively lake culture. Early mornings are calm and quiet, while afternoons often turn social with music, floating groups, and boats lining the coves.
✦ Watch for wild horses along the Lower Salt River nearby, especially early morning or near sunset.
✦Dogs are common out on the lake, but boat surfaces can become extremely hot during summer afternoons.
✦ Cell service can become spotty deeper in the canyon sections.
✦ Summer storms can move quickly through the desert during monsoon season, especially in late afternoon.
✦ Respect the desert. Saguaros are protected and the shoreline ecosystem is fragile despite the party atmosphere in some coves.
Ways to Spend the Day
⬗ Drift through the canyon coves by pontoon boat
⬗ Anchor along the beach and float in the water
⬗ Paddleboard, canoe, or kayak through quieter shoreline areas
⬗ Photograph the volcanic cliffs and desert mountains
⬗ Watch the sunset reflect across the canyon walls
⬗ Picnic or grill from the boat while floating in a cove
⬗ Spot saguaros climbing the surrounding hillsides
⬗ Bring the dogs along for a desert lake day
⬗ Cruise beneath the Superstition Mountains
⬗ Explore nearby trails around the lake and Salt River area
⬗ Spend the morning peacefully driftin’ before the crowds roll in
⬗ Anchor to party at the shoreline or coves and make new friends
⬗ Stay through golden hour when the desert light shines across the water
