Big Lake (Arizona) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Big Lake |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
 Big Lake
Location in Arizona
Big Lake
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Apache County, Arizona |
| Coordinates | 33°53′4.80″N 109°24′54.88″W / 33.8846667°N 109.4152444°W |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 450 acres (180 ha) |
| Average depth | 16 ft (4.9 m) |
| Surface elevation | 9,000 ft (2,700 m) |
Big Lake is a super popular spot in the White Mountains of Arizona. It's known as one of the best places to go fishing! People love it because it's big, healthy, and has lots of cool things for visitors to do.
If you love fishing for trout, Big Lake is a great choice. The best time to catch fish is in the spring, usually in late April and May, right after the winter ice melts. Fishing also gets really good later in the summer and into the fall. The lake usually freezes over again in late November. Big Lake is located in Apache County. It is looked after by the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests.
Contents
Where is Big Lake?
Big Lake sits high up in the mountains, about 9,000 feet (2,700 m) above sea level. It's part of the beautiful Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. You can find it about 26 miles (42 km) south of towns like Springerville and Eagar.
Getting there is pretty easy by paved roads, using Highways 260 and 261. If you're coming from Pinetop, it's about an hour's drive using Highways 260, 273, and Forest Road 113. Just remember, the roads to the lake are usually closed in winter because of heavy snow. This happens from about December to early April.
What's the Weather Like?
Since Big Lake is so high up, the weather can change a lot! In January, which is winter, the normal high temperature is around 44 °F (7 °C). The normal low temperature can drop to about 14 °F (−10 °C). It gets pretty chilly!
In July, during the summer, it's much warmer. The normal high temperature is around 75 °F (24 °C). The normal low temperature is about 45 °F (7 °C). This makes it a nice cool escape from the summer heat in other parts of Arizona.
What's Big Lake Like?
Big Lake covers a huge area of about 680 acres (280 ha). That's like 500 football fields! The lake is about 30 feet (9.1 m) deep on average. This means there's plenty of space for fish to live and grow.
What Kind of Fish Live Here?
Big Lake is famous for its trout fishing. The main types of fish you'll find here are:
Sometimes, you might even catch a Brown trout. To keep the lake full of fish, the Arizona Game and Fish Department adds a lot of trout every year. They usually add about 480,000 tiny "fingerling" trout (which are about three inches long). They also add 50,000 slightly bigger "subcatchable" trout (about six inches long). Most of these are rainbow trout, which are very popular with anglers!
