Chevelon Canyon Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chevelon Canyon Lake |
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 Chevelon Canyon Lake
Location in Arizona
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| Location | Coconino County, Arizona, United States |
| Coordinates | 34°30′40″N 110°49′30″W / 34.51111°N 110.82500°W |
| Type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Chevelon Creek |
| Primary outflows | Chevelon Creek |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 208 acres (84 ha) |
| Average depth | 35 ft (11 m) |
| Max. depth | 80 ft (24 m) |
| Surface elevation | 6,366 ft (1,940 m) |
Chevelon Canyon Lake is a small reservoir (which is a man-made lake) located in northern Arizona. It's about 28 mi (45 km) northwest of the town of Heber. This lake is one of several small lakes found in canyons along the Mogollon Rim. These are often called the "Rim Lakes."
Chevelon Canyon Lake is known for being one of the hardest lakes to reach in the area. It's also the second reservoir on Chevelon Creek, located downstream from Woods Canyon Lake. The facilities around the lake are managed by the United States Forest Service, which is part of the USDA.
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About Chevelon Canyon Lake
Chevelon Canyon Lake was built in 1965. It was created to help control floods and to offer a place for people to enjoy outdoor activities. The lake is small but quite deep. It has an average depth of 35 ft (11 m) and covers an area of about 200 acres (81 ha).
The lake is long and narrow. It was formed by an earthen dam that holds back the water of Chevelon Creek. This creek flows through the canyon that gives the lake its name. Other nearby lakes, like Long Tom Tank, Willow Springs Lake, and Woods Canyon Lake, all drain into the upper part of Chevelon Creek. This water then flows into and through Chevelon Canyon Lake. From there, Chevelon Creek continues to flow northeast towards the Little Colorado River.
Exploring the Lake
Getting to Chevelon Canyon Lake can be an adventure! You have to travel about 30 mi (48 km) on unpaved forest roads (Forest Road 169 and Forest Road 169B). These roads can be very tough to drive on, especially between November and April. Heavy winter snowfall can make them impossible to pass.
Getting There
There isn't a direct road that goes all the way to the lake. The last .75 mi (1.21 km) of the road is closed to vehicles. This means you'll need to take a short hike to reach the water. Because you can't drive right up to the lake, boating options are limited.
Boating and Camping
Only small, light canoes or personal flotation devices can be carried to the boat ramp. If you have a boat with a motor, it must be a single gas motor no larger than 10 horsepower. The lake offers a few basic amenities for visitors. There are semi-primitive campsites with a restroom on the west side of the lake.
Fish and Fishing Fun
Even though Chevelon Canyon Lake is remote and hard to get to, it's a fantastic spot for fishing. It's especially known for its stock of rainbow and brown trout. The Arizona Game and Fish Department wants to keep rainbow trout, brown trout, and Little Colorado sucker in the lake.
Rainbow trout are added to the lake once a year. The Little Colorado sucker fish reproduce naturally in the lake. Brown trout also reproduce naturally in the stream that flows into the lake. There's even a suggestion to start adding Arctic grayling fish again, which were last stocked in 1990.
