Arizona’s Roosevelt Lake is a perfect winter retreat.



Our camp site at Cholla Campground.

Our home in Silver City is at 6000 ft. and even though we’re in the southern part of the state we have winter. Our temps are mild most of the time but when a winter storm threatens where can we escape to? We remembered that years ago we rode our bikes through the Tonto Basin and around Roosevelt Lake in central Arizona on a Greater Arizona Bicycling Association cross state tour. Roosevelt Lake is only a 4-hour drive from home, 4000 ft. lower, and a temperate climate in the winter, the perfect spur-of-the-moment-getaway. That’s how we decided to spend the week of Christmas at Roosevelt Lake.

Desert sunset from our camp.

The Four Peaks at sunset.

The lake is on the Tonto National Forest with 3 Forest Service campgrounds: Cholla, Windy Hill and School House (the most remote at the south end of the lake). There is also a group area. Each day we stayed required a daily pass on which we marked the current date. Passes have to be replaced daily. One advantage to the daily pass is that we can change campgrounds or sites whenever we choose and the passes are good for any Tonto National Forest site. We bought a stack of passes so we’re prepared for our next visit. As always, our Senior Pass gets us half off so each night only costs us $3. What a deal.

The group area would be a great place for a fall or winter meet & greet. I’ll get more info on it next time.

We're happy campers at our Cholla campsite!

The sites at each campground are spread out along paved loop drives through the lush Sonoran Desert that borders the lake. They have covered picnic tables and fire pits but no hookups. Our 2 solar panels supplied us with adequate power. Generators are allowed but need to be shut down at night. There are restrooms and water taps scattered throughout and large solar-heated showers. Cholla campground had a dump station but for some reason it’s only open for a few hours on the weekends.

Wish I’d have taken more photos of the campground to show you. I’ll do it the next time we make our escape.

A pair of Ravens roost under a light pole solar panel.

We camped at Cholla which is located north of Roosevelt Dam at about the mid-point in this long basin. Each morning we’d begin with a little birding walk and saw an abundance of Gambles Quail, Flickers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Verdins, White-crowned Sparrows, and Cactus Wrens, as well as Canadian Geese, Coots and Grebes at the lake. (I’m trying out my new birding binoculars.)

Hiking across the desert to the South Fork .

We had no lack of things to do. We spent 2 days hiking in the rugged mountains. Our first hike was up the South Fork of Deer Creek in the Matzatal Wilderness south of Payson. The canyon was a delight. The wide river rock filled wash narrowed as we enter the canyon and water begins to flow. Water is a beautiful thing in the desert. Its voice spills through the canyon and waterfalls in narrow places add to the conversation.

A perennial stream in the South Fork.

Our second hike is up the Tule Trail into the Superstition Wilderness. We got a grand view of the lake and basin from the top of the 1200 ft. climb.

If you’re more into 4-wheeling there are plenty of dirt roads and jeep trails promising fun, scenic beauty and awesome vistas.  



A water fall in the South Fork.

Hiking up the Tule Trail.

Bicycling along Roosevelt Lake.

Jackie, the friendly cyclist.

Two of our days were spent bicycling. From Cholla we went in each direction on Highway 188 which runs the length of the basin. The pavement is good and there’s a wide shoulder to move onto when traffic overtakes us. The road rolls gently through the foothills and beautiful desert landscapes along the lake. Cactus studded mountains contain the valley within a continuous jagged rim that scrapes the sky. At each end of the valley the highway has to climb to find its way out and we climb along with it.


A view of the Superstition Wilderness.

 

 







There’s so much more to explore at Roosevelt so the next time the winter chill comes down into New Mexico we’ll head for the desert. It’s so easy to do in our Sprinter.
Until next time.
Jackie



The beautify and solitude of the Sonoran Desert.




Love those Saguaros.