A trio of Arizona Trailblazers kayakers stand on the shore of Willow Springs Lake. [photo by Ron]

Anna, Ron, and Chuck.

It’s another picture-perfect day on Arizona’s scenic Mogollon Rim, as three Arizona Trailblazers prepare their kayaks for launching at Willow Springs Lake. We were originally planning on kayaking nearby Woods Canyon Lake today, but because of major construction activities there, including tearing up and replacing the entire main parking area by the general store and launch ramp and the resulting limited parking spaces, decide to kayak nearby Willow Springs Lake instead. By 9:25 a.m. we slide our three kayaks into the clear, cold waters of Willow Springs Lake, with a cool breeze blowing out of the northwest under clear blue skies and an ideal temperature of about 73 degrees.

Willow Springs Lake is surrounded by tall pines and Douglas fir. [photo by Ron]

We last kayaked this lake nearly three years ago in July, 2021, when it was down almost ten vertical feet, with both the launch ramp and the dock sitting high and dry out of the water. Today the lake is at 100% capacity, thanks mostly to the abundant amount of snowfall across much of the Rim this past winter and early spring. Although at a casual glance it doesn’t really seem that much larger, at 158 surface acres Willow Springs Lake is almost three times the size of nearby Woods Canyon Lake, at 55 surface acres. Both lakes are 7,500 feet above sea level and offer a cool and refreshing retreat from the blazing hot desert of Southern Arizona, where today’s temperature is forecasted for a toasty 105 degrees.

Carolyn paddles the crystal-clear waters of Willow Springs Lake. [photo by Carolyn]

Willow Springs Lake was originally created in 1966, primarily as a recreational trout fishing lake, by the Arizona Game & Fish Department. With no permanent inflows of water from natural sources like springs or creeks, the only water source for this lake is snow melt, thus the unusual moniker for an Arizona lake: “The Lake Made of Snow”. As with all the seven Rim Lakes, Willow Springs is surrounded by a heavy forest cover of Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, aspen, and several species of oak.

Campers and kayakers along the lakeshore. [photo by Carolyn]

We start paddling clockwise around the lake, first up the northwest side of the lake to check out the nearby dam site and then continuing on to the northeast side of the lake, paddling south. A cool and refreshing breeze keeps us cool and comfortable, making for ideal kayaking conditions today. We spot several ospreys circling high overhead riding the thermals, expecting to see one initiate a steep dive pattern into the water at any moment and snatch up a fat rainbow trout within its talons. We continue paddling to the southeast and down a long arm of the lake just to see how far it will take us. Then we see an immature bald eagle perched high atop a pine tree, as it surveys the lake, then later a second and larger eagle circling high above the treetops.

There’s nothing like a refreshing plunge in the lake. [photo by Carolyn]

We pull into shore here for a snack and rest break. [photo by Ron]

Before we realize it, the time is almost 11:30 so we start looking for a good place to beach our kayaks and get out for a rest and snack break in the shade. We finally locate a good exit point with some rocks and small boulders in the shade of a cluster of tall pines. Nearby is one of several makeshift lean-to shelters we spot along the lakeshore today, crudely constructed of logs and driftwood. This one has definitely seen better days and probably won’t last too much longer before it falls down. Hopefully, all of these shelters were able to provide a safe refuge from the elements for their original builders and for others trying to escape rough weather on the lake.

Tall grasses and reeds line the shore along this part of the lake. [photo by Ron]

After a relaxing break, we’re back on the water for more kayaking, Round 2, and decide to explore several more long arms of the lake extending to the south. Each of these is roughly one quarter to almost a half-mile in length and ends in a shallow bed of tall reeds. We paddle as far as we can into each of these reed beds before the water becomes too shallow to go any further. Two of these arms go very close to Highway 260 and all its traffic noise. We see a number of small trout scurrying about in the shallow water where they seek shelter and protection from predators among the reeds. We also disturb several Great Blue Herons who are well hidden among the reeds but suddenly take flight as soon as we get too close to them. Wildlife is abundant on the lake today.

Anna and Chuck stand inside a makeshift shelter by the shore. [photo by Ron]

From the last arm of the lake we explore, we began paddling up the west side of the lake and back towards the launch ramp. We haven’t seen a single cloud in the sky all day, but now spot two tiny cumulus clouds forming on the far northern horizon. Early signs of monsoon weather finally taking shape on the Mogollon Rim? Very doubtful, as the clouds soon disappear from view, but we are starting to encounter typical strong afternoon winds on the lake and decide to paddle back to the launch ramp and call it a day. By 1:30 we’re all back on shore and preparing to break down and pack away all our gear and kayaks.

Ron and Chuck check out the shelter. (I hope this doesn’t collapse on us Ron!). [photo by Anna]

Things are going pretty smoothly until we try to break down Ron’s brand new three-piece hard-shell kayak. He was able to put it all together by himself earlier this morning before Anna and I arrived, but it looks like taking it back apart is going to be somewhat more of a challenge. After struggling with it for about five minutes, I jokingly ask Ron if he brought the owner’s manual with him but get no response. This is definitely a three-person job since it apparently takes at least three sets of hands to disassemble this thing. We finally manage to disengage the bow section from the kayak and start working on the stern section, which proves to be even more challenging because it’s larger and heavier for one thing. But after several more minutes of intense coordinated effort, it too finally separates from the main body of the kayak. There must be an easier way to do this Ron. Hopefully, it will go much smoother on the next outing. I have to say, though, this new 14-foot Swedish designed model is a pretty sleek looking kayak all right.