Highest elevation lakes & reservoirs in North Central Arizona by altitude
While lake levels can flucuate frequently based on several circumstances, the altitude/elevation of a lake is based on its normal water level, measured by the lake’s surface distance above sea level. For a reservoir, this water level is also known as “full pond” or “full pool”.Low lake levels can occur due to deliberate seasonal draw downs for irrigation or impending snow melt, reduced water inflows, drought and evaporation, residential or commercial water demands, and hydropower generation. Some lakes’ minimum and maximum elevations are virtually the same. Lakes that generate hydropower may vary by several feet – according to power demand. Lakes whose primary purpose is to prevent flooding can seasonally vary by 100 feet or more. When some lakes reach their minimum elevation, their boat ramps may not be long enough to permit boat access – and boats docked on shallow parts of the lake may end up on dry ground. In those cases, kayakers and shore-based anglers may be among the few happy recreational users of the lake.
A lake’s highest water level, measured by the lake’s surface distance above sea level, that can occur during flooding. A lake’s highest possible maximum elevation is usually the top of the lake’s dam or spillway. At lakes that include residential development, government regulations usually forbid the construction of homes below a lake’s maximum elevation.
You can find many of the world’s highest-elevated lakes on LakeLubbers. Lakes with the lowest elevations (known by LakeLubbers) are shown on the final page of that list. Note: For some lakes, "Altitude/Elevation" data is unknown, so this table may display fewer lakes than the total 10 articles we have published for North Central Arizona lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Southwest Region > Arizona > North Central Arizona > Compared by highest altitude/elevation in feet. This list does not represent all lakes in North Central Arizona, only the 10 North Central Arizona lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Elevation in feet |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Powell, AZ/UT (Arizona, Canyonlands Region, UT, Color Country, UT, North Central Arizona, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA, Utah) |
3,700 ft | Lake Powell is located in one of Southern Utah’s most picturesque red-rock desert areas and in Arizona’s Navajo Indian Reservation. It is one of the U … |
| Roosevelt Lake, AZ (Arizona, North Central Arizona, US Southwest Region, USA) |
2,217 ft | Also known as Theodore Roosevelt Lake, Lake Roosevelt With 21,500 acres at full pond and 128 miles of shoreline, Roosevelt Lake is the largest body of water contained entirely within Arizona; the larger L … |
| Horseshoe Reservoir, AZ (Arizona, North Central Arizona, US Southwest Region, USA) |
2,026 ft | Horseshoe Reservoir, in the Arizona Central Region, is a seldom-visited surprise. Horseshoe Lake, as it is often called, was created in 1946, when a d … |
| Apache Lake, AZ (Arizona, North Central Arizona, US Southwest Region, USA) |
1,920 ft | Surrounded by the stark and rugged beauty of Central Arizona’s Superstition Wilderness in the Tonto National Forest, Apache Lake is the perfect destin … |
| Lake Pleasant, AZ (Arizona, North Central Arizona, US Southwest Region, USA) |
1,725 ft | Also known as New Lake Pleasant One of the finest water recreation areas in Arizona, Lake Pleasant is true to its name – a pleasant oasis in a desert setting. Lake Pleasant’s 9,200 s … |
| Saguaro Lake, AZ (Arizona, North Central Arizona, US Southwest Region, USA) |
1,533 ft | Also known as Saguaro Reservoir Saguaro Lake is located in the Tonto National Forest within Maricopa County, about 40 miles east of Phoenix. It is a true desert oasis for Valley resi … |