Alamo Lake, Arizona, USA

Alamo Lake is an outdoor person’s wonderland with great fishing, a unique Sonoran desert landscape and a plethora of desert animals. Wildlife viewing is superb with quail, wild burro, deer, squirrels, bald eagles, golden eagles and an infrequent mountain lion just some of the visitors. Remote Alamo Lake is the only permanent water body in the area. The lake thus has become stop-off place for large flocks…
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    • All About Alamo Lake, AZ

    Lake Locations: USA - US Southwest Region - Arizona - West Coast Region, AZ -

    Alamo Lake is an outdoor person’s wonderland with great fishing, a unique Sonoran desert landscape and a plethora of desert animals. Wildlife viewing is superb with quail, wild burro, deer, squirrels, bald eagles, golden eagles and an infrequent mountain lion just some of the visitors. Remote Alamo Lake is the only permanent water body in the area. The lake thus has become stop-off place for large flocks of birds of many species. Spring rains create great wildflower viewing, colorful sunsets inspire awe and the stark beauty of the desert imparts a peacefulness found in few other places. Cacti can be seen on the surrounding mountain sides, and cottonwoods can be found around and under Alamo Lake’s surface. “Alamo” translates to Cottonwood in Spanish.

    Alamo Lake is at a normal elevation of 1125 feet and is found on the Bill Williams River where the Big Sandy River and Santa Maria River meet. This junction is some 35 miles from the river’s confluence with the Colorado River. It was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control, water conservation, recreation, and fish and wildlife enhancement. The 1968 completion of the dam certainly met its flood control goal, being able to capture large amounts of water in a short time during infrequent floods. Alamo Lake has even risen 11 feet overnight! The earthen dam is 283 feet above the streambed and normally backs up 3000 acre-feet of water (being designed as a flood control reservoir, it could hold as much as 1,390,000 acre-feet). Historical high flows in the 1970s and 1980s increased the size of Alamo Lake, making it one of Arizona’s best fishing sites.

    Alamo Lake State Park is a relative unknown outdoor fun area, and part of its charm is its relative remoteness. It is located 40 miles north of the small Arizona town of Wendon and US Route 60. Alamo Lake’s busiest months are February through May, before the summer heat. For all of its remoteness, Alamo Lake State Park is open 365 days a year and has excellent facilities including:
    Campsites (250)
    With water and electricity
    Restrooms and showers
    ‘Dry’ campgrounds
    Fish cleaning stations
    Two multi-lane boat launch ramps
    Ranger Station/Visitor Center with fishing licenses
    Marina store with fishing supplies
    Boat rentals

    As one would expect, fishing is excellent and there are frequent fishing tournaments. Anglers will be able to catch bluegill, largemouth bass, channel catfish and black crappie. Although many anglers fish from their boats, shore fishing is quite good.

    In keeping with Alamo Lake’s relative remoteness, there are 13 geocaches nearby, many easy to find. Like many geocaches, they are located in quite picturesque sites.

    Alamo Lake covers the site of Alamo Crossing, a mining camp offering supplies to prospectors and boasting a post office in the late 1800s. Many abandoned mines and prospecting ‘holes’ entice the adventuresome with their metal detectors and other prospecting equipment. In addition, there are a number of ghost towns to find and explore in the area. Among these are Greenwood City, Signal and Virginia City.

    Alamo Lake is for the outdoor person, angler or someone who just wants some peace and quiet with the added benefit of superb stargazing. It’s a wonderful experience of nature’s best.

    Reference: Lost Mines of Arizona by Harold O. Weight, published 1959

    Things to Do at Alamo Lake

    These are some activities in the Alamo Lake, AZ area visitors can enjoy:

    • Vacation Rentals
    • Fishing
    • Fishing Tournaments
    • Boating
    • Camping
    • Campground
    • Wildlife Viewing
    • Birding
    • State Park

    What Kind of Fish Are in Alamo Lake?

    Alamo Lake has been known to have the following fish species:

    • Bass
    • Black Bass
    • Black Crappie
    • Bluegill
    • Catfish
    • Channel Catfish
    • Crappie
    • Largemouth Bass
    • Sunfish
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    Find Places to Stay at Alamo Lake

    If you’re considering a Alamo Lake lake house rental or hotel, we’ve made it super easy to find the best rates and compare vacation accommodations at a glance. Save time using this interactive map below.

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    More Sites to Book a Alamo Lake Vacation

    Our interactive Alamo Lake lodging map above is an easy tool for comparing VRBO rental homes and nearby hotels with Booking.com, but there could be times when you need to expand your search for different types of accommodations. Here are some other lake lodging partners we recommend:

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    Alamo Lake Statistics & Helpful Links

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    Lake Type: Not Known

    Water Level Control: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

    Surface Area: 3,000 acres

    Normal Elevation (Full Pond): 1,125 feet

    Minimum Elevation (Min Pond): 982 feet

    Maximum Elevation (Max Pond): 1,233 feet

    Maximum Depth: 283 feet

    Water Volume: 159,000 acre-feet

    Completion Year: 1968

    Drainage Area: 4,700 sq. miles

    Trophic State: Mesotrophic

    Alamo Lake Map
    Lake Water Level
    Local Weather Forecast

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