Last summer we spent the night at White Horse Lake near Williams, AZ. It was a quick overnight and we hadn't been there in over a decade. We brought paddle boards and a friend. The goal was to do an evening paddle and watch the full moon rise. Mission accomplished. All I brought was my phone as a camera. Here is what I captured.
Sholtz Lake is a small reservoir located off Garland Prairie Road, south of interstate 40 near Parks, AZ. The lake is managed by AZ Game and Fish as a bird refuge and is NOT stocked for fishing. You could haul in a kayak or canoe. Camping is not allowed within 1/4 mile of the lake.
The Lake is a birding paradise. It is shaped like a "T", with the north and south arms closed to people from Feb. 1 to Aug. 1 each year to allow a wide variety of birds to nest. Local lore says that the reservoir was first constructed in the early 1900s by the local farmers and ranchers as a permanent water source. The dam was reinforced in the past 20 years. The water level fluctuates with the snow runoff and monsoon moisture.
Our camp was beautiful and no more that 50 yards from the lake, which allowed us to leave the boats in the water overnight for a quick paddle before leaving the following morning.
Mid-week camping is the way to go. We were there in late august and had the place to ourselves. We were told it fills up on the weekends. And they were right. We saw it filling up as we were leaving heading into Labor Day Weekend.
As you can see, the view out our screened in camper window shows an empty neighboring property as well as the proximity of the lake.
We took a break from exploring the lake then headed out again as the sun was going down. We picked our spot then sat and floated as we waited for la luna to rise. And she was magnificent. The ambient moonlight later in the evening lit up the sky.
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