Alamo Lake State Park

Alamo Lake State Park
Arizona State Park
Alamo Lake and Artillery Peak
Country United States
State Arizona
County La Paz
Location Wenden
 - elevation 1,102 ft (336 m) [1]
 - coordinates 34°13′56″N 113°36′10″W / 34.23222°N 113.60278°W / 34.23222; -113.60278Coordinates: 34°13′56″N 113°36′10″W / 34.23222°N 113.60278°W / 34.23222; -113.60278
Area 4,900 acres (1,980 ha)
Founded 1969
Management Arizona State Parks
Location of Alamo Lake State Park in Arizona
Alamo Lake
Location La Paz / Mohave counties, Arizona
Coordinates 34°13′56″N 113°36′10″W / 34.23222°N 113.60278°W / 34.23222; -113.60278
Type reservoir
Primary inflows Bill Williams River
Primary outflows Bill Williams River, evaporation
Basin countries United States
Surface area 17,000 acres (6,900 ha) (when full)
Max. depth 80 ft (24 m)
Surface elevation 1,237 ft (377 m)

Alamo Lake State Park is a state park of Arizona, USA, centered on Alamo Lake, a flood control and recreational reservoir. The park is located in western Arizona about 38 miles (61 km) north of Wenden. It is accessed via dirt road off either U.S. Route 60 to the south or U.S. Route 93 to the east. Owing to its remoteness and lack of paved access roads, the park is often considered one of the "best kept secrets" of the state park system.[2]

Alamo Lake State Park features camping facilities and attracts wildlife enthusiasts, as the park is home to numerous wildlife species including the bald eagle. The park's remoteness and distance from cities also makes it a destination for stargazing.

Alamo Lake

Alamo Lake itself is formed by the Alamo Dam that are part of the Alamo Lake State Park administered by the Arizona State Parks. The lake impounds runoff from the Bill Williams River, an intermittent tributary of the Colorado River. The dam was constructed in 1968 by the Army Corps of Engineers, primarily for flood control purposes. The dam is an earthfill dam that rises 283 feet (86 m) from the streambed.

While the Bill Williams River is often dry, heavy seasonal rains maintain the lake's depth. During extreme flood events the reservoir can fill rapidly; the lake has been recorded to rise 11 feet (3.4 m) in a single night due to extreme flooding.[2]

Unusually high flows during the 1970s and 1980s increased the depth and size of the reservoir to unexpected levels, giving birth to recreational and fishing possibilities. Since then, the lake has been stocked with numerous fish species, including largemouth bass, crappie, sunfish, channel catfish, flathead catfish and tilapia.[3] The lake is host to fishing tournaments and has been the location of at least one Arizona state fishing record.[4]

The park can be accessed by a paved road from Highway 60 at the Wenden turn-off to the north on Alamo Lake Road.

References

  1. ↑ "Alamo Lake State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1984-06-27. Retrieved 2011-03-12.
  2. 1 2 "Alamo Lake State Park". Arizona State Parks. Archived from the original on 21 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
  3. ↑ "Southwestern Arizona". Arizona Game and Fish Department. Archived from the original on 10 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
  4. ↑ "Arizona Fishing Records". Arizona Game and Fish Department. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-27.

External links

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