Lyman Lake State Park

 

Lyman Lake State Park

Our first stop on our tour of state parks in the state of Arizona was Lyman Lake State Park.  It was dedicated on July 1, 1961, and became Arizona’s first state park!  It was formed when there was an impoundment of the Little Colorado River.  It is also fed by runoff from both Mount Baldy and Escudilla Mountain, the two tallest mountains in Arizona.  The lake itself is 1400 acres and lies entirely within the state park.  I think of it as a somewhat hidden jewel.  It’s a bit off the beaten path, not close to a major highway or major city in Arizona, and so doesn’t seem to be that well known.

Here are a few images of the Little Colorado River meandering toward Lyman Lake.  If you look closely, you’ll be able to see some cattle grazing and drinking along the river shore.

And, at this time, it’s clear autumn has arrived.  The colors are changing, even though the temperatures are trying to convince us it’s still summer!!

Another day, we decided to pack a lunch and drive down the dirt road in the park to a secluded spot along the lake to have a picnic!  What a scenic place to munch on some fried chicken we got from a local grocery store!!

And, with the lake right there, Jeff and Max couldn’t help but play a game of water fetch.  It’s nice to see Max enjoying time in a lake.  He was very hesitant around the ocean waves, and we hoped he’d take to the water.  He seems to be catching on to water play very nicely!

And, his fetching is a success!!  Here he is bringing sticks back to shore.  He has a habit of running along the shore with the stick for a bit, then dropping it, and giving himself a shake.  Usually, this is done away from us, and we like the last little touch of this new habit!

Enjoy!!