Arizona is well known for its beautiful landscapes, including its many lakes and rivers that offer outdoor enthusiasts a wide range of activities. Visitors can enjoy fishing for bass, trout, and catfish at popular spots like Lake Pleasant and Roosevelt Lake, whether from the shore or on a rented boat. Tubing is another favorite pastime thanks to the warm climate and clear waters, with the Salt River and Verde River offering scenic float experiences. Boating is just as popular, with options ranging from motorboats and sailboats to kayaks. Altogether, Arizona’s lakes and rivers provide something for everyone, making it the perfect place to relax, explore, and enjoy the outdoors.
Salt River
Arizona’s iconic Salt River is located about 40 minutes from downtown Phoenix in Mesa, where visitors and locals go mainly for tubing and wild horses.
Saguaro Lake
Saguaro Lake has more than 22 miles of shoreline, creating a great environment for boating, kayaking, sailing, skiing, jet skiing, fishing, and camping.
Canyon Lake
Take a wealth of recreation at the 900-acre Canyon Lake, where visitors enjoy boating, water skiing, fishing, Jet Skiing, and taking scenic hikes around the shore. During the course of a beautiful day outdoors, visitors may see javelina, deer, and bighorn sheep on the surrounding red-rock canyon walls.
Theodore Roosevelt Lake
Roosevelt Lake is a beautiful body of water set in the desert. Small isolated islands and coves offer outstanding opportunities for camping and relaxing in the unique Sonoran Desert. Both Non-Motorized and Motorized boats are allowed at Roosevelt for maximum enjoyment of the water.
Chaparral Lake
More than 4 million Arizona residents live within a 20-minute drive of a stocked Community Fishing Program lake. Close by and convenient, all the parks offer parking and other amenities to make your fishing trip and park visit enjoyable.
Tempe Town Lake
A desert oasis in the middle of the Phoenix Metropolitan area, Tempe Town Lake offers a variety of exciting events and activities to enjoy year-round. Tempe Town Lake, located adjacent to Downtown Tempe, provides a recreational haven for kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, rowing, walking, fishing or picnicking.
Verde River
Verde River Greenway State Natural Area offers swimming, fishing, and boating, and camping is available nearby at Dead Horse Ranch State Park!
