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Big Lake, Arizona

crawler

Well-Known Member
Messages
53
Location
Arizona
This is a Big Lake Arizona, Camping and Fishing trip. 8/31/12 To 9/3/12. at Rainbow facility, first-come-first-served.
[h=3]Getting There:[/h]GPS Info. (Latitude, Longitude):
33.87639, -109.40389
33°52'35"N, 109°24'14"W

[h=2]Overview[/h]Rainbow is the largest campground in the Big Lake Recreation Area in eastern Arizona. Because of its proximity to the lake, size and the many amenities it offers, Rainbow is a favorite for families. Popular activities include hiking, horseback riding and fishing.[h=4]Natural Features:[/h]Rainbow Campground sits at an elevation of 9,000 feet in the White Mountains. It is a very scenic area, forested with ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, spruce and aspen trees, which provide ample shade.

Summer temperatures are pleasant and cool, a nice respite from the heat of the lower desert. Visitors should come prepared for cool nighttime temperatures and occasional summer thunderstorms.
[h=4]Recreation:[/h]The campground is adjacent to 450-acre Big Lake, one of Arizona's top fishing lakes. The lake is known for its trout fishing, with rainbow, cutthroat, brook and Apache being the most sought-after species.

The recreation area is also popular for hiking, mountain biking, birding and wildlife viewing. Curious campers can attend educational programs at the recreation area's visitor center.
[h=4]Facilities:[/h]The facility boasts 165 campsites organized into six loops. Four double sites are available for up to 16 people each, which is convenient for larger families, and two single unit accessible sites are also available.

A small store nearby sells gas, food, boat rentals and firewood. A campground host is available on-site for visitor assistance.
[h=4]Nearby Attractions:[/h]Visitors can explore endless vistas and take part in many outdoor activities in the surrounding Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, which encompasses 2 million acres of magnificent mountain country in east-central Arizona and New Mexico. Springerville, Arizona is the closest town to the campground.

[h=4]Activities and Amenities[/h]
Within Facility

  • Accessible Sites
  • Boat Ramp
  • Boating
  • Drinking Water
  • Fishing
  • Flush Toilets

  • Hiking
  • Host
  • Lake Access
  • Mountain Biking
  • Picnic Area
  • Visitor Center
List of People that will be at are camp:
Todd
Greg
Alex
Jerry
 

Bigunit

Hammer Down!
Staff member
Messages
6,561
Location
Arizona
Looks like fun but I'll be either be camping on Mt. Lemmon or somewhere in Texas this weekend.
 

MaxPF

AGNTSA
Messages
1,394
Location
The dark side of the globe
A bit of an update. I pulled the latest info from the USFS web site for the Apache-Sitgreaves national forest. As of July 17, 2012, due to monsoon rains and favorable weather forecasts, there are NO FIRE RESTRICTIONS!!! This means that we can have a camp fire anywhere in the forest. Todd had been mistakenly told that fires were only allowed in the developed camp grounds, but this is not the case.

In addition to that good news, the Wallow Open Access Map has just been updated (August 28th, 2012). The map shows closure areas where camping is prohibited. In addition, many spur roads are still closed - motorized travel is only allowed on roads marked with a white arrow. On this map, the roads are colored either blue (graded gravel roads) or gray (dirt roads) is motorized travel is allowed. As can be seen, most roads are currently open. Also, roads bordered in yellow indicate areas where you can camp, as long as you park within 30ft of the road. These restrictions only apply to the area INSIDE the Wallow burn area, indicated by the brown border. Areas outside that border are under normal forest rules.

Anyway, the whole upside of this info is that we do NOT have to camp in the developed camp sites to have a fire, and there is plenty of places for distributed camping. Since I loathe developed camp grounds, especially during holidays, this is a Very Good Thing™. It means we can get away from the crowds at the lake proper and actually enjoy some peace and quiet :horns: Todd, Jim, and I talked this evening and we all agreed that finding a nice, secluded camp spot in the forest near the lake is infinitely preferable to a canned camp spot with RV's, generators, and screaming kids nearby.

So, were still going camping at "Big Lake", but we WILL NOT be at the Rainbow campground. I will call and text Alex on Friday after we find a spot, and give him GPS coordinates and directions. Apparently my directions are pretty good, 'cause last time we did a Big Lake trip and camped in the forest, Todd and I did some exploring and returned to camp to find Alex and Jerry already there and drinking our beer...

OK, I made up the beer part :giggle:. But they were there kickin' back when we returned :)

Current weather forecast for the region is 70° highs and 50° lows. Chance of rain is 20-30%, but it should only be a brief monsoon-type storm if it rains at all.

Current group: Todd (instigator), Jim (Todd's neighbor), Alex (camp bitch), Jason (Alex's friend), and myself. Scout (the Ridiculously Hairy Alaskan Malamute) will be coming as well, acting as the camp mascot and uneaten food disposal unit. Should be a good time!
 
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