Excursion to Bartlett Lake

One of the reasons we subscribe to the local newspaper, The Arizona Republic, is because they often have articles about interesting day trips in the area. Forry had read an article about Bartlett Lake or Reservoir, where the Verde River (which runs near Eagle View RV Resort) is dammed up. We took the back roads to Carefree and then on up the road to Cave Creek and then the Bartlett Lake Road.

The newspaper described the area as being lush desert. That's a new term for us, but I think it's pretty accurate --

We actually climbed fairly high into the Mazatzal Mountains. I think at one time we were over 3900 feet --

There are many eroded sentinel outcroppings of variously colored rock as we descended --

And suddenly there was water. If it wasn't for all the cacti, the reservoir looks very much like the one behind Grand Coulee Dam in Washington.

We stopped at the little Marina Store to pick up some sodas and candy bars and a Tonto Pass (1/2 price for Seniors!). The Ranger Station is not open on weekends -- which seems a bit strange. The lady at the Marina says weekends are their busiest...

We drove along the lake, checking out the campgrounds and looking for birds. Towards the north end of the lake are the Yellow Cliffs. I am assuming that the color comes from algae or lichens, but I couldn't find anything on the Internet to confirm my hypothesis and there was no one around to ask...

There are two distinct areas of these Yellow Cliffs. I wonder if the moisture from the reservoir has anything to do with the color?

We only saw two or three boats on the lake along with a couple of kayakers. I have a feeling the lake is very popular on weekends and in the summer as there were huge parking lots with long spaces for boat trailers at all of the boat launching areas we saw. The campgrounds are pretty utilitarian but I understand this is a great birding area in the spring and fall. We'll have to check it out again in a few months.