Canadian Canoe Cottonwood / Sedona /Flagstaff

[georgesteel]

We are hiking in the Sedona area, but are planning to rent a Canadian Canoe for a few days. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for flat water places/ Lakes we could go? Is there anywhere we could see Eagles or Ospreys?
Many thanks
George.
Scotland

[chumley]

Hi George-

When will you be visiting? Where will you be renting the canoe? Will you have a vehicle/trailer capable of transporting the canoe?

The Verde River is an excellent source for avian life in Arizona, but the water flow is quite variable, and it's not flatwater.

There are several lakes that may be more suitable for your desires depending on the time of year of your visit. Upper and Lower Lake Mary near flagstaff can be quite scenic, as can Ashurst Lake near there as well, though Ashurst is considerably smaller. Blue Ridge Reservoir is a dammed creek in a winding canyon, not very wide, but a few miles long. The Rim Lakes (Willow Springs, Bear Canyon, Woods Canyon) are smaller and tend to be crowded in summer, limiting the amount of wildlife you might encounter. They are also a bit further from the Cottonwood/Sedona/Flagstaff area.
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There are a couple of smaller lakes near Prescott (Watson, Goldwater, Lynx).
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If you venture south to the lower desert you will find large reservoir lakes: Pleasant, Canyon, Saguaro, Apache, Roosevelt, and Bartlett. Horseshoe is full in the spring but often empty the rest of the year.

A good source for additional information is the Arizona Game and Fish site which has boating requirements as well links for lake levels and fishing reports.
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(Hopefully the link to the boating map will be "updated" soon. It's not currently loading).

[georgesteel]

Hi Chumley,
That was a fast and informative reply. We are flying into Phoenix on Saturday night, 2 nights Phoenix, 6 Sedona, 2 Payson, 3 back in Phoenix.
I was thinking of renting in Flagstaff and the vehicle will be a SUV and I am hoping for one with roof rails that I can put bars on (everything depends on this).
Blue Ridge Reservoir sounds just great. I had been wondering how much snow would be around Payson at this time of year and if there was any Canoe rentals in the area. We have hiked around Bear and Woods in September.
Thanks for the links and taking the time to reply, It has been very helpful.

George.
Scotland

[chumley]

The weather in Payson should be ok, but up on the rim there is still a bit of snow and many of the roads are still closed. (That includes Blue Ridge Reservoir). Access to most of the lakes up there is not possible, and some of them are still frozen. Even if you could get to Blue Ridge, I think it would be too cold for canoeing right now. (Probably very similar to the current weather in Scotland!)

Edit: I just received an email back from the Blue Ridge Ranger District ... the road to the reservoir is still closed and is expected to be closed for at least a few more weeks.

[georgesteel]

We should feel at home with the weather in Payson then!
Watson Lake and Lake Mary look like good contenders.
Many Thanks
George.
Scotland - 30°F

[azbackpackr]

Verde River might work for you. There are some quiet stretches. And it's going to be nice and warm in that area this weekend.

[nonot]

The verde in spring with snowmelt...hmmm, for certain areas of the verde that's canoe killing area if there's a recent storm. You may need to be more specific about which stretches (I am not that knowledgeable of that river, but have seen some of the battered remnants.)

Watson Lake/Lake Mary might be better.