Photos: Lyman Reservoir, Arizona, February 2021

This page features ground-based and aerial photos of Lyman Reservoir, located in Lyman Lake State Park near Springerville, Arizona.

By damming the Little Colorado River—a tributary to the Colorado River running through Arizona—Lyman Reservoir was created in 1961 to provide irrigation water and also became Lyman Lake State Park. The reservoir has a maximum surface area of 1,500 acres, but it often experiences considerable drawdown for irrigation use. In 2021, Lyman Reservoir was 30 feet below capacity.

Lyman Reservoir is one of few bodies of water in the region without size restrictions for boats, which makes it a popular destination for recreationists. Although Lyman Lake State Park supports boating and fishing, activity in and around the lake is greatly reduced during periods of drawdown and severe drought.

Learn more:

Amber Shepard, “New facilities, more visitors at Lyman Lake State Park,” White Mountain Independent, January 17, 2020.

DateFebruary 2021
LocationLyman Lake, Arizona (map)
CreditTed Wood/The Water Desk
RightsFree to reuse under Creative Commons license.

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