Discovering Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area: A Hidden Gem in Arizona

Arizona has many amazing landscapes. One of them being one that most people would not think of. Water.

We decided to take a trip to Fool Hollow Lake Recreation area. There is a very nice state park with a few different areas you can launch a boat from. The shoreline also has areas where you can just walk your kayak down to the water and set out from there.

A little history of Fool Hollow and how it got its name. “In 1885, Thomas Jefferson Adair moved into the area with the intention of farming. The locals joked that only a fool would try and farm the place. The name stuck! The tiny town of Adair has long since been covered by the lake, but it was Adair who was responsible for the name Fool Hollow.

The park along the lake, located in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, opened in 1994 as a result of cooperation between the U.S. Forest Service, Arizona State Parks, Arizona Game and Fish and the city of Show Low in partnership with Arizona Public Service and McCarty Construction Company. Today, visitors can camp among the tall pines and hike along the lake at a cool 6,300 feet in elevation. Year-round camping, fishing, picnicking, boating and wildlife viewing opportunities make Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area a popular place. ” This information was found on AZParks.com.

We put the kayaks in near the marina and store. If you do not have your own Kayaks, you can rent them there.

The water was pretty calm at first. We paddled out a bit and just before the bend the wind picked up with a few good gusts.

There were a few other boats on the water. The people were great! They did not cause large wakes just because they were bigger. I had experienced this in Washington State on Lake Roosevelt. The little waves the boats did create were fun to rock in though.

There were quite a few birds all around the lake. Brian found one goose who thought the boat was fun to follow. Brian named him Fred the Goose.

It was just a great day to be out on the water! As we floated through the rocky forested cliffs we could hear families enjoying their stay in the various sections of camp grounds. The wild flowers in bloom along the shore were absolutely beautiful!

This state park has so much to offer! We will be back again and look forward to paddling the other end of the lake.

Please check out our YouTube video to enjoy some more lake views and relaxing music HERE

Please enjoy the photos below.