Fool Hollow Lake
Fool Hollow Lake sits just north of Show Low inside the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest and is managed as an Arizona State Parks recreation area. The lake covers about 150 acres with an average depth around 23 feet, and it's the most fully developed lake in the immediate Show Low area, with a campground, showers, picnic areas, and single-lane boat ramps on both the east and west shorelines.
Powered boats are limited to a maximum of 10 horsepower, which keeps the lake quiet and workable for kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards — a local concessionaire near the east boat launch rents them by the season. Swimming is allowed but there's no designated swim beach and no lifeguard, so swim clear of the ramps, docks, and dam, and expect a rocky shoreline in places. Because lake levels and boat-ramp availability can shift with drought conditions, check current conditions with Arizona State Parks before you plan a boating day here.
Woodland Lake
Woodland Lake is the centerpiece of Woodland Lake Park, inside the town of Pinetop-Lakeside at an elevation just under 6,900 feet. It's a small lake — about 18 acres with a maximum depth around 20 feet — but that's the point: it's a five-minute stop rather than a full expedition, with a paved loop trail around the shoreline for walking, running, or biking, picnic ramadas, a playground, and a disc golf course nearby.
This is the lake to pick for an easy morning or evening rather than a boating trip — it's better suited to shoreline fishing, a walk with the dog, or watching the ducks and geese than to launching a boat. Its in-town location makes it an easy add-on if you're already staying in Pinetop-Lakeside and want a lake view without driving anywhere.
Rainbow Lake
Rainbow Lake is a roughly 116-acre reservoir at about 6,700 feet elevation, created in the early 1900s by damming Walnut Creek in what is now Pinetop-Lakeside. Public access is concentrated near the dam, where there's a boat ramp and parking, since much of the remaining shoreline is privately owned by lakefront homeowners — boat and shoreline fishing near the public access point are the main ways to actually use the lake as a visitor.
Rainbow Lake works best as a stop for anglers and paddlers rather than a swimming destination, given the limited public shoreline. Its convenience is the draw: it sits close to restaurants, cabins, and shopping in town, so it's easy to combine with other errands rather than requiring a dedicated trip.
Big Lake
Big Lake is a genuine high-country destination, sitting around 9,000 feet elevation in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest roughly 25 miles south of Springerville — figure on a longer drive than the in-town lakes, especially if you're coming from Pinetop-Lakeside or Show Low. At about 575 surface acres, it's one of the larger lakes in the region, and it anchors a cluster of forest service campgrounds (Rainbow, Grayling, Cutthroat, Brookchar, and Apache Trout among them).
The appeal here is cool summer air, mountain scenery, and a genuine basecamp feel — boating options run from kayaks and canoes to low-horsepower or electric motors, and the lake makes a good staging point for exploring nearby Crescent Lake, Lee Valley Lake, and the East and West Forks of the Black River. If you're planning to camp, see the White Mountains camping guide for what to expect at altitude.
Crescent Lake
Crescent Lake sits about two miles north of Big Lake, near the junction of State Routes 261 and 273, at a similar elevation above 9,000 feet. At roughly 130 acres with an average depth around 10 feet, it's smaller and calmer than Big Lake, which makes it popular with kayakers, float-tube anglers, and fly fishers working the shallows on calm-wind days. Boats here are also limited to 10 horsepower.
Camping isn't permitted directly at Crescent Lake itself, so anglers and paddlers typically base out of one of the Big Lake campgrounds nearby and drive over for the day. A seasonal concession store rents boats when it's open, but don't count on that being year-round — confirm before you arrive if a rental is part of your plan.
Boating Rules and What to Expect
Most of the smaller lakes in this guide — Fool Hollow and Crescent Lake among them — cap engine size at 10 horsepower, which keeps them quiet and slow-paced rather than set up for wake sports or high-speed boating. That makes kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, and small fishing boats the practical choice across nearly all five lakes, rather than a ski boat or pontoon towed up from the valley. If you're bringing your own boat, check each lake's specific horsepower limit and launch requirements before you arrive, since rules vary lake to lake and can change with water-level conditions.
Life jackets are required for children in Arizona regardless of which lake you're on, and it's worth having one per person aboard any boat regardless of age. None of these lakes have a full-time lifeguard on duty, so treat swimming and paddling as self-supervised no matter how calm the water looks.
Getting There
The in-town lakes are about as easy as lake access gets — Woodland Lake and Rainbow Lake sit inside Pinetop-Lakeside itself, and Fool Hollow Lake is a short drive north of Show Low. Big Lake and Crescent Lake are a different kind of trip: both are roughly 25 to 30 miles south of Springerville on forest roads that climb well above the basecamp elevation, so budget closer to an hour of driving each way from Pinetop-Lakeside or Show Low, more if you're towing a boat or trailer. Fill up on gas before heading up to the high lakes, since services thin out considerably once you leave the highway corridor.
Planning a Lake Day
The five lakes split naturally into two groups: the in-town, lower-elevation lakes around Pinetop-Lakeside and Show Low (Woodland, Rainbow, Fool Hollow), which are easy, low-commitment stops you can fit around other plans, and the high-country lakes near Springerville (Big Lake, Crescent Lake), which sit above 9,000 feet and reward a dedicated day or an overnight camping trip. Whichever you pick, water levels and boating rules can change with drought and season, so it's worth a quick check before you load up gear. If fishing is the actual goal rather than just being near water, the White Mountains fishing guide covers species, stocking, and technique in more depth, and the camping guide is the place to start if you're planning to stay overnight near Big Lake or Crescent Lake.