Saguaro Lake
— — a green river held between desert walls.
Not only on a wall.
“A reservoir on the Salt River about 40 miles northeast of Phoenix, formed when Stewart Mountain Dam closed the canyon in 1930. The lake sits inside Tonto National Forest, with cliffs of warm volcanic rock dropping straight to the water and saguaros standing along the upper benches. Pleasure boats run the main channel; bald eagles nest in the cliffs above. The water reads jade-green against the desert in the morning and darker by late afternoon, when the canyon walls begin to take the lake into their own shadow. from the studio
Saguaro Lake, on ceramic.
Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.
Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.
The place, in three passes.
Saguaro Lake is the fourth and smallest of the four reservoirs on the Salt River below the Mogollon Rim, sitting at about 1,529 feet of elevation in the Sonoran lowlands of Tonto National Forest. The lake formed in 1930 when Stewart Mountain Dam was completed by the Salt River Project to regulate flow downstream. It holds about 69,000 acre-feet at full pool and stretches roughly 10 miles up the canyon. The shoreline cliffs are remnants of mid-Tertiary volcanic activity, dropping straight into water from saguaro-studded benches above.
The Salt River runs cold out of Stewart Mountain Dam, which keeps the upper end of Saguaro Lake noticeably cooler than the lower basins on hot days. The reservoir is managed by the Salt River Project as part of a chain that includes Roosevelt, Apache, and Canyon lakes upstream. Surface temperatures climb past 80°F in summer; the water clarity drops after monsoon runoff. Bald eagles winter on the cliffs and have nested in the canyon since at least the 1970s, with closures around active nests enforced each season from December through June.
Saguaro Lake Marina at Butcher Jones Beach is the main access point, about a 45-minute drive from Mesa via the Bush Highway. A Tonto Pass is required for day use at most parking areas. The Desert Belle paddleboat runs scheduled cruises from the marina. Kayak and pontoon rentals are available year-round; the warm months bring crowds, while December through February stay quieter and cooler. Camping is dispersed at nearby Bagley Flat and Boulder Recreation Site. Bald eagle closures restrict shoreline access at the upper end through breeding season.