April 30, 2023 – We headed north to visit the area around Canyon Lake, which is formed by the impoundment of the Salt River by the Mormon Flat Dam. Our plan was to camp at the lake and visit the dam if we could reach it. When we arrived at the lake, the temperature was already 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so we set up a campsite under the trees at Canyon Lake Marina. We got some relief from the heat in the shade of the acacia and willow trees and took a short swim to cool off.
After setting up camp, we made our way to the road that leads to Mormon Flat Dam; however, the road was closed to public access well before it reached the dam. Dams have always been protected structures, and this is especially true in a post-9/11 world. Disappointed, we abandoned our plan to photograph the dam and drove to Tortilla Flat, a rustic town east of Canyon Lake on the Apache Trail (State Route 88). Tortilla Flat was the last surviving stagecoach stop on the Apache Trail. Today, it is reported to be Arizona’s smallest community with a post office and voting precinct – population six. We ate lunch at the local saloon and returned to our camp.
We spent the evening settling into camp and bird watching. The turkey vultures were soaring in the canyon until the thermals shifted and then six of them roosted in a snag near our camp for the night. We weren’t sure if that was a good or bad sign. We also witnessed the courtship display of a pair of blackbirds, which we were fortunate to capture on video. The lake was always busy with boats and jets skis while it was daylight.
The next morning fish were rising across the lake. They appeared to be small crappie, bass, and bluegill, and we immediately regretted not bringing our flyrods. By the time the sun was on the water, though, the fish activity ceased. We loaded the truck and headed east up the Apache Trail toward Apache and Roosevelt Lakes. We knew the road was closed at Fish Creek Hill since the Woodbury Fire burned the area in 2019. But we wanted to catch the morning light on the canyon country from atop the scenic overlook at the road closure.
Fish Creek Hill is the summit of a steep, winding road. So steep, in fact, that it posed a great obstacle to the construction of Roosevelt Dam as the haul road had to first be constructed over the summit to the damsite before work on the dam could even begin. At the summit, we walked around the scenic overlook and from there we could see the Four Peaks Wilderness, the Superstition Wilderness, and Fish Creek Mountain. The morning light on the canyon walls and distant mountains was worth the drive, and we enjoyed the rugged vistas before us. We ate PB&J wraps for breakfast on the overlook and then returned to camp.