Kinnikinnick Lake

As you know, Mom helps me with blogging about my adventures. Well, her computer crashed hard last week, and Daddy spent days and days trying to fix, repair, reinstall, and get it working again. We are pleased to report it seems to be working again—thank you Daddy! This all meant Mom wasn’t able to do much, and she was frustrated. I tried to help, but I’m not an IT dog. All I could do is send good thoughts.

We did enjoy a wonderful day up north last weekend, and we were all able to decompress. Mom some how still manages to find us new places to explore, and we headed to Kinnikinnick Lake, located 38 miles southeast of Flagstaff. We took I-17 North but didn’t go all the way to Flagstaff. Instead, we took the Stoneman Lake exit and turned right. At the “T” we turned left onto a dirt road. Cars would be fine but expect a bumpy ride until you come to Lake Mary Road, turn left onto the pavement. This will turn to dirt, too, and you turn right onto NF#125 (National Forest Road) for one mile. Take another right onto NF#82. You will have a brown sign indicating Kinnikinnick Lake. Continue four miles and pass Mud Lake. It doesn’t have any signs, but you will see plenty of cows getting cooled off in it. We stopped to say hi, but they told us to mooooove along. Badumdum.

Man, the wildflowers are amazing! North county has received summer rain the valley has not gotten, so everything is much happier. Just past Mud Lake will be the entrance to Kinnikinnick Lake. In 2013, the lake was converted from a camp ground to all-day use only, and it is free to use. Human restrooms are in several areas as are picnic tables. Dogs are allowed, but please, no fires. The drive from North Phoenix is about 2 ½ hours. If you were to go to Flagstaff and then drop down, allow 3 hours.

We found a great spot by the lake with some shade. You may want to bring a shade tarp, though, as the lake is more arid. No pine trees, only junipers. The lake sits at 7,000 feet and is 126 acres and 22 feet deep. We were lucky to get such a fine spot. Dad was able to hang the hammock.

Dad got us set up, and Mom fed us lunch. She is always changing up our meals, and today was chicken salad. Yum! We never complain and appreciate her planning and organizing our wonderful adventures and picnics. We had the place to ourselves! A few four-by-fours drove in and out, but we were able to enjoy the quiet. As we sat, we heard thunder from a nearby storm. The clouds rolled in, and the temperatures fell. Ahhh! We loved every minute of it!

We took a walk to stretch my legs, and when I went to the water’s edge, those creepy crawdads were angry. They tried to snap at me…how rude! I decided I did not want to swim with them. These were the biggest ones we have seen; they looked like aliens!

After a nice stroll, we came back to our spot. We brought fishing gear, but Dad took a nap, and Mom read her book instead. I must admit, I dozed off, too. How nice to be in Mother Nature’s air conditioning. We are all sick of the record-breaking heat in Phoenix. What a brutal summer! Please Fall, come quickly.

I was woken up by split, splat. Yup, I could smell it: rain! The thunder and lightning were right over us now, so we began to pack up. Dad was getting the last item in the truck when the downpour hit. Once again, we timed it just right.

We didn’t encounter any traffic on the way home, and before we knew it, I was home telling Mowgli all about our day. Even though we’ve been hot here in the valley, we are fortunate to have options to escape the heat. We live in a great place, and I have an awesome family. Life IS good.

My mom, Lorraine Bossé-Smith, is kind enough to help me share my Great Adventures, big and small. My mom is a motivational speaker, corporate trainer, executive recruiter, business consultant, coach, fitness expert, and author of nine published books. More importantly, she’s the best doggy mom ever!