The last several years, Dad has gone out over landing for the Memorial Day weekend, leaving me and my mom behind. Don’t cry for me Argentina because I get to go to Lynx Lake with mom as our tradition! This year, we headed up on Sunday, hoping everyone was where they wanted to be but not heading home just yet. To be safe, mom woke me up in the middle of the night! Okay, it was early morning, but it was dark! Anyway, we hit the road heading north on I-17 to the Prescott exit or the 69, heading west.
Lynx Lake is very easy to get to and is a straight shot off the 69, but you do need to make your way through both the Prescott Valley and part of Prescott. When traffic is bad, it is very slow going due to all the lights. Early morning meant we cruised to Walker Road in about an hour and turned left. From here, you just follow Walker Road past the shopping center and housing development until you see signs for the lake.
If you want the day-use area, you will take the third entrance on your left and follow that to the parking lot. We were shocked that it was half full already just past eight in the morning. Wholly smokes! It is $5.00 per vehicle for the day, and they do have human restrooms, which mom used straight away.
We noticed right away that everything looked extremely dry and the trees stressed. Boy, does Arizona need some rain! We picked up the trail behind the restrooms at the front of the parking lot and began our hike. As I’ve mentioned before, the first half of the trail is paved. It is relatively flat and handicap accessible.
We couldn’t believe our eyes as we approached what normally was the lake – there wasn’t any! The first arm of the lake was completely bone dry with not a drop of water. I normally would take a dip, but we had to continue walking further down the lake. Yes, the lake has water, but all the arms are either mud puddles or cracked ground.
Every person we passed was just as surprised as we were, and we were all sad to see the water levels so low. It didn’t stop people from fishing, canoeing and swimming, though, and we saw tons of people and dogs on the trail. Last year, we had this place to ourselves at this time. Hmmm. Maybe I need to stop sharing my favorite places on my blog!?
The dam was dry, so we didn’t have to wade through any water this year. As we rounded back, I enjoyed saying hi to lots of doggies. But mom and I like the quiet of nature, and it was noisy. We were able to get a picnic table once we made our way around the lake and had a snack. We didn’t last long, though. People we playing their music, yelling and forgetting that other people were around. So, we packed it up and headed back.
I do wish people would appreciate nature rather trying to drown it out. We have plenty of gadgets and technology at home. Let’s keep nature pure, shall we? Traffic was definitely busier on the way home, but it moved along. Each and every gas station was nuts, and mom gave up on that until we were back in Phoenix.
Before I knew it, we were home. We spent a quiet afternoon by the pool. Pine trees by morning and pool by afternoon. Ah! That’s the life and why I love Lynx Lake. It is close yet gets you into the cool forest on a hot day. The temps are rising, and I think it is going to be another blazing hot summer. Stay cool my friends.
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!
Enjoy my blog at https://www.lorrainebosse-smith.com/category/kuma/kumas-great-adventures/
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Get outside! You never know what you’ll discover, and our paths just might cross. Happy tails!
Gordon Peterson says
Enjoyed the story. Sorry to hear about the drought. Northern Colorado has been blessed with rain. We are now 4 1/2 inches above normal — but I fear the heat is coming. Praying for a good monsoon season for you and for us.