Arizona - Where to Picnic Guide

Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area

1500 N. Fool Hollow Lake
Show Low, Arizona 85901
(928) 537-3680

The park is located two miles north of US 60 off Highway 260.

Imagine camping among 100-foot pine trees beside a quiet lake watching majestic great blue herons at a cool 6,300 feet in elevation. Year-round camping, fishing, picnicking, boating and wildlife viewing opportunities make Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area a very popular place. This 800-acre, cool, country recreation area with a 150-acre lake offers history, too.

The tiny town of Adair has long since been covered by the lake, but it was Thomas Westly Adair who was responsible for the name Fool Hollow. In 1885, Adair moved into the area with the intention of farming. The locals joked that only a fool would try and farm the place. The name stuck!

This state of the art recreation area, located in the Apache - Sitgreaves National Forest, opened in 1994 as a result of an innovative partnership between Arizona State Parks, the U.S. Forest Service, Arizona Game and Fish, the City of Show Low, and corporate sponsors Arizona Public Service and McCarty Construction Company.

Fishing
Show Low Creek flows into Fool Hollow Lake, providing a natural feeding ground for a variety of wildlife and a very diverse fishery.

Fishing opportunities are abundant with rainbow trout, brown trout, large and small mouth bass, black crappie, green sunfish, channel catfish and walleye are all present in the lake. Catchable sized rainbow trout are stocked by the Arizona Game and Fish Department mid-May through September.

White Mountain Trail System
The White Mountain Trail System consists of eleven loop trails offering over 103 miles of hiking. This system is located within 15 miles of the recreation area in the adjacent Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Trail maps are available at the park headquarters.

Park Facilities

• 123 camping sites, hookups or tents
• Dump station, fish cleaning station, boat ramps
• Picnic tables, picnic ramadas, and grills
• Private showers and restrooms
• Playgrounds