Camping, water, mountains, desert, hiking, biking, paddling, exploring cultural sites – Roosevelt Lake, Arizona is a perfect base for your next RV adventure. Investigate cliffside ruins in the morning, launch the kayak in the afternoon, take an evening bike ride around the campground trails, or plan a full-day hiking on a section of the Arizona Trail. There are so many options, make sure you take the time!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something from one of our affiliates, we receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Thanks for helping to keep our blog up and running!
Table of Contents
Why make Roosevelt Lake, Arizona your next adventure base?
What’s so great about Roosevelt Lake? First off, it’s an oasis in the Sonoran Desert. Roosevelt Lake is the largest lake entirely within Arizona’s borders. It’s only an hour and half drive from the outskirts of Phoenix and Lost Dutchman State Park. There are multiple camping options – from Roosevelt Lake Beach to Windy Hill to Schoolhouse. Campground trails wind throughout.
Roosevelt Lake Visitor Centre provides a bigger picture of the area. You can take a short drive and explore the historic dam – the world’s largest of its kind when it was built.
Drive up to Tonto National Monument and check out the cliffside ruins of the early Salado culture. Park your vehicle and head uphill on foot to explore a short section of the Arizona Trail (AZT).
Both Roosevelt and nearby Apache Lake offer scenic bays to paddle. The lakes are not quite as easily accessible from Phoenix as Lake Pleasant and Saguaro Lake – which reduces the pressure of too many visitors and increases the enjoyment of kayaking.
From history to outdoor adventures – there are endless things to do in and around Roosevelt Lake, Arizona.
Ready to plan your next Arizona RV adventure?
Check out our step-by-step post for RV trip planning.
Discovering the history of Roosevelt Lake
We started at the Roosevelt Lake Visitor Centre. The displays – although a little dated – provide an excellent overview of human history in the Tonto Basin.
Visitors are guided from the arrival of Native American hunters in the Tonto Basin about 11,000 years ago, to the first permanent settlements around 100 CE, to the peak of the Salado culture around 1300 CE and subsequent abandonment of the basin by 1400 CE.
Tonto Basin remained unknown to Europeans until the 1860s when it was scouted and mapped by Captain George B. Sanford from Fort McDowell. White settlers moved in. Seasonal flooding and periods of drought made life challenging.
By 1904, the area boomed with the impending construction of the Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River. Small “towns” grew up at O’Rourke’s Camp, Government Hill, and Roosevelt/Newton. Apache Trail provided access to the site. Tourists began to trek over from the Phoenix area to check out the progress of Arizona’s largest reservoir.
By 1908 the reservoir began filling behind the dam. Construction wrapped up in 1911 and the area’s population of over 650 residents began to dwindle. The boom was over.
Today’s visitors cross the Roosevelt Lake Bridge above the dam, close to the location of O’Rourke’s camp. The bridge was finished in 1990 as modifications to upgrade Roosevelt Dam were underway.
Hike the Vineyard Trail
Parking in the small pullout on the north side of Roosevelt Lake Bridge, we shoulder day packs and head across the highway for the start of the Vineyard Trail.
The route winds the hillside, past random piles of old stone foundations from O’Rourke’s camp. Cactus bloom and spring wildflowers dot the hillside with vibrant colours.
We climb off trail for lunch and a superlative view of Apache Lake before continuing up past rocky red cliffs. The hillsides turn golden with blooming poppies, punctuated with brilliant blue lupines, purple owl’s clover, and yellow wallflowers.
As the trail begin to descend towards the Mills Ridge trailhead, we all agree that we don’t need to walk down only to turn around and head back on the in-and-out route.
On the way back, we chat briefly with a couple of thru-hikers finishing the last couple hundred miles of the AZT. They are not too happy about the snowpack they’ll soon encounter as they climb up into the high country.
We – on the other hand – are thrilled with our total 7.5-mile (12 km) jaunt up and down the ridges above Roosevelt Lake.
Plan your next RV adventure with TimeTravelTrek’s 2025 RV Trip Planner available in our Etsy printables shop.
Exploring Tonto National Monument
The following morning, we head up to Tonto National Monument to see if we can get in on a cancellation for the 3-mile (4.8 km) round-trip, guided-only tour to the Upper Ruins. The ranger behind the counter thinks we may be in luck.
There are only 10 people allowed per tour, but a group of six have yet to arrive for the 10:00 am departure. It’s 9:45 am. We wander the small exhibit space and wait.
Five minutes before 10:00, the group of six arrive… sigh.
The lowers ruins are still open to visit, so we wander up the paved path keeping our eyes open for sunning rattlesnakes along the way. Stunning vistas, incredible wildflower gardens, and an interesting volunteer to regale us with his knowledge of the ruins in the cave more than makes up for the disappoint of not being able to get to the upper cliff dwelling.
Crested Saguaro hike
After a quick bite of lunch back at camp, we head out for a hike up Cottonwood Canyon from the Frazier Trailhead. It’s a pleasant walk across the hillside and down to the small creek before climbing onto a Jeep road that leads us up to a photogenic crested saguaro.
We thought we’d continue down to the upper creek and follow it back. But even though it was great fun, the cane grass in the creek bottom quickly became inpenetrable. Back the way we came! Even with the little side trip, we were still back in camp by 4 pm.
Close enough to happy hour? I think so!
Paddle Apache Lake
Our last day took us out on the narrow, steep, winding, dirt road known as the Apache Trail from Roosevelt to Apache Lake.
What a drive!
Slumping in a few places, the road width narrows to single lane. I wouldn’t want to tow our trailer in towards lower Burnt Timber campground, but a few intrepid motorhome drivers were navigating the road on their way out.
Great blue herons, grebes, and other waterfowl species plied the waterways alongside us. Bald eagles perched on rocky cliffs.
After pulling out for lunch, we spy movement on a nearby shore. Loading back into our kayaks, we paddle over and have our first-ever sighting of a ringtail – Arizona’s state mammal.
Looking for more places to paddle in Arizona? Check our guide for 9 of the best places to kayak!
Camping on Roosevelt Lake, Arizona
Every time we visit, we seem to always camp at Windy Hill. It’s convenient and easily accessible with multiple loops of developed campsites and shower buildings. There are also multiple trails surrounding the campground which make for great bike rides and evening walks. Lack of light pollution makes Roosevelt Lake and area idea for enjoying Arizona’s night skies.
Even-numbered sites are first-come, first-serve. Reservations can be made for odd-numbered sites online from Nov 1st to Apr 30th. There is a large Fry’s for groceries and a Tractor Supply for propane – as well as more Salado ruins – in nearby Globe.
If you have moment, take time to check out the small graveyard near the campground. There are so many stories to discover.
Who were the Blevins? Why was the man shot by the sheriff? Good questions – and ones to which I don’t have an answer yet. If you find know, please leave a message in the comments below. I’d love to know the background stories!
Love exploring Arizona’s lakes? Check out Alamo Lake State Park for your next RV adventure!
Leave a Reply