Plenty of Hiking & Kayaking on Lake Pleasant, AZ

Morristown, AZ
Lake Pleasant Regional Park

Lake Pleasant is a campground we've been wanting to stay at.  Hiking and kayaking!  

We chose Scute Loop as it's right on the water with easy kayak launching from our site. $22 for W/E on site #127.  The sites are fairly large with a covered pavilion, table and fire pit.  We also like the trees.  Our spot is right on a nice inlet.

On the days Steve worked Hurley and I did some of the hikes that lead right out of the campground.  The first day I hike 5+ miles on Beardsley and Frog Tanks Trails.

This Poppy looked like lips.

After our hiking I took Hurley out for a paddle to check out some of the lake.

Hurley always loves a boat ride.

The water is so clear and color of some of the bushes were so colorful.

The water was smooth as glass.

After dinner we had a fire.

And some nice wine.

The next day I hiked Wild Burro Trail.  It's mostly along the lake with great views.  On the way back I spotted a couple of burros.  In the early mornings and late evenings you can hear them loud and clear.  Sometimes in the middle of the night they come into camp and wake us up.

So many Saguaros.

Hurley loved cooling off in the water.  The evenings were pretty cold but the days were hot.

The moon was big and full so we took an evening paddle.

When the water level is high, like now, this peninsula turns into an island.  Funny to see a road running through it and down into the lake.  There was a geocache hidden at the top so I ran up and got it.

It was getting dark so we paddled back.  The various waterfowl were so loud as they took off and landed on the water.

On Saturday we hiked back up Wild Burro Trail to Pipeline then we branched off and up to Yavapai Point. The last two trails are considered moderate and the others are listed as easy.

At the top you get a great overview of the lake, islands and the dam.

It was getting hot out and Hurley was pooped.  We took a break, ate our snacks and talked to another couple that was up here.

Views of the distant mountains and sailboats.

Hurley was happy to see the water again so he could cool off.

Another nice 5 mile hike.  The evening was warm and very calm so after dinner we planned a moonlight paddle.

I attached a couple of our lanterns on each end of the kayak and a couple more at the shore so we could easily find where to pull out the kayak without getting lost.  It was pretty bright out but we paddled for a few miles and you could get lost if you weren't paying attention to the coves.

We just floated most of the time and listened to the music in the distance of other campers, watched the stars in the sky and the moon reflecting in the lake.

What a blast that was!

One last hike on Beardsley and Road Runner Trails.

It starts off cold but warms up quickly.

Nice views of Lake  Pleasant.

The center of this fallen Saguaro had a flower looking center.

Crazy arms on this tall Saguaro.

These contrails were all over the sky.

A strange crest on this one.

This area must have some springs as it went from a dry trail to very green and grassy in this one area.

A little friend as we hiked by.  He was pretty big.

We had a fantastic few days here and we'll definitely come back.  Next stop less than an hour away.