Alamo Lake State Park

Alamo Lake State Park is a state park of Arizona, USA, centered on Alamo Lake, a flood control and recreational reservoir. The park is located in western Arizona about 38 miles (61 km) north of Wenden. It is accessed via a paved two-lane road off either U.S. Route 60 to the south or U.S. Route 93 to the east. Owing to its remoteness, the park is often considered one of the "best kept secrets" of the state park system.[2]

Alamo Lake State Park
Alamo Lake and Artillery Peak
Alamo Lake State Park is located in Arizona
Alamo Lake State Park
Location of Alamo Lake State Park in Arizona
LocationLa Paz, Arizona, United States
Coordinates34°13′56″N 113°36′10″W
Area4,900 acres (20 km2)
Elevation1,102 ft (336 m)[1]
Established1969 (1969)
Administered byArizona State Parks
Logo
Websiteazstateparks.com/alamo-lake
Alamo Lake
Alamo Lake is located in Arizona
Alamo Lake
Alamo Lake
LocationLa Paz / Mohave counties, Arizona
Coordinates34°13′56″N 113°36′10″W
Typereservoir
Primary inflowsBill Williams River
Primary outflowsBill Williams River, evaporation
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. depth80 ft (24 m)
Surface elevation1,237 ft (377 m)

Alamo Lake State Park features camping facilities and attracts wildlife enthusiasts, as the park is home to numerous wildlife species including the bald eagle. The park's remoteness and distance from cities also makes it a destination for stargazing, as it is the darkest sky state park in Arizona.[3]

Alamo Lake

Alamo Lake itself is formed by the Alamo Dam that is part of the Alamo Lake State Park administered by the Arizona State Parks. The lake impounds runoff from the Bill Williams River, an intermittent tributary of the Colorado River. The dam was constructed in 1968 by the Army Corps of Engineers, primarily for flood control purposes. The dam is an earthfill dam that rises 283 feet (86 m) from the streambed.

While the Bill Williams River is often dry, heavy seasonal rains maintain the lake's depth. During extreme flood events, the reservoir can fill rapidly; the lake has been recorded to rise 11 feet (3.4 m) in a single night due to extreme flooding.[2]

Unusually high flows during the 1970s and 1980s increased the depth and size of the reservoir to unexpected levels, giving birth to recreational and fishing possibilities. Since then, the lake has been stocked with numerous fish species, including largemouth bass, crappie, sunfish, channel catfish, flathead catfish and tilapia.[4] The lake is host to fishing tournaments and has been the location of at least one Arizona state fishing record.[5]

The park can be accessed by a paved road from Highway 60 at the Wenden turn-off to the north on Alamo Lake Road.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Alamo Lake State Park has a hot desert climate, abbreviated "BWh" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Alamo Lake State Park was 124 °F (51.1 °C) on July 29, 1995, while the coldest temperature recorded was 19 °F (−7.2 °C) on December 26, 1990, January 15, 2007, January 4–5, 2019, and January 22, 2023.[6]

Climate data for Alamo Dam, Arizona, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1975–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 84
(29)		 90
(32)		 102
(39)		 107
(42)		 114
(46)		 123
(51)		 124
(51)		 121
(49)		 118
(48)		 110
(43)		 98
(37)		 84
(29)		 124
(51)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 76.4
(24.7)		 81.9
(27.7)		 90.6
(32.6)		 100.4
(38.0)		 107.3
(41.8)		 114.4
(45.8)		 117.1
(47.3)		 115.7
(46.5)		 111.2
(44.0)		 102.9
(39.4)		 89.3
(31.8)		 76.6
(24.8)		 118.3
(47.9)
Average high °F (°C) 65.6
(18.7)		 70.1
(21.2)		 77.2
(25.1)		 85.0
(29.4)		 94.3
(34.6)		 104.6
(40.3)		 108.1
(42.3)		 106.8
(41.6)		 101.3
(38.5)		 89.6
(32.0)		 75.8
(24.3)		 64.5
(18.1)		 86.9
(30.5)
Daily mean °F (°C) 48.8
(9.3)		 52.9
(11.6)		 59.3
(15.2)		 66.6
(19.2)		 75.7
(24.3)		 84.9
(29.4)		 90.8
(32.7)		 89.6
(32.0)		 82.9
(28.3)		 70.5
(21.4)		 57.7
(14.3)		 48.0
(8.9)		 69.0
(20.6)
Average low °F (°C) 31.9
(−0.1)		 35.6
(2.0)		 41.4
(5.2)		 48.3
(9.1)		 57.1
(13.9)		 65.2
(18.4)		 73.5
(23.1)		 72.5
(22.5)		 64.4
(18.0)		 51.3
(10.7)		 39.5
(4.2)		 31.4
(−0.3)		 51.0
(10.6)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 26.8
(−2.9)		 30.3
(−0.9)		 34.9
(1.6)		 41.0
(5.0)		 49.0
(9.4)		 57.4
(14.1)		 66.8
(19.3)		 66.5
(19.2)		 56.3
(13.5)		 43.9
(6.6)		 33.0
(0.6)		 26.1
(−3.3)		 24.5
(−4.2)
Record low °F (°C) 19
(−7)		 21
(−6)		 26
(−3)		 32
(0)		 33
(1)		 43
(6)		 58
(14)		 59
(15)		 37
(3)		 29
(−2)		 25
(−4)		 19
(−7)		 19
(−7)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.03
(26)		 1.13
(29)		 0.77
(20)		 0.24
(6.1)		 0.08
(2.0)		 0.06
(1.5)		 0.82
(21)		 1.18
(30)		 0.74
(19)		 0.55
(14)		 0.56
(14)		 0.66
(17)		 7.82
(199.6)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 4.0 4.2 3.4 1.5 0.7 0.3 2.9 4.9 2.5 2.0 1.8 3.2 31.4
Source 1: NOAA[7]
Source 2: National Weather Service[6]

References
  1. "Alamo Lake State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. June 27, 1984. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  2. "Alamo Lake State Park". Arizona State Parks. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved May 27, 2008.
  3. R, Mike (August 24, 2021). "State Park Bortle 2 Scale Information In The US". CosmosPNW. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  4. "Southwestern Arizona". Arizona Game and Fish Department. Archived from the original on June 10, 2008. Retrieved May 27, 2008.
  5. "Arizona Fishing Records". Arizona Game and Fish Department. Archived from the original on May 15, 2008. Retrieved May 27, 2008.
  6. "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Phoenix". National Weather Service. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  7. "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Alamo Dam, AZ". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
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