Signage for the Lake
It was a lazy summer day with nothing much to do, no I take that back. There was plenty to do but I decided I did not want to do anything but leave the house and go to an unfamiliar setting (the crab in me was restless). The sun was high but not hot the wind blew briskly sending a cool wave through the trees. I decided to leave the house and took Desire for a ride to Patagonia Lake. Driving from Sonoita the ride was relaxing as we went through change in scenery from dry grass to green cottonwood trees in Patagonia town and beyond, then a steep drop almost a thousand feet and back up. Beautiful landscape and blue skies in the summer give such a serene feeling. We stopped at least two times along the way to admire the scenes and pick rocks - my daughter loves rocks, she picks them in the hope that they are mineral rocks.
Patagonia Lake is located in the hills near Nogales south of Tucson in the Patagonia Lake State Park.
By the lake
It covers a little over 250 acres and runs two and a half miles long. The Lake is popular for a variety of recreational activities, including fishing, camping, skiing, picnics, hiking and boating. At two and a half miles long and 250 surface acres: Patagonia lake is in southern Arizona and is one of the largest man-made lakes in Arizona created by damming the Sonoita creek. This lake attracts a multitude of visitors during the summer months making it the busiest time of the year at the lake, for this reason alone, water skiing and jet skiing are prohibited on weekends and holidays from May 1 through September 31st.
For those who love water sports or activities, the Marina is available behind the Sonoita creek. The marina was originally closed but recently reopened under new management now serving the multitude of visitors who come to the lake yearly.
The bridge across the lake, I was very cautious walking acroos it. Desire loved it
The marina provides boat rentals including boats, rowboats, canoes, and peddle and for the fisherman a, fishing licenses, baits and boating gear. Desire and I did not do any of that stuff, as we were not prepared for it. It was one of those times when I just got up and decided we would take a road trip and ended up at the lake. Food around the Marina is not allowed; I can not recall the reason behind it, so before you set off to the Patagonia Lake, please call and get some definitive information especially regarding food.
Desire and I spent a little over 3 hours at the lake, talking a tour of the gift shop, the bridge and surrounding areas by the lake. People had built camps around the lake, families with children took advantage of the cool lake waters swimming in shallow waters. I intentionally did not carry a swim suit for us because I was not sure what the lake is like and if we could swim in it at all. Desire did not seem to mind much either.
