It’s Show Low

Scott Reservoir: Day Use Only Through 2029

Part of Pinetop-Lakeside, our guide to the town’s lakes, trails, parks and the Nature Center.

Scott Reservoir, on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest just north of Lakeside, is open for day use only: a Forest Order bans camping around it from February 28, 2026 through February 28, 2029 because of sanitation problems. It is free, with an accessible boat ramp and portable toilets but no drinking water.

Checked · Edited by Sam Ridley · Sources · How we check

Day useonly, by Forest Order
Freeno fee
70-84 acreswhen full
1945dam completed

The Closure Order

Forest Order 03-01-07-26-001 prohibits camping on National Forest land around the reservoir, in the area bounded by Penrod Road and Porter Mountain Road, from 5 p.m. February 28, 2026 to 5 p.m. February 28, 2029, unless lifted earlier. The Forest Service says the purpose is to protect public health from unsanitary conditions caused by camping without bathrooms.

Visiting

Getting thereFrom the Lakeside Ranger District office, east 0.1 mile on SR 260, left on Porter Mountain Road (FR 45) 1.5 miles; the access road is rough in places
FacilitiesAccessible boat ramp, parking, portable toilets, dumpster June-September, picnic tables; no drinking water
Elevation6,800 ft (Forest Service)
StormsJuly to September thunderstorms come up fast; get off the water right away

The Lake

The dam inventory lists a 38-foot earth dam on Porter Creek, completed in 1945, with about 84 acres of water at full pool; USGS maps about 71 acres. In the October 2021 aerial on our Pinetop-Lakeside page, it was very low.

Scott Reservoir north of Lakeside. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

What We Could Not Verify

More in Pinetop-Lakeside

Nearby Places and Events

Around Scott Reservoir within 30 miles
5 mi15 mi30 miNSEW12345678910

Places nearby

  1. 1Pinetop-Lakeside Parks and Libraryparks2 mi
  2. 2Pinetop-Lakeside Trailstrails, pin estimated by eye2 mi
  3. 3Rainbow Lakelake2 mi
  4. 4Show Low Lakecity lake2 mi

Events coming up

  1. 5Dragon Celebration (library)Lakeside, on now2 mi
  2. 6Geek Out: TCG HangoutShow Low, on now7 mi
  3. 7High Elevation HorrorSunrise Park Resort, on now26 mi
  4. 8Paint RouletteShow Low, on now7 mi
  5. 9Artisan Market at The DepotLakeside, Oct 242 mi
  6. 10Murder Mystery Masquerade PartyLakeside, Oct 242 mi

Every pin here is an estimate, not a surveyed point. A place pin marked "estimated by eye" is our own guess at the spot (a lake, park or town middle); the others use a point from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) for the named spot, which can still be off by a few blocks. Event pins sit at the center of the event's town, because we do not have each venue's exact spot. Distances are straight-line, rounded, and will not match driving miles. Dots sit in their compass direction; distance is stretched near the middle so close neighbors stay readable. Events are the next dates from our events calendar, as of October 23, 2026, and each date is the organizer's, not confirmed by us. The same places are listed beside the map.

Questions People Ask

Can you camp at Scott Reservoir?

No. A Forest Order bans camping around it from February 28, 2026 through February 28, 2029; it is open for day use only.

Is there a fee at Scott Reservoir?

No fee is listed by the Forest Service.

Sources

  1. USDA Forest Service: Scott Reservoir
  2. USDA Forest Service: Scott Reservoir recreation site closure (order 03-01-07-26-001)
  3. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: National Inventory of Dams
  4. USGS National Hydrography Dataset
  5. USDA Forest Service: Lakeside Ranger District office

Checked October 22, 2026 by It’s Show Low. Cite this page: It’s Show Low (itsshowlow.com), checked October 22, 2026. Free to quote with a link; tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.