Rim Lakes near Heber: Woods Canyon, Willow

Part of Snowflake, Taylor & Heber-Overgaard, our guide to the pioneer towns north of Show Low and the Mogollon Rim to the west.

West of Heber, Arizona Game and Fish built a string of trout lakes on top of the Mogollon Rim: Black Canyon (about 10 to 15 miles away), Willow Springs (150 acres, motors to 10 hp), Woods Canyon (about 50 acres, with a marina) and Chevelon Canyon (200 acres, reached on foot). All have free day use; most roads close to cars in winter, generally December to early April.

Checked Oct 23, 2026 · Edited by Sam Ridley · Sources · How we check

150 acresWillow Springs

~7,500 ftWoods Canyon and Willow

Freeday use

Dec-Aprroads generally closed

The Lakes

Lake	Acres	Elevation (ft)	Built	Notes
Black Canyon Lake	78	~7,000	1960s	Closest to Heber (about 10-15 mi); trout; path to the dam; no fee
Willow Springs Lake	150	~7,500	late 1960s	Motors up to 10 hp; no fee; Sinkhole Campground nearby
Woods Canyon Lake	~50	~7,500	1950s	Marina, rentals, store; electric or paddle only; 4-mile loop trail
Chevelon Canyon Lake	200	~6,400-6,900	mid-1960s	Brown trout; 3/4-mile hike down; flies and lures only (2021 rules)

Acres come from the Forest Service and the National Inventory of Dams; build years differ between sources, so we give the decade. Fishing rules are from Arizona Game and Fish’s 2021 guide: check current regulations. An Arizona fishing licence is required.

Woods Canyon Lake

The Forest Service calls it a 50-acre fishing lake developed by Game and Fish, stocked with rainbow and tiger trout, with a marina, boat rentals, a public ramp and drinking water; only small boats with electric motors or paddles are allowed. A loop trail of just under 4 miles circles the lake. Turn north off SR 260 at milepost 282 onto Forest Road 300 (the Rim Road), then FR 105. Open May to November.

Willow Springs Lake

A 150-acre lake in tall pines right off SR 260 on paved FR 149, stocked with trout spring to fall, with largemouth and smallmouth bass too. Motors up to 10 hp; no fee for day use or launching. No camping within half a mile, but Sinkhole Campground is within walking distance.

Black Canyon Lake

The closest Rim lake to Heber, on Forest Road 86, with good trout fishing spring through fall and a path along the shore to the dam. The whole area burned in the 2002 Rodeo-Chediski fire. The federal dam inventory lists the dam as under study for repairs, so check the Forest Service page for closures or lake-level changes before you go; none was posted on October 22, 2026.

Chevelon Canyon Lake

A deep canyon lake known for big brown trout. There is no road to the water: from the campground (no fee, no water, pack it out) a steep 3/4-mile trail drops to the lake. It is only about 15 miles from Heber as the crow flies, but around 48 miles by forest roads.

The Rim lakes between Woods Canyon and Black Canyon. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Campgrounds Near Woods Canyon Lake

Four Forest Service campgrounds sit on or near the Rim lakes. This table repeats what each Forest Service page states (all read October 23, 2026; the pages are dated May 13 and July 11, 2026). Fees and dates change, so check the page and the reservation link before you go.

Campground	Where	Season the page states	Fee a night	Water	Notes
Aspen	Off Woods Canyon Lake, about 4 miles north of SR 260 (about 25 miles west of Heber); 7,000 ft; 136 sites, 55 first come, first served	May 1 to October 31, conditions permitting	$35 single site; $12 each extra vehicle	Yes	9 vault toilets
Crook	25 miles west of Heber on SR 260; group loops, with single sites when not reserved	About May 1 to Columbus Day weekend (the page also gives other end dates)	$25 single site; $330 group site (up to 110 people, 26 vehicles)	Yes	Vault and pit toilets
Spillway	Beside Woods Canyon Lake, about 5 miles north of SR 260 on Forest Roads 300 and 105	May 1 to October 31, conditions permitting	$36 single site; $12 each extra vehicle; $10 day use	Yes	3 vault toilets
Gentry	Forest Road 300, about 5 miles south of its junction with SR 260; 5 family sites or one group site	May 1 to mid-October or Columbus Day (the page gives both)	$18 single site; $90 group site (up to 50 people, 6 vehicles)	No	One toilet (the page says both pit and vault)

All four take reservations through Recreation.gov. Each page lists a forest-wide 14-day camping limit order. Aspen, Crook and Spillway are on the Woods Canyon Lake side; Gentry is a small campground on Forest Road 300.

What We Could Not Verify

Current fishing regulations (we read the 2021 Game and Fish guide).
Motor limits at Chevelon (Forest Service: 8 hp; Game and Fish: 10 hp).
Build years (sources differ by up to four years).
Campground dates and fees: the Forest Service pages disagree with themselves on season dates at Crook and Gentry, and on Gentry’s toilet type; fees can change each year.

Nearby Places and Events

Around Mogollon Rim Lakes within 30 miles

Places nearby

1Heber-Overgaardtown, pin estimated by eye17 mi

Events coming up

220th Annual Trunk-or-Treat CelebrationOvergaard, Oct 3118 mi
3Holiday Craft Fair & Bake Sale (Rim Country Senior Center)Overgaard, Nov 1418 mi
4Winterfest 2026Overgaard, Dec 518 mi
5Winterfest Christmas Light ParadeOvergaard, Dec 1218 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

What is the closest Rim lake to Heber?

Black Canyon Lake, about 10 to 15 miles from Heber on Forest Road 86.

Can you use a gas motor on Woods Canyon Lake?

No. The Forest Service allows only small boats with electric trolling motors or paddle craft.

Is there a fee at Willow Springs Lake?

No. The Forest Service says there is no fee for day use or to launch a boat.

Sources

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.

Mogollon Rim Lakes Near Heber: Woods Canyon, Willow Springs and More