Part of Pinetop-Lakeside, our guide to the town’s lakes, trails, parks and the Nature Center.
Rainbow Lake is a roughly 120-acre lake in the heart of Lakeside, made by damming the creek in the early 1900s; the shore is private, so the public gets on the water only at an Arizona Game and Fish parcel by the dam, with a boat ramp and dock. Spring flows keep it fuller than Woodland Lake in dry years.
Checked · Edited by Sam Ridley · Sources · How we check
Getting on The Water
Arizona Game and Fish says the land around the lake is private and closed to the public, but the department owns a small parcel next to the dam, kept for public fishing and boating, with parking, a ramp and a dock. Turn south from State Route 260 on Rainbow Lake Road or Lakeview Lane. Because so much shore is private, the guide says the lake is best fished from a boat. Motors: one electric, or gas of 10 hp or less.
Fish
Game and Fish lists rainbow trout, largemouth bass, channel catfish, black bullhead, bluegill and green sunfish, plus illegally introduced northern pike. The lake is shallow and weedy and can have water-quality problems; trout fishing is best in spring and early summer. Check current regulations for limits.
How Lakeside Got Its Name
Game and Fish says Mormon settlers created Rainbow Lake by damming Walnut Creek in 1903, and the settlement around it grew into Lakeside. The federal dam inventory lists a 21-foot rockfill dam completed in 1904. Big Springs, a clear spring just south of town, flows into the lake.
What We Could Not Verify
- Whether the Game and Fish ramp and dock are open now, and the lake’s current level.
- The dam year and stream (Game and Fish: 1903, Walnut Creek; dam inventory: 1904, Show Low Creek).
More in Pinetop-Lakeside
Nearby Places and Events
Places nearby
- 1Pinetop-Lakeside Parks and Libraryparksunder 1 mi
- 2Pinetop-Lakeside Trailstrails, pin estimated by eye1 mi
- 3White Mountain Nature Centernature center1 mi
- 4Scott Reservoirreservoir, pin estimated by eye2 mi
Events coming up
- 5Dragon Celebration (library)Lakeside, on now1 mi
- 6Geek Out: TCG HangoutShow Low, on now8 mi
- 7High Elevation HorrorSunrise Park Resort, on now26 mi
- 8Paint RouletteShow Low, on now8 mi
- 9Artisan Market at The DepotLakeside, Oct 241 mi
- 10Murder Mystery Masquerade PartyLakeside, Oct 241 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 the public use Rainbow Lake?
Yes, from a small Arizona Game and Fish parcel by the dam with a ramp and dock; the rest of the shore is private.
How big is Rainbow Lake?
About 120 acres: the dam inventory gives 118 acres and USGS maps 119.
What fish are in Rainbow Lake?
Rainbow trout, bass, catfish, bullhead, bluegill, green sunfish and illegally introduced northern pike.
Sources
- Arizona Game and Fish: Fishing guide for Pinetop and Show Low lakes and streams (2021 edition)
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: National Inventory of Dams
- USGS National Hydrography Dataset
- Town of Pinetop-Lakeside: Woodland Lake conditions and ongoing discussions (July 29, 2026)
- USDA Forest Service: Big Springs Environmental Study Area #610
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.