It’s Show Low

Woodland Lake Park: The Park, and The Lake in a Drought Year

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

Woodland Lake Park is Pinetop-Lakeside’s big town park, with ramadas, ball fields, courts, playgrounds and forest trails, but the lake itself was nearly empty in 2026 because of drought, the town said on July 29, 2026. The water belongs to a private irrigation company, so the town does not control the lake level.

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

2026lake nearly empty (drought)
10-18 acreslake when full
1.06 milake loop (USFS map)
5ramadas to reserve
Woodland Lake full of water under a cloudy sky, ringed by pines
Woodland Lake in July 2011, when it was full. In 2026 it was nearly empty. Photo: CWanamaker, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Lake in 2026

The town’s July 29, 2026 notice says the lake is low or empty after a winter with far below-normal snow and a weak monsoon. Woodland Lake is fed by runoff and by Pinetop Springs through Walnut Creek; below it, Adair, Big and Walnut springs keep feeding Rainbow Lake, which is why Rainbow can hold water while Woodland is dry. All of the lake’s water is owned by the Show Low-Pinetop-Woodland Irrigation Company, a private company founded in 1874. The town paid about $3,000 a month for recreational use from 2018, let that agreement lapse in 2025, and has reopened talks; no decision had been made. The town also says the dam’s condition is not why the lake is empty.

The Park

WhereWoodland Lake Road, off State Route 260 south of Lakeside past the Blue Ridge schools
FacilitiesFive reservable ramadas, a fishing pier, two restroom buildings, two softball fields, tennis and pickleball, volleyball, three playgrounds, walking track
TrailsThe Woodland Lake loop (about 1.06 miles on the Forest Service map) plus hiking, biking and equestrian trails into the forest
ReservationsRamadas, fields and courts through the town’s online booking
DogsNot allowed on athletic fields or within 10 feet of town playground equipment
Town Hall325 W. White Mountain Blvd., Lakeside; 928-368-8696

The Lake When Full

The dam inventory lists an 18-foot earth dam on Walnut Creek, completed in 1914, holding a lake of about 18 acres; Arizona Game and Fish’s 2021 guide says it averages about 10 acres at drawdown and is shallow and nutrient rich. The town says the reservoir was first established around 1897. When there is water, Game and Fish stocks rainbow trout in spring and early summer, and only a single electric motor is allowed.

Aerial photo of Woodland Lake and the surrounding pine forest
Woodland Lake at the south edge of town in October 2021. USDA National Agriculture Imagery Program aerial, Oct. 28, 2021. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Woodland Lake Park. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

What We Could Not Verify

More in Pinetop-Lakeside

Nearby Places and Events

Around Woodland Lake Park within 30 miles
5 mi15 mi30 miNSEW12345678910

Places nearby

  1. 1White Mountain Nature Centernature center1 mi
  2. 2Pinetop-Lakeside Trailstrails, pin estimated by eye1 mi
  3. 3Pinetop-Lakeside Parks and Libraryparks2 mi
  4. 4Hon-Dah Resort Casinoresort, pin estimated by eye2 mi

Events coming up

  1. 5Dragon Celebration (library)Lakeside, on now2 mi
  2. 6Geek Out: TCG HangoutShow Low, on now10 mi
  3. 7High Elevation HorrorSunrise Park Resort, on now24 mi
  4. 8Paint RouletteShow Low, on now10 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

Why is Woodland Lake empty?

Drought: the town said on July 29, 2026 that a winter with far below-normal snow and a weak monsoon left the lake low or empty. The water is owned by a private irrigation company.

What is at Woodland Lake Park?

Ramadas, a fishing pier, softball fields, tennis and pickleball, volleyball, playgrounds, restrooms and forest trails, including a loop around the lake.

Who owns Woodland Lake?

The town says all of its surface water is owned and managed by the Show Low-Pinetop-Woodland Irrigation Company, a private company founded in 1874.

Sources

  1. Town of Pinetop-Lakeside: Woodland Lake conditions and ongoing discussions (July 29, 2026)
  2. Town of Pinetop-Lakeside: Woodland Lake Park
  3. Town of Pinetop-Lakeside: Woodland Lake Park amenities map (2022)
  4. USDA Forest Service: Woodland Lake Park trails
  5. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: National Inventory of Dams
  6. USGS National Hydrography Dataset
  7. Arizona Game and Fish: Fishing guide for Pinetop and Show Low lakes and streams (2021 edition)
  8. USDA Forest Service: National Forest trails GIS service (mapped lengths)

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.