Part of Springerville, Eagar, Greer & Alpine, our guide to Round Valley and the high country east of Show Low.
Big Lake, at 9,000 ft about 30 miles south of Springerville and Eagar, is one of Arizona’s top trout lakes, known for big brook trout in October and November, with five Forest Service campgrounds, a store with boat rentals and a new low-water boat ramp. Roads are usually closed by snow from December to early April.
Checked · Edited by Sam Ridley · Sources · How we check
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Fishing
The Forest Service lists rainbow, cutthroat, brook and Apache trout; Game and Fish calls it one of the White Mountains’ best fishing lakes. Motors: one electric or gas up to 10 hp. Limit: 4 trout a day (2021 guide). A Forest Service project added a boat ramp at South Cove so boaters can launch in low-water years.
Campgrounds
| Campground | Sites | Fee a night | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow | 165 sites | $26-28 single | Largest; showers, dump station; from May 15 |
| Apache Trout | 41 with full hookups, 81 without | $30; $46 electric | The only full-hookup campground; flush toilets, showers, drinking water |
| Grayling | 23 | $26 | No-fee camping mid-October to mid-May |
| Cutthroat | 18 tent sites | $20 | Some on the water; no trailers |
| Brookchar | 12 walk-in tent sites | $20 | Closest to the water; no fee after mid-October |
The Forest Service lists drinking water only at Apache Trout, so bring your own. Bears frequent the area: store food properly. Season: mid-May to mid-October for fee camping.
Crescent Lake
Just north of Big Lake, Crescent Lake (about 104 to 139 acres, at 9,036 ft) sits behind dams the Forest Service built in 1934. We found no current official page on its fishing rules or facilities.
Getting There
From Eagar: 5 miles west on SR 260, south on SR 261 for 29 miles, then west about 3 miles on SR 273. From Show Low: SR 260 east 42 miles to SR 273, then south 30 miles.
What We Could Not Verify
- Big Lake’s size: the Forest Service says 450 acres, the dam inventory 518, USGS mapping 503 and a USDA caption 575.
- Whether the lake store is open, and 2027 campground opening dates.
- Crescent Lake rules and facilities.
More in Springerville, Eagar, Greer & Alpine
Nearby Places and Events
Places nearby
- 1Mount Baldy Wildernesswilderness, pin estimated by eye7 mi
- 2Greervillage9 mi
- 3Sunrise Park Resortski and summer resort11 mi
- 4Greer Lakeslakes, pin estimated by eye11 mi
Events coming up
- 5High Elevation HorrorSunrise Park Resort, on now11 mi
- 6Winter Kick-Off featuring Warren MillerSunrise Park Resort, Oct 2911 mi
- 7Sunrise Park Resort 2026-27 ski season opening (anticipated)Sunrise Park Resort, Nov 2811 mi
- 8Night Skiing at Sunrise Park ResortSunrise Park Resort, Dec 2611 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
How do you get to Big Lake from Show Low?
Take SR 260 east 42 miles to SR 273, then go south about 30 miles, by the Forest Service.
Is there drinking water at Big Lake campgrounds?
The Forest Service lists it at Apache Trout Campground; bring water for the others.
When is Big Lake open?
Fee camping runs mid-May to mid-October; roads are usually closed by snow from December to early April.
Sources
- USDA Forest Service: Apache Trout Campground
- USDA Forest Service: Brookchar Campground
- USDA Forest Service: Cutthroat Campground
- USDA Forest Service: Grayling Campground
- USDA Forest Service: Rainbow Campground
- USDA Forest Service: Big Lake South Cove expansion (project 66476)
- Arizona Game and Fish: Fishing guide for White Mountain lakes (2021)
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: National Inventory of Dams
- USGS National Hydrography Dataset
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.