Watson Lake
Watson Lake is one of two reservoirs at the Granite Dells, in Prescott, Arizona, that was formed in the early 1900s when the Chino Valley Irrigation District built a dam on Granite Creek. The Granite Dells is a geological feature north of Prescott, Arizona. The Dells consist of exposed bedrock and large boulders of granite that have eroded into an unusual lumpy, rippled appearance.
Watson Lake is only 4 miles from Prescott Arizona and is a photographers dream. The blue water is surrounded by huge granite boulders creating a beautiful and unique landscape.
The Peavine National Recreation Trail follows the former railbed of the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railway through the Granite Dells. This winding portion of the railroad was known as the “Peavine” because its twisting curves resembled that of a pea vine. It connects to the Iron King Trail, which follows the route of the old Prescott & Eastern Railroad through the eastern Granite Dells. Both are rail trail conversions. The precambrian Dells’ granite has been dated at 1.4 billion years old. Its pluton was intruded at a depth of around one or two miles. These cover rocks have since been eroded away. Weathering along joints produced the rounded boulders and other unusual rock formations that characterize the Granite Dells. This process is called spheroidal weathering, and is common in granitic terrains.
Admission & Hours
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- Summer Hours: 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM
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- Winter Hours: 7:00 AM to Sunset
- Parking Fees: $3.00
Location:
Driving Directions
Directions To Watson Lake. An easy 4 mile drive from downtown Prescott AZ. Drive east form Courthouse Plaza on Gurley Street for about 1.2 miles. Turn north Highway 89 and proceed about 3,5 miles. Enter the traffic circle, take the first right into the park.
Maps:
Interactive Google Map
Use the map + – controls to zoom in and out, click and drag the to move the map, use the Map drop-down to change to “Map”, “Satellite”, “Hybrid”, or “Terrain” views. Drag the little man icon from the upper left corner to a map location for street level view.
Facilities
Camping at Watson Lake. Campsites are available during the summer season. Restrooms, showers, picnic tables, grills, ramadas, fish cleaning stations, boat ramp and children’s playground are provided.
Boating. Boats with gas powered and electric powered motors are permitted on Watson Lake, but there is a maximum 5 miles an hour “no wake” speed limit on the lake. Kayaks and canoes are available during open hours. Call Prescott Outdoors at (928) 925-1410 for more information.
AMENITIES
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- Fishing
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- Two boat launches
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- Courtesy dock
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- Fish cleaning stations
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- Picnic ramadas
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- Large Turf Area
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- Restrooms
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- Horseshoe pits
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- Picnic tables
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- Barbecue grills
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- Playground equipment
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- Hiking trails
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- Overnight camping (summer months only)
- Showers for campers
No Swimming
Location Contact Information:
Nearest City or Town:
The nearest towns with hotels close to Watson Lake are Chino Valley(12 miles), Prescott (4 miles) and Prescott Valley (10 miles).
Links
Watson Lake Gallery
Click Here for full page gallery
More Photographic Destinations in Arizona:
Interactive Google Map
Use the map + – controls to zoom in and out, use the Map drop-down to change to “Map”, “Satellite”, “Hybrid”, or “Terrain” views. Drag the little man icon from the upper left corner to a map location for street level view. Click on a pushpin for more information about the Photographic Destination, then click on the title to go to the location page.
Click Here for Photographic Destinations by State
Great Places for Great Photos
Let me help you to find a great location for your next photography adventure. I will list many lesser-known destinations, as well as the famous "Icon Locations" for photography. I will provide photos (Lots of Photos), location information, consisting of what there is to photograph as well as other information about the destination. I will give costs, maps, directions, contact information, and other essential information for a successful photo trip. I will only post for locations that I have personally photographed to ensure a quality guide to great locations for photography. If you know of great places that are not posted, please send me the details, I may just decide that is a place I need to go!
Greg Disch is a freelance photographer located in Arkansas. Greg specializes in nature, scenic, wildlife, and other outdoor subjects in Arkansas and other areas of the country. Most of the images on this site are available for sale as prints, personal use, or rights managed stock photos.
Greg offers both classroom instruction and in the field hands on photographic workshops. Classroom sessions are normally held in Fort Smith Arkansas, but arrangements can be made to bring a class to your group.
All classes and workshops have small class sizes designed to provide an optimum student to instructor ratio, where you can get the personal attention, you need. Most classes and workshops are limited to a maximum of six participants and will be held with a minimum of only two.
If you are looking for a wonderful opportunity to get personal individual instruction, I do private workshops and classes at a location of your choice, whether doing a location photo shoot, coming to your home or business, traveling across the country on a road trip, or at my classroom. This is a fantastic way to learn digital workflow and be sure that your computer equipment is properly configured for optimum performance.
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