Watson Lake Park

Watson Lake in Prescott is a hidden gem. The Granite Dells create an amazing backdrop for kayaking and hiking. The trails offer a mix of easy walks, and more difficult hikes, so it’s perfect for all skill levels. It’s a peaceful spot to picnic, fish, or just look at the views. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area!

We actually went out to hike the five mile five Watson Lake Loop. We parked in a parking lot just off the highway near the bird sanctuary area, so we had no fee. We started our hike walking towards the dam and granite dells. We passed through the park where there was, a boat ramp, toilets, kayak rental place, picnic tables, and an old Frisbee golf course. This was an easy part of the trail, From there, we started to head up and over the granite boulders going in a clockwise direction. We wanted to get the harder parts out of the way first. It was a beautiful hike. We are 61 and 67, regular hikers, and found some of the areas a little challenging. There was a bit of scrambling and rock hopping. Be prepared with good hiking shoes and maybe hiking poles. Some areas are quite steep. It is absolutely beautiful. We actually got lost in the beauty and added an extra mile to the hike. It is well marked for the most part, but it is easy to go off trail. The last section around the marsh was flat and easy. We were sure glad we'd picked to do the hard part first. Go prepared and take plenty water. We packed a picnic, to stop and enjoy along the way. It was certainly worth the effort.

Highly recommend this place! We went for a quick Sunday trip and wish we would have had more time and energy for the full loop hike around the dam. The hike was fun, varied scenery, lots of rocks to climb, well marked and moderate in intensity. Definitely bring water and I’d recommend an early morning or late afternoon trip as it can get hot! There were kayak rentals, a big open field, picnic tables and a playground. The playground wasn’t shaded enough so didn’t appeal to us, though otherwise great place! Entry fee is $3, but worth it!

The lake is always beautiful, never too many people unless its being used for a public event, otherwise its very relaxing, The camp offers a beautiful lush field which is rare for AZ and while the lake isnt clean enough to swim in, the diversity of birds and other wildlife make it the perfect place to spend a cooler afternoon

We launched out kayak there. Really cool coves and Rick formations. We would have camped there but couldn't figure out the web site.( hope someone's reading this)

So beautiful out here. Really love how the rocks and the water and everything is so pretty got to wait for my father-in-law and my brother-in-law to finish a big race. Very cool and very impressed with how beautiful it is.

The campground, trails, and everything else is first rate. The showers in camp run hot and the bathrooms are clean. The water is easily accessible. I highly recommend this camp ground! Great for kids, real porcelain toilets for beginners and a nice playground. Trails are well kept and well marked.

SO beautiful! Very clean, animal friendly, great paths and easy for people to climb up.

This Is Great Place to go boating or hiking, there are small kayaks that you can rent on the lake if you catch it at the right time and there is a plethora of different hiking trails. There is a moderately strenuous trail that does go around the lake, which will include climbing over rocks and is just under 5 miles . It's beautiful, but take a lot of water and I wouldn't do it during the high heat of the day. Hike it clockwise!!! That way you take the difficult part first and the second half is much easier

My favorite place to paddleboard! Great park with tons of amazing views, hiking trails, boat launch, picnic tables, etc. They have a ton of parking and you can pull up and unload your kayaks, paddleboard, etc right at the water. It's so peaceful and stunning here, way less crowded than Saguaro so it's worth the drive. I will be back for sure!

Very nice lake with excellent views and hiking as well as water sports. Does have an entrance fee but it is worth it. Large picnicking area.

Awesome place. Can rent canoes and paddle boards. Great trails around the lake. Wonderful views and scenery. Kept very clean.

In between his busy schedule, Charmin Chicken decided to visit Watson Lake in Prescott (Preskit) AZ and what a gem it was! If you plan to walk/hike close to the lake, the trails can be rocky and slippery so be prepared. You don't need to go crazy to enjoy the amazing views, but it was a great nature walk and Charmin spotted a heron and a huge koi fish at the lake. How the koi fish got there is anyone's guess, but Charmin highly recommends a visit to Watson Lake if you're in the area!

Beautiful, the rock formations are astounding. The have kayak rentals, next time I will have to do. It was a beautiful Monday, no one was around. I WOULD RECOMMEND

A very beautiful and stunning setting for a park. We hiked on the east side of the lake along the Peavine rails-to-trails trail which was very nice and scenic. Parking is $3. We then drove around to the Watson Lake Park on the west side and did a short hike/ boulder scramble down to the water's edge. Again great views from just a different angle. Parking is also $3. You can rent kayaks, you can play disc golf (on one of the craziest courses I have ever seen), you can picnic, and you can hike. Plenty of photo ops. The Granite Canyon is lovely.

A beautiful, short hike close to downtown! The rocks surrounding the lake are breath-taking. I started from the North shore, near the boat ramp and went clockwise. Instead of planning this ahead of time like I normally do, I decided to just wing it and go as far as I had time for and turned around whenever I needed to. The hike is somewhat technical, there are parts where you have to climb up a little. I highly recommend wearing a good pair of grippy trail/hiking shoes to help you get better hold on the rocks. What's great about the trails here are they are marked with white dots, so as long as you're following the white dots, you won't stray off the trails and get yourself lost (even though you might veer off to a different trail). In about a mile in or so, you'd come across a man-made little waterfall! Entrance/parking is $3 for an all-day pass. Check the website for hours because hours vary depending on season.

Stunning location. I drove up from Phoenix and it ended up raining about twenty minutes into my ISUP adventure. It was okay until it started to hail and lightning so I wasn't sure what my oar was made of and decided I didn't want to hold a potential conductor so I waited out the on and off hard rain, deflated my board and hiked around. Luckily I brought back up clothes because it's not the first time I've driven up north to do something water oriented and it storms. I didn't go all the way around so I'll be back to try it again. I happened to go on a Wednesday too so it was free! Bonus for not getting to do much since it poured basically the entire time. I started to get cold so I dipped out but it was beautiful there. Tip for Arizona: plan for all seasons when you leave your home.

Absolutely beautiful and magnificent lake with all the dells and the landscape is truly breathless. We came to explore and decided to go on a hike to the dam and it was about a mile or so. The terrain changes so you're never bored. The hike would be moderate level and very rocky in many places but also some easier stretches. What's extra fun is that the scenery keeps changing so you're never bored on this hike. We didn't go all the way around the lake which would have been the full 5-mile loop, but we sure got plenty of exercise and enjoyed the views. It's a bit intense and strenuous at times if you're not used to hiking and for little ones it's definitely harder, but my kids did well and even better than me.

This is a quiet peaceful lake connected to Willow lake by a small dam. The water level is down here. They allow Kayaks but no swimming. Many picnic areas and bocce ball and horseshoes. The sign said the City of Prescott spent 15 million on property and upgrades. I think it really shows. Wonderful areas.

The hike around the lake is beautiful. A must do in Prescott AZ!! I would for sure recommend visiting Watson Lake as a go to recreation area.

Beautiful Lake. Lovely Scenery. Varying-In-Difficulty Hiking Trails. Kayak Rentals Available. $3 Parking. Different Summer & Winter Hours. See Below for More Info: Beautiful Lake: Located in Prescott, Arizona, Watson Lake is beautiful and easily one of my favorite bodies of water. Lovely Scenery: The Watson Lake scenery is lovely. From views of the gorgeous, blue lake to the vibrant, tall trees, one will appreciate being out in nature. If you are a fan of waterfalls, I recommend hiking the Flume Trail to Watson Dam. Varying-In-Difficulty Hiking Trails: One of the many things I appreciate of Watson Lake is that there is a hiking trail available for all difficulties. These trails include the Peavine (12 miles), Watson Lake Loop (4.8 miles), Flume (2.4 miles), Northshore (2 miles), Lakeshore Trail (1.6 miles), Discovery Trail (1.6 miles), and Over the Hill Trail (1 mile). Kayak Rentals Available: Kayak rents are available at Watson Lake for an hourly or daily rate courtesy of Prescott Outdoors. Different Summer & Winter Hours: Watson Lake hours in the summer are from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM whereas in the winter the hours are from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM Free Parking: Watson Lake has parking for $3. However, parking is free all day on Wednesdays

This place is beautiful and less than 5 minutes from my apartment. Located in the City of Prescott about 10 minutes from downtown. The lake has picturesque views, grassy areas for children to play, picnic areas, areas to camp, a lake for kayaking and plenty of trails to choose from for every fitness level. The trails were very safe and marked so even I couldn't get lost. I'm not sure why I've never been before but I will definitely be back to enjoy the beautiful views.

This place is always a good time and vary close to prescott. Went here for sunset and it was disappointing. Would not recommend coming here for sunset. The sun sets on the wrong side of the lake and I was not impressed. Recommend coming here for every thing else. fishing, boating, kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, hiking, and camping, just not sunset. Over still had a good time.

This is one of my favorite parks in Prescott. Really great area to take a hike, bike, have a picnic, or even just watch the sunset. It was quiet and peaceful during our time there. I've heard a lot of people kayak here but it was to late for us to do that. Some of the trails have loose rocks so I'd recommend having shoes with some grip.

Have been to Prescott multiple times but never went here unless on our last trip we decided. This is a unique lake and the views are gorgeous. $3 for car parking/entry is very economical. Has a big park as well inside with well-built restrooms. The place has plenty of parking options and we could get it easily. This is picturous lake with big rocks everywhere and you will have to hike a bit to reach near the lakeshore. We loved this lake and would recommend it in Prescott town.

Prescott was a cool town .. grabbed lunch .. looked at scenery and saw this lake on Yelp. was hoping to take pics of lake with reflections of the cool rocks. theres a pull off on the road that you can see the lake from above for free but limited parking. The fee for getting into the park was 3 dollar but when we went to pay it said it's free on Wednesdays. We stopped and looked ... its pretty but there wasn't the cool reflections in the water that I was hoping for. LOTS of birds ... a lady brought food for them and they were obviously expecting it. the large geese were very loud. there were people walking their dogs, kayaking, hiking. nice place

Such a pretty hike around the lake! First time here (FINALLY) after 6 years of us going to Prescott 2x per year! Not sure why we hadn't checked out out, but boy I glad we did! Parked up top walked down by the boating launch area and started a hike there. Followed the white dots through the boulder trail, love that btw! There was 8 of us, the youngest being 5 years old and it was an easy hike for most of us. The weather was perfect when we first started at 46* but then we had to stop when it started raining & then it got windy lol. Will definitely be back here again and continue the rest of the trails! The boulders are remarkably unique and out of this world. This place makes you feel like you're on an entirely different planet! Too bad the lake is polluted but looks fun to kayak on it for sure! Such a gorgeous scenery all around. The granite formations are picturesque & take pictures they look absolutely amazing! Can't wait to go back during the winter when they're covered with snow!

I spent an entire month at the RV park that backs up to Watson lake so I was able to hike around the lake nearly every day. I definitely recommend hiking the trail that circles the lake it is full of beautiful sites. There is a boat dock for canoes or paddleboard's and extra parking and a few areas. Great for the family also great place to escape sit on top of some rocks and look over a beautiful lake and meditate.

A very scenic beautiful park in the city of Prescott with stunning views year round and great walking trails. The lake itself is an old man made reservoir to save water for lower elevation farms. It was built in the 1930s and nestled in the Granite Dels. During the warmer months it offers a great place for kayaking, canoeing and water activities. It has been the back drop to many advertisements posters and commercials because of the stunning beauty.

What a pleasant surprise! We visited here during a mother daughter trip. My mom likes to get out and explore but hates hiking. So, I convinced her to go and just checkout the lake and it kept her entertained for a good hour, which is tough to do LOL. There are many picnic tables, barbecue grills and more. I was surprised to see 2 boat launches, kayak rentals, restrooms, horseshoe pits and more! This place is DEFINITELY large, so I would do your research ahead of time on where you want to go as once inside, if you don't really know where you're going, you might be driving around a bit!

If you are in Arizona and near Prescott this is a must stop. You can drive in pay $3 park and your right at this beautiful view. If you don't want to pay for parking and don't mind the walk there is a small parking lot by willow lake and you walk down some steps to the left and continue to Watson lake. You can walk all the way around Watson lake or just part of it. There are benches along the way and choices of steep trail or steeper trail. There is a small beach area where you can put a paddle board or kayak in. No swimming is allowed. Dog friendly and I felt very safe. Most everyone was wearing a mask and would step off the trail to let me pass. If you're a disc golfer there is also a course here. There is also a huge grassy area people were playing bocce ball and playing with their dogs. If you're not a hiker you can still just enjoy the view from a bench at the top.

Went on a last minute trip to Prescott and visited Watson Lake for the first time, and was worth the drive. The lake is beautiful and the area surrounding the lake as well. Unfortunately, I was not prepared and was not wearing my hiking shoes, so I couldn't hike down to get close to the water. This lake is perfect to check out during the summer and enjoy the water, kayak, fish, and take your boat out. Will definitely be back once the weather starts to warm up.

The brown lumps of rock formation (Granite Dells) reminds me of mud pie so it makes me smile to see it. These boulders are quite sturdy and grippy due to their coarse texture. It is fun to hop around on them. We hiked the lakeshore trail next to the boat launch, after a while, it started to get steep so we took a break to sit in the shade to marvel at the sites before turning around. On another trail to the car, we were surprised to see some people playing disc golf in a place with so many obstacles.

Gorgeous. And a short walk to the view. You can hike if you want to. But not necessary.

Beautiful lake! $3 to get in and Wednesday's are free! I asked the lady at the gate if there was benches and a great place to see the view. She said go straight all the way up, don't turn and that's what I did and saw a beautiful view! There's grass and a little kids park as well. If you want to sit on the grass you can bring your own chairs.

Watson Lake has incredible variety from aquatic marshland for bird watching to incredible coves and ponds amid granite outcrops. The ~5 mile Watson Lake loop trail is a must do if you are sure footed and OK with scrambling along the outcrops on the north shore trail and over the hill trail. We hiked the full loop clockwise from the parking along the highway 89 overlook. The North Shore portion of the trail provides the classic boulder lined lake view with numerous side trails to the water. The trail just north and below the dam at the intersection with the Flume trail is incredible with running water from the dam outlet, lush grasses, numerous ponds, and solitude. We saw no other hikers in this portion. The Over the Hill portion of the loop will challenge your footing. Boots with good soles are necessary and you will not be able to use hiking sticks in this section. On the northeast portion of the loop you can cut over to the Peavine bike route to speed up your return or stay in the rocks. The southern portion of the peavine trail runs next to the city wood chipping and waste transfer area so is a bit noisy but you quickly cut across Granite creek among beautiful cottonwoods to the Discovery trail and the parking lot. This last portion is excellent for bird watching and we saw several nature photographers here.

Watson Lake is breathtakingly beautiful-took the dogs swimming and enjoyed paddle boarding around the lake. Big picnic areas to have lunch and a trail you can walk around the lake.

Saturday 9.12.2020 It's our first hiking and sightseeing in Prescott - We arrived at around 9:30am and parking was easy as many parking areas spread around the lake. We passed the first parking lot which seemed for people who camped there and drove further and found the second spot to park. The lake was just a few steps away with strange and beautiful formation of rocks around the lake. You can rent a canoe or kayak there but my husband preferred to walk It's a 4 miles trails with views of the lake in different levels of heights, and it's an easy trail. We enjoyed the trail and enjoyed taking photos here.

Our visits had a waiting period before we could get a table. Seating on busy days felt cramped. Order time till reaching the table was long for eggs over easy. Yes View was nice. Pricing was moderate.

Definitely recommend kayaking on Watson Lake! We came on a Sunday morning and it was quite nice. Upon arrival, be sure to reserve your spot online. We tried paying when we got there but they still ended up asking us to go online for it. The process was fast. We were on the water within 10 mins. They give you a water vest and a water bag for your phones. We spent about almost two hours going around the lake and exploring. I recommend 2 hours. Try to go early during the summer hours. They close at 3pm.

This as our first trip and it's fabulous and so excited to drive from Phoenix . The lake is lively scenic to view and picnic area was good for families to spend time . Restrooms were clean , cleanliness was maintained out around , play area for kids as well. Only suggest is instead of kayaking, we need small pedaling boats for families were everyone can't kayak in that lake.

My husband and I took a tandem kayak out this afternoon and we had a great experience! Customer service was awesome! Thank you Juan , sage and Oliver for making our day ...We are definitely looking forward to our next adventure with all of you .Thanks for helping us get in and out of the kayak. Much appreciated

Good Little Hiking Spot, Dirty Water Though... Good area for some little hikes through the rocks along the water part of the way. Close in town so easy access! Nice park areas and picnic spots. You now have to pay $3 entry fee... The water levels are pretty low right now and green with algae. This leaves you with stinky water. What else can be said.... Go take a hike!

--Atmosphere, Hours, & Parking--- I visited this lake with some friends, and we had a great time here for a couple hours kayaking. The views with blue skies and the surrounding rocks provide for some spectacular views to say the least, especially if you're in the water and getting up and close to them. The hours of the lake itself are from 6 AM to 10 PM (Memorial Day through Labor Day) and 7 AM until Sunset (Labor day to Memorial Day). We ended up parking in some free spots and took a little walk down, but there seemed to be a big lot for parking when you get to the lake. --Amenities & Activities-- Activities of the lake include fishing, boating, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, rock climbing, camping and day picnicking. Swimming is prohibited, and looking at the water, it didn't seem you'd want to anyways. For more info check out their website here: http://www.prescott-az.gov/recreation-area/watson-lake-park/ On Fridays - Sundays from 8am - 4pm, kayak and canoe rental is available with a company called Prescott Outdoors for reasonable prices. Friends and I took part in the rentals, and it was an easy and friendly process. I look forward to visiting again in the future!

Beautiful relaxing area. You can bring your kayaks and rent water "toys" to go out on the lake and have fun. Beautiful hiking areas and overnight camping.

If your looking for an easy walk in nature, this is for you! Don't be fooled tho as you can walk for miles. This is along the peavine trail. You can go off the main path to walk around the lake.

Beautiful lake that's great for kayaking. Easy access to launch. Saw bald eagles, pelicans, cormorants, and Great Blue Herons if you are into birding.

Great spot for kayaking! Lots of wildlife. Looks like a fun area in general- there's a playground, Bocce ball, frisbee golf, and a big field. Parking fee was $3.

This is a great place to kayak or hike. The rock formations are interesting and parking was plentiful. They have free days as well, which is cool. Definitely a great place to visit!

What an incredible rock formations! I really enjoyed hiking in surrounding this lake and explore the beauty of nature. Unfortunately those golf baskets installed permanently everywhere, why? Easy to get here and plenty of parking. Beautiful picnic tables with covered roof, perfect for family day outing.

Did this hike with our dogs in early November, beginning at 9:30am. Starting from the vista parking (which is a free small parking lot just south of the paid parking lot), we opted to do the clockwise route around the lake. To me, it was like dropping a lake in the middle of Joshua Tree, and climbing the large boulders of Joshua Tree all around the lake. If you like a lot of up and down on boulders, as I do, you are really going to dig this hike. The scenery throughout the hike, though similar in what one sees, always seems to be quite varied as one's angles and perspectives keep changing from one spot to the next. The only negative of this hike for us was the final 1.5 miles 1 mile of which is a boring dirt road, which gives way to the final .5 miles which is a more scenic trail again. --- it is a shame that this 1 mile section has to interrupt an absolutely beautiful hike. (I imagine that if there was a kid there with a golf cart offering rides, that he would have plenty of hikers gladly pay him $5 to bypass that 1 mile stretch.). Nonetheless, the rest of the hike was perfect, and thus I give it 5 stars. We drove an hour from our lodging at Oak Creek, and it was well worth the drive. Side-note: as was told to me by an elderly hiker we crossed paths with, we should have seen this trail years ago.... he said, and it is easily confirmed by spying the water lines on the rocks, that the water level was so much higher that the same path we were on used to abut the water in many places where it was now a hundred feet away.

Watson LakeDue to an event happening, we were directed to park our car at the end past the campground and by the kayak rentals. Having never been here before, it was very confusing trying to figure out where the trail started. We had even downloaded the trail to the Alltrails appand still managed to get off trackseveral times. It seems easier to start the trail near the campground by the lookout where there are more signs. Whatever you do, don't follow people like we did. Many are just finding a spot to sit by the lake or on the rocks and aren't on the actual trail. There are lots of spur trails and the white circles will lead you there if you aren't careful. The circles should be arrows because you don't know if it is directing you to an entrance or to the trail. As the trail progressed, it was better marked with the white circles and some signs. As others have mentioned, clockwise is the best option as most of the climbing will be first. There are some drop offs that may be challenging for people with fear of heights. Scrambling around in the boulders was fun though! There is no shade unless you find a big rock to hide behind. It is a stunning hike with the contrast of the lake and the boulders. We saw a lot of people kayaking in the lake. What a place for that activity! Definitely recommend; however, if it's your first time download the trail to Alltrails or a similar app to help keep you on course.

We love this lake, it has beautiful trails, trees, wildlife, lots of water! The kayaking and canoeing are so fun here! *NO WADING! It sucks I love going swimming, snorkeling and wading, but not here! Anyway, we love to go fishing here!! It's so peaceful and serene here!

Good hiking trail around the lake. We usually go on Wednesday since Prescott area has this as a free day at most of their lakes. Our grandkids love exploring the rocky areas. And the ducks snd geese are an added bonus. Watch out gif the one goose that likes to make chase!

Beautiful lake. Lots of kayakers out on the water today. People feeding the hundreds of ducks/geese. Picnics. Unusual rock formations. Would definitely kayak here again. Great for families!

If you want to feel like you've stepped into a sci-fi movie and are visitng other worlds, please go to Watson Lake and know what I mean. It leaves you breathless with peaceful views and you can't help not to feel zen afterward. You can hike, bike or canoe or simply absorb the sights on a bench. An absolute gorgeous view !

Absolutely beautiful. I love the open field for frisbee training my dog. The lake is serene and I highly recommend renting kayaks from Born to be Wild Adventures. The hiking is nice as well.

Ok I wasn't dressed for it, i had my swimming outfit but lo and behold it is for hikers, kayakers and canoers! My fault, didn't check. Swimming not allowed folks but overall my family and I enjoyed it. You need to wear hiking shoes in order to get close to the lake. Very nice view quite relaxing but don't expect high powered boats. Waking not allowed. We set up our own Canopy which helped if you don't want to use the Ramadas to rent.