Story and Photos by Cheryl Hartz
Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area got its “fool” designation because in 1885, when new settler Thomas Jefferson Adair wanted to farm the area, locals said only a fool would try it.
He established the small town of Adair, which the 150-acre lake covered long ago. The state park around the lake opened in 1994.
Arizona State Parks manages the campground and day use area just outside Show Low and the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. At 6,300 feet in elevation, Fool Hollow is open with cool temperatures year-round.
While visiting many of Arizona’s state parks, we heard from numerous experienced campers that Fool Hollow was their favorite place. We finally tried it last October, along with our daughter and son-in-law, and it lived up to its billing.
Although we endured a couple of dangerously windy days, and evenings around the gas firepit were cold enough for heavy coats and lap robes (all the better for hot chocolate and s’mores), it was lovely in the pines overlooking the lake.
We walked our dogs on the 1.5-mile trail. I got to grand-dog sit while family kayaked Fool Hollow Lake’s length and breadth. They shrank to miniscule in my camera lens when they boated across it to climb the hill opposite our camp sites.
Show Low Creek feeds the lake, which harbors bass, trout, crappie, catfish, sunfish and even walleye and northern pike. Bald eagles, osprey and other large fish-eaters naturally are among the lake’s residents.
Mammals to watch for include: black bear, mountain lion, coyote, beaver, porcupine, elk, deer, bobcat and fox.
Feral cats and kittens like to visit campsites but flee back into the boulders when approached. Drat, I really wanted to cuddle those adorable kittens.
The White Mountain Trail System, with more than 103 miles of hiking on 11 loop trails, has access points within 15 miles of the park. So it wouldn’t take much driving, or even bicycling, to experience a new adventure within the vast Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.
Remember that Mexican gray wolves were re-introduced to Arizona and New Mexico across the forest’s three million acres? Even if you never see one in the wild, it’s heartening to know they are out there.
This place always will have a special place in my heart for many reasons. One of which is it was our Jack’s last camping trip in the woods. I can say he enjoyed it, along with our grand-dogs Atlas, a young and energetic Swiss mountain dog who boulder-hops, and Lady Daphne, a retired greyhound who prefers soaking up sunshine.
Happy lakeshore hiking!
