Lyman Lake Getaway
Located near St. Johns, Arizona on the eastern side of the state.
If you are looking for a camping getaway that has a lake for fishing, boating, petroglyphs, hiking and more, Lyman Lake is for you! With no restrictions on boat size (as of 2018), Lyman Lake has cabins, RV hook up areas and campsites for all types of campers. There are full service bathrooms (running water) for the not so brave camper, and great views.
Located just south of St. Johns, Arizona, Lyman Lake is approximately five hours from Surprise. The drive will take you through some rural areas of Arizona that are very pretty, but make sure you fill up on gas! We loved how the scenery changed as we headed out of our usual area.
Lyman Lake has a small Visitor Center and shop, with supplies, gasoline, some food and drink and is opened 9am-5pm. Pets are allowed, even in the cabins, so we brought along our trusty bulldog Roxy to explore with us!
We took advantage of the camping cabins as I like to have my creature comforts! We stayed in one of the 8 cabins. The cabin we stayed in had four bunk beds and one double bed.
The outside of our cabin! We should have brought folding chairs, but that was our mistake. There was also a picnic table outside with a shade over it, plus a fire pit if you want to bring your own firewood or firestarter.
In the inside of the cabin were two rooms. The first room had two windows on either side with the air conditioner, a shelf/eating space with stools and a double bed. There was a door to the other room that had the four bunk beds.
In the inside of the cabin were two rooms. The first room had two windows on either side with the air conditioner, a shelf/eating space with stools and a double bed. There was a door to the other room that had the four bunk beds.
Each bed had a mattress that was a plastic coated mattress. Sheets are not provided, and we just brought our own sleeping bags. There isn’t a ton of head room in the top bunk as the roof slopes, but the cabin really is beautiful. And did I mention each room has lights, plugs and there is one air conditioner? Yea, I like my creature comforts!
There is no bathroom in the cabin, but there is shared bathroom steps away from the cabins. The bathroom is shared with the RV and campers as well. While I wouldn’t have my kiddos walk to it alone ( wildlife), it was close enough to walk there safely in the dark. But, make sure you bring bug spray!
The Petroglyphs almost looked like it was burnt out of the rock, instead of carved. It was hard to understand, but very interesting to see. And wonder, why this rock? Why here? What were they trying to communicate? The view of the lake was beautiful, and there was a neat cave rock that sort of make a short cut between the paths. We figured a lot of bats probably liked hanging out there!
We really enjoyed out time at Lyman Lake and created a lot of great family memories. I highly suggest taking the drive up there in the fall, bringing out some fishing gear and exploring!
- By Vicki, Surprise AZ Mom
