Visiting Roper Lake State Park in Safford,AZ

One of my favorite things about winter in Arizona is that while it might be a little chilly first thing in the morning, mid-morning until evening it offers perfect weather conditions. It is generally between 50-70 degrees through out the day which is ideal for going on long hikes (or short hikes if you prefer). The lower temperatures also means you have less of a chance  to run into a wild snake since they aren't as active during the winter. We've been getting out more to explore and hike as a family to take advantage of the nice weather, along side visiting various locations on our own, I am currently working along with the AZ State Parks Department to visit some of the state parks and see what they have to offer. Our last trip took us to Benson,Arizona where we visited Kartchner State Park (click to read my review of the park). This time around we went a little more east from where we are and went to Safford,Arizona to visit Roper Lake State Park. 

The two parks are about an hour and a half apart, so if you are looking to extend your vacation it wouldn't be a bad idea to visit both parks and spend a day or two at each. From Phoenix it took us around three to three and a half hours to reach our destination, this was without any stops since we had filled up the car with gas and used the bathroom before leaving. We took the US 60 until it turned into the US 70 and continued on until we reached Highway 191 where Roper Lake is located. The drive was lovely, it took us through some cute small towns, various mountain and desert areas and you'll pass through a few reservations on your way. 

This particular state park isn't one that is far away from civilization, in fact it is only six miles from Safford and there are plenty of houses, and restaurants near by. If you forgot a hair brush, towels, or really anything else there is a Dollar General only a three minute drive from the parks front gates which makes it convenient if you are prone to forgetting one or two things when you pack. Roper lake was originally a ranch that was purchased by the state in 1972 to build a reservoir and it sits on 32 acres of land. This lake isn't connected to a river, so the lake is maintained and stocked with fish by the state department. If you are looking to stay in the park over night, they offer eight cabins to rent along with plenty of RV and camping spots. 

For our trip to Roper Lake we received a two night stay in the Hummingbird cabin. Check in for entering the cabins is 3pm, however you are free to arrive any time of the day to get your park pass, visit the lake, hike, fish or swim before heading to your cabin. We arrived early in the morning on the day we needed to check in, we wanted to get checked into the park system itself so we could get our parking pass. Included with your pass is access to Danksworth State Pond which is several miles south of Roper lake, so we wanted to head there first. If you visit the pond first you'll need to pay the daily fee, I will cover that park in another post within the next week along with a small review of the cabin itself. 

While Roper Lake is significantly smaller than some of the other lakes in the state it has a lot to offer. If you drive around the back side of the park past all of the camping areas you'll find parking for a "Island". The island is a large piece of land that sticks out into the lake, so you'll be surrounded by the lake on both sides. It has picnic areas, a large gazebo, plenty of grass to spread out blankets and relax and it has a designated beach area that is for swimming. No boats or fishers are allowed in this area so you can swim and relax without any worries. During our trip we spotted a few families enjoying the beach area, the water was chilly but nice, you can see half of the beach area above. As mentioned there were two families here so I didn't want to be rude and include them in the photo, the beach is larger than what is shown in the photo above. Pets are allowed in the park, and you can pay a small fee to have them in your cabin as well. If you bring them with they need to stay on their leash, however if they want to run free for a while they have a dog run in the back of the park that is fenced in. 

Through out the year the state parks department stocks this lake with various fish (you can find a calendar on their website). The most recent fish stocked at this lake was a group of Albino rainbow Trout. We did bring all of our gear, however this time around even with hours of fishing we sadly didn't catch any fish and it didn't look like the few other fishers near us had any luck either. My son did however have an unusual catch! While fishing off of the fishing dock my sons line got caught on another line that was in the water, he managed to reel it in enough I was able to lean over and grab both his line and the other. It is preferable that you don't leave behind extra fishing lines, lures, etc in the water so I decided to pull up the line that his caught on. I ended up pulling up some fishing lures, and not one but two entire fishing poles all of which I tossed into the trash bin they provided on the dock. Boating is allowed, however it needs to be a motor free boat so this lake is perfect for anyone who loves to paddle boat, kayak, paddleboard, etc.

We may not have caught anything this time around, but we still had a great time. There were lots of ducks and birds to watch, we had one duck in particular that hung out next to use the entire time we were fishing, letting out a few honks occasionally to let us know he was still there. We also spotted several gorgeous cranes, we counted six in total - four white, and two grey. I also became very excited when I spotted a Cardinal couple when I was walking around by myself exploring some of their picnic areas. They were in an exploring mood as well and kept flying between a few trees, though I did manage to capture a few shots of them. 

During the evening, when the sun starts to set is usually when the bugs become more active which means the birds are as well. In front of our cabin was an area where the water had receded a bit showing a large patch of mud, once the sun had fallen the area had dozens of birds descend upon it for dinner. We all enjoyed seeing and hearing all of the birds, it was neat to watch. 

In the mood for a hike? There is plenty of hiking in and around the park. We decided to check out the Mariah Mesa trail located in the park which is a .75 mile loop. As you can see from the photo we had a gorgeous view of Mount. Graham covered in snow during our hike. The hike has clearly marked trails, along with hand rails and easy to navigate steps leading up the hill. If you feel a bit exhausted when you reach the top, or you just want to take a break and enjoy the views there are two benches at the top facing opposite directions so you can just sit and relax. Once you get down, if you need to use the bathroom there is one located directly across the road from where the trail head starts. 

Over all the park was quite clean, we spotted several different species of birds and small critters. The park looks stunning at sunset, I've always loved Arizona sunsets but with the snow capped mountains and the lake reflecting the sunset colors it was just captivating. Before leaving if you'd like to take a souvenir home they have a gift shop that has shirts, snacks, magnets, gifts for kids and more. 

Disclaimer- The one night cabin rental mentioned above were provided by The Arizona State Parks Department for a review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.