Rose Canyon Lake

It's a nice little lake to get away on a hot summer day. As in all things in life, it's much smaller than I remember as a child. Additionally, if you don't have a permit for a camping spot or a picnic table or Ramada, there really isn't any place to picnic directly around the lake -- especially since every free spot will be taken by a fisherman. You can climb up on the sides which are steep and spread a blanket around, but there are no tables around the lake. Despite the fact that it is in the national Forest and you might have a park pass, there is a separate entry fee for this lake and camping ground. There are bathrooms at the parking lot above the lake. Now, I've listed a few negatives if you want to picnic and didn't reserve one of the tables, which are quite a bit further away from the lake, but don't let that dissuade you from coming. It's a lovely escape. If you go on the right side of the lake, it's full of fishermen so there's no chance of sitting by the lake. You'll have to climb up on rocky, loose soil where it's flatter and you can sit. On the left side, The trail is higher up from the shore, so there are fewer fishermen and there are spots where you can picnic closer to the lake. Additionally, there are easier climbs on better soil (it's forested) where you can go to the top of the hill to the east and have a great lookout point.

We had a great time. The walk was nice going down. Had to take a break or two on the way up. Our 7 year old managed with little complaints. Between 3 of us, we caught 8 trout. They started biting after 1pm.

Didn't know this cute little lake was here, paid a small fee to enter (so bring cash). When we got to the parking area of the lake, there was a mini scenic walk. Handicap parking is closer down by the lake, so space for handicapis limited. Just be careful for people walking on the narrow road to and from the lake. It was a beautiful experience, and I plan on going back with my kids. I believe kids 10yo and under fish free.

Hiked to the lake from campground and had a picnic lunch in the group area. This is a fishing lake only. It is a beautiful area on Mount Lemmon. There were several people catching fish. All facilities were clean and rangers on site. Trails well maintained. Great scenery.

This lake is clean and beautiful, sad to say as of now no one is supposed to swim it and no boats allowed at this time the water level is low. We didn't catch any fish but it was nice and cool out and the atmosphere is nice.

What a pleasant surprise it was to have two new campground hosts taking care of our loop this season. Tate and Tim were helpful, friendly and conscientious about their job duties. It was a pleasure to see happy, helpful hosts in the park this year! We hope they stick around.

It’s a nice place, the parking is small not to many cars allowed and when you parking you have to walk down the lake (3min) but it’s really beautiful there. During the summer it gets full pretty quick so we wait until evening to enter. You can fishing but not swimming or boat are allowed.