Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club
Kayaking Lake Pleasant Regional Park
when October 27, 2025 Monday
Trip Report : March 31, 2025
Trip Report : April 16, 2024
Trip Report : January 15, 2024
Trip Report : January 17, 2023
  Trip Report : September 28, 2022
  Trip Report : April 13, 2022
  Trip Report : January 18, 2022
where Lake Pleasant Regional Park
the kayak     This will be our second kayaking trip to Lake Pleasant this year. Lake Pleasant is a good-sized lake, with 11.7 square miles of surface area and 116 miles of shoreline. The Agua Fria River and the CAP canal are the two main sources of water for Lake Pleasant.
    Lake Pleasant is Arizona’s primary storage facility for Colorado River water.
    This is an interesting and scenic part of the lake, with many things to explore, including Castle Creek, Fireman’s Cove, Cottonwood Cove, and Pipeline Cove, with numerous small inlets, coves, and a number of small islands to check out.
    We will explore most of these coves, as we make our way south to the Scorpion Bay Marina & Restaurant for lunch. There, we will pull into the large dockside kayak cradle one at a time, get out onto the marina dock, stack our kayaks off to the side, and walk over to the restaurant. After lunch, we’ll paddle back to the Castle Creek Boat Ramp.
Required:
•  Life vest
•  At least 2 liters of water
•  Rain poncho
•  Hat, sunblock, sunglasses
Recommended:
•  Lunch or snacks
•  Camera
distance 5-6 miles RT
time 4-5 hours
EC no elevation change
elevations 1,700 feet
type Round Trip
starting at Castle Creek Boat Ramp
rating "C"     Rate yourself as a kayaker.
dogs allowed no
cost $7/vehicle Lake Pleasant Regional Park entrance fee + $2 for the kayak. The Maricopa County Parks Pass is good for entry at any of the Lake Pleasant Entry Stations. However, you must still pay an additional $2 for your kayak.
The club also allows voluntary contributions of $5/non-member.
weather Lake Pleasant Regional Park
leader    You must email the leader to confirm.
meet 9:00 AM at Castle Creek Boat Ramp.
drive
•  From central Phoenix, take I-17 north to Carefree Highway (SR 74).
Exit onto Carefree Highway and travel west, past Lake Pleasant Bypass Road and N. Old Lake Pleasant Road, for 10 miles to Castle Hot Spring Road.
Turn right (north) onto Castle Hot Springs Road and continue driving north past the Lake Pleasant Access Road.
Keep driving north to a T intersection (5.5 miles from Carefree Hwy) and turn right onto Castle Creek Drive.
Pay the $7 + $2 fee at the Lake Pleasant Entry Station and drive to the Castle Creek Boat Ramp. *note if pay station is closed, the self-serve pay station only takes cash. ** keep your receipt if going to Scorpion Bay Grill after kayaking.
We’ll drop our kayaks and gear off near the ramp and park in the nearby boat ramp parking lot. Restrooms are located here.
See Map.

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updated September 6, 2025 © Copyright 2025, Arizona Trailblazers.  All rights reserved.