Wildlife

Becker Lake Wildlife Area

Becker Lake Wildlife Area  ( BLWA) is composed of a variety of habitats, including stream-side, wet meadow, stream riparian, lake, and plains grassland community on the uplands. Becker Lake is surrounded by the 622-acre Becker Lake Wildlife Area. Built in 1880, the lake is one of the oldest reservoirs in the White Mountains. It sits at an elevation of 6,910 feet. The lake has a  surface area of 107 acres at full capacity with an average depth of about 10 feet and a maximum depth of about 21 feet.

Recreational Opportunities

Camping: Overnight public camping is not permitted.

Boating

• Amenities include a boat ramp, parking lot, bathroom, and fishing pier.
• Boat motors are restricted to a single electric motor or a single gas motor not exceeding 10 HP.

Fishing: Becker Lake is stocked with sub-catchable Rainbow Trout and Tiger Trout once a  year with the intent of achieving catchable size by the following spring. The lake also has a few wild Brown Trout that entered from the Little Colorado River (LCR).  Non-native Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, and Green Sunfish were illegally introduced.

Fishing is permitted all year. Fishing is only with artificial flies and lures with single point barbless hooks. Boats and float tubes are the best approaches.

The lake is categorized as a trophy Rainbow Trout lake and is catch-and-release only for trout.

Fishing regulations

Hunting

• Game Management Unit area 1
• Portions open to all hunting in season as permitted under R12-4-304 and R12-4-318, except open portions of the wildlife area are closed to the discharge of rifled firearms. Posted portions located between Becker Lake Road and U. S. Route 60 are closed to all hunting. Waterfowl hunting on Becker Lake is popular, especially on the upper portion of the lake.

Hiking: This wildlife area has two hiking trails.

• The Lakeview Trail is a one-mile loop following the western edge of Becker Lake to an observation platform overlooking the southern, marshy end of the lake.
• River Walk Trail is 1.2 miles long, one way, and runs from Airport Road on the south up to the parking lot along Highway 60. A 75-foot long footbridge was built over the LCR connecting the east and west sides of the wildlife area along the LCR. Parking is at designated sites only and the wildlife area is open from sunrise to sunset.

Restrictions

• No open fires.
• Motorized vehicle travel permitted on designated roads, trails, or areas only, except as permitted under R12-4-110(H). This subsection does not apply to Department authorized vehicles or law enforcement, fire response, or other emergency vehicles.
• The Becker Lake boat launch access road and parking areas, along with any other posted portions of the wildlife area, is closed to all public entry from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise daily.

Wildlife observed in the area

Amphibians and Reptiles: Amphibians and reptiles include gopher snake, green prairie rattlesnake, Arizona black rattlesnake, terrestrial garter snake, short-horned lizard, red spotted toad and Western chorus frog.

Birds: Noteworthy documented or probable bird species include the bald eagle, Southwestern willow flycatcher, bobolink, mountain plover, peregrine falcon, and ferruginous hawk. Wintering bald eagles can often be seen within the Upper Little Colorado River Watershed State Important Bird Area.

Mammals: Mammals documented on BLWA include mule deer, pronghorn, Gunnison’s prairie dog, beaver, badger and raccoon.

Fish: Becker Lake is stocked with sub-catchable Rainbow Trout and Tiger Trout. The lake also has a few wild brown trout that entered from the Little Colorado River.

Native fish species documented on the BLWA include Little Colorado spinedace, Little Colorado sucker, bluehead sucker, and speckled dace.  Non-native fish include rainbow trout, tiger trout, brown trout, fathead minnow, and illegally introduced largemouth bass, channel catfish, and green sunfish.

Plants and Vegetation: Habitats include an approximately ¾ mile of LCR streamside habitat, 120 acres of wet meadow, five plus acres of stream riparian habitat, narrow leaf cottonwood trees located roughly along the Becker Lake filler ditch and south of the lake, a 107-acre lake, and a plains grassland community on the uplands.

Directions: Located on the west side of U.S. Route 60, Becker Lake Wildlife Area is located two miles northwest of Springerville, AZ in the Arizona White Mountains off the west side of Highway 60.