ROSE CANYON LAKE - Maybe the fish are biting. Maybe not. It hardly matters. A day at this enchanting little lake in the Catalina Mountains north of Tucson is likely to please you even if you don't reel in a tasty mess of trout.
The seven-acre lake, tucked in a pine-shaded canyon at an altitude of 7,000 feet, attracts its share of anglers. But it's also popular with valley dwellers who just want to escape the summer heat and enjoy a waterside walk or a lazy afternoon in a lakeside forest.
Down by the water
Walkers and anglers can trek along the lake on one of two trails - a 0.2-mile segment on one side and a 0.4-mile path on the other.
Anglers 14 or older must have a state fishing license and a trout stamp. The daily limit is six fish for anglers 14 or older and three fish for those 13 or younger.
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A family connection
Bert Lewis - who fished at the lake one day recently with his granddaughter, Danielle Dickinson - has a special connection with the area. His father, Glenn, working as a landscape architect with the U.S. Forest Service, mapped out a road, selected sites for picnic spots and did other work at the lake and elsewhere in the Catalinas.
"This is a great place, and for me it has a tremendous history," Lewis said.
Get to the lake
From Tucson, take Tanque Verde Road to the Catalina Highway and follow the highway to a turnoff for the lake near Milepost 17.
You'll pay a $5 per vehicle fee on the highway and an additional $8 per-vehicle day-use fee at the lake.
Contact reporter Doug Kreutz at dkreutz@azstarnet.com or at 573-4192.