Patagonia Lake State Park & Patagonia, Arizona

This was our first visit to the Patagonia Lake State Park. The campground overlooks a 265 arce manmade lake and is quite beautiful. It's best known for its bird watching, hiking and mountain biking.

The first day of our stay we hiked the 1.3 mile Sonoita Creek trail, which is a very enjoyable scenic walk with a few bird sightings, but nothing to write home about. Along the way we saw a few fisherman fishing and we were told there is a variety of species in the lake including crappie, bass, bluegill and catfish.

Day two was another enjoyable adventure visiting the town of Patagonia. We explored the charming shops and discovered a hidden gem called Gathering Grounds. A small coffee shop, serving breakfast, lunch, and bakery goods and known for its amazing homemade ice cream. Jeff of course was excited as the ice cream really was homemade, but unfortunately they were out of all of their flavors, except one. So he caved and tried it anyway, which turned out to be a mistake as the ice cream tasted old and icey, and just not very good. Oh well!

Just a few blocks out of town is the Tucson Audubon's Paton Center for Hummingbirds. There are beautiful trails that meander through the woods with sitting areas for bird viewing, restrooms and water stations. We were quite surprised at how many birds watchers were here enjoying watching the hummingbirds and Ladder-backed woodpeckers and many, many other bird species. Many people brought their lunches to enjoy this lovely and tranquil spot for bird watching. Bird tour guides are also available for a nominal fee.

The following day purchased the required permit from the Visitors Center to walk the 2.75 mile Blackhawk loop trail. It starts at the trailhead parking area and leads you across the dam's spillway, where we walked through water to reach the continuing trail, which was kinda fun. Two days prior to our arrival, there had been significant rainfall, causing the lake to overflow. It was a very enjoyable loop with lots of views of smaller waterfalls and scenic vistas. The trail was rough in certain areas and steep in others, providing a solid workout.

The campsites are well-spaced and paved, each featuring electricity, water, picnic tables, and fire rings. The restrooms are notably clean, equipped with flushometer toilets and beautifully tiled hot showers. The campground is very tranquil during the weekdays, but it becomes busy and loud on the weekends. We decided to stay during the week at site West 73, which offers a partial view of the lake.

Arizona State Parks handles the reservations and the fee is $50.00 a night.

Our next adventure is Oregon Pipe

Cheers!

Jeff and Liz