Arizona Waterways Review

If you are new to Arizona or just tired of going to the same old places to play in the water, you need a copy of Arizona Waterways (K and M Press, 54 pages, $6.95). This handy guidebook is loaded with all the information you need to plan a trip: camping and RV information, limits on boat sizes, available facilities such as gas and groceries and even some event information. (Did you know there’s a Worm Race in July at Luna Lake?)

The book fits in your glove compartment or your pocket so you can plan your next outing over lunch or while stuck in traffic.

The book is well laid out starting with the Table of Contents. Places are listed both alphabetically and by region. If you know the name of the place you want to go or just the part of the state you want to explore, you can find it here.

A map on each page gives a general idea about the location of the spot with driving directions beneath it. A more detailed map in the center of the book helps you get there.

Icons are used for quick reference to the available facilities. You can tell at a glance if a place has restrooms, is handicap accessible or has boat rentals, for example.

Information about the fish species you can expect to find at each location is provided as is any information about restrictions such as areas that might be closed for bald eagle nesting.

As you know, many lakes around the state have restrictions on the size and type of boat allowed. You’ll find that information here. FYI tips sprinkled through the book detail licensing requirements for boating and fishing as well as some interesting tidbits such as the fact that most boat sinkings occur at the dock.

It’s not just a dry listing of facts, however. The author has researched some fascinating background information on many of the locations. A-1 Lake was named for an Indian chief. He received that name because soldiers thought Indian names were too hard to pronounce. The White Mountain Apaches have a lake you can reserve just for yourself or your family reunion. Roper Lake was originally built with private money by a mining executive.

And, if there is something you need to know that isn’t provided in the book, you’ll find Web sites, mailing addresses and phone numbers for the entity that manages each site.

We’ve seen newspaper and magazine articles about individual boating and fishing sites around the state but, finally, we have all that information in one handy guide. No water lover should be without it. Visit the Web site www.kandmpress.com or call (928) 899-3250 for information about ordering.