Sixty miles south of Flagstaff on a graveled forest road near the small community of Happy Jack, C.C. Cragin Reservoir occupies a canyon so narrow and steep that it looks more like a river than a lake. That is not an illusion — the reservoir follows a canyon so closely that the distinction between lake and river is mostly a question of whether there is a dam downstream. There is. Salt River Project completed the Blue Ridge Dam in 1963 and the reservoir has been a critical water source for the town of Payson ever since, holding water from three separate watersheds in the canyon system above.

We have visited twice — July 6–7, 2014 and August 1, 2022. Both visits delivered the same fundamental experience: a beautiful, tucked-away high-country reservoir that rewards people willing to take the gravel road off the main highway.

The Name Change

For most of its history this reservoir was known simply as Blue Ridge Reservoir. The official name was changed to C.C. Cragin Reservoir to honor Claiborne Crager Cragin, a former Salt River Project board member who championed the Payson water supply project. The Blue Ridge name persists in common use — most locals and visitors still call it Blue Ridge. Both names refer to the same water.

The Reservoir — What Makes It Unusual

The steep canyon walls that create C.C. Cragin Reservoir leave very little shore access around the entire lake — no sandy beaches, no gentle slopes for sunbathing, no easy walk-in access to the water. What the steep walls do create is an enclosed, intimate feeling on the water itself that you don't get on the open Rim Lakes nearby. Kayaking the narrow canyon with the walls rising on both sides and the pine forest above is a genuinely distinctive experience — more like paddling a mountain river corridor than sitting on a conventional lake.

Swimming is not recommended — the steep canyon walls make safe access and egress difficult and the water is cold year-round from the trout fishery management. The reservoir is primarily a destination for anglers, kayakers, canoeists, and paddleboarders.

Fishing

The Arizona Game and Fish Department stocks the reservoir with rainbow trout, brown trout, and in recent years tiger trout — a sterile hybrid of brown and brook trout that fights aggressively and grows to impressive size. Tiger trout at C.C. Cragin represent a genuine opportunity to catch a species available at very few Arizona waters. Trout fishing is best May through October. Shore fishing is limited by the steep terrain — most successful anglers fish from kayaks, float tubes, or small boats. Popular methods include trolling small spinners, Panther Martins, and Kastmasters, and shore fishing with PowerBait, worms, and salmon eggs.

⚠️ Invasive species note: Green sunfish are present and unlimited — please remove if caught rather than releasing back to the reservoir.

Boating

Only boats with a single 10-horsepower or less motor or a single electric motor are allowed. No large motorized boats — this is a quiet-water fishery and the canyon walls and limited access reinforce that character naturally. Kayaks, canoes, and small fishing boats are the right watercraft for this reservoir. The boat ramp access gate is open seasonally — closed in winter and may close when lake levels drop significantly. Always check current lake levels and ramp status before planning a trip specifically for boating.

Water Levels — A Critical Variable

C.C. Cragin is a water supply reservoir — its levels fluctuate significantly based on drought, snowpack, and water demands from Payson. In dry years the reservoir can drop to alarmingly low levels — as low as 23% of capacity — which affects both the boating access and the fishing. In good water years it fills closer to capacity and the full canyon corridor is navigable. Check current reservoir levels and ramp status with the Mogollon Rim Ranger District before visiting specifically for boating or fishing.

The Campground and Dispersed Sites

Blue Ridge Campground sits near the reservoir and offers developed camping — open seasonally, closed in winter. Rock Crossing Campground sits 3 miles away with 32 single sites and 2 double sites, tables, fire rings, cooking grills, drinking water, self-composting toilets, and a boat ramp. Dispersed camping is available in the forest along FR 751 — the standard AZ Places approach for this location.

Our Visits

July 6–7, 2014

We camped overnight with Leslie Marie, Luca, and Alexis — a midsummer trip to the reservoir when the White Mountains forest is at its most alive.

Alexis fished from the shore while Leslie Marie, Luca, and I took the boat out on the water — the narrow canyon corridor making for a different kind of boating than any open lake provides. The canyon walls rise close on both sides, the ponderosa pine forest pressing to the water's edge, the lake surface calm in the July morning before the afternoon monsoon builds.

We camped at a dispersed site on Forest Service Road 751B — the road that leads to the Moqui Fire Lookout Station. A quiet forest road camp in the ponderosa pines above the reservoir, removed from the main campground traffic and with the forest to ourselves. FR 751B puts you in exactly the right position for an early morning on the reservoir — the boat in the water and the canyon calm before the day builds.

The sunset that evening was one of the most striking either of us had seen — a deep, dark red sky that spread across the entire horizon. Not a typical Arizona sunset but the kind produced by a distant forest fire — the smoke in the upper atmosphere filtering the light into an almost unreal color. Beautiful and sobering simultaneously.

We had not gotten off the water soon enough. The closer we got to sunset the more the bugs came out — the kind of insect pressure that makes you paddle faster and appreciate being back on shore. Lesson noted for next time.

That evening a monsoon hit. We went for a hike down the road as the storm was still building — the forest cooling and the sky changing in the way that precedes a serious monsoon cell. We turned around when the storm made clear it was coming for us. On the walk back we heard an elk call from somewhere in the trees — the sound carrying through the forest in that particular way that makes you stop walking and listen. We made it back to camp just in time. The downpour was significant — water running down the road, the rain coming hard enough to make the forest sound like white noise. The lightning was so intense we felt safest sitting in the car for a while, watching it light up the forest through the windshield.

The next morning we waited before leaving — giving the forest and the road time to dry after the night's rain. This is when Luca worked on a camp shelter in the trees — the kind of hands-on camp project that takes on its own momentum in a good forest, and the kind of morning that only exists when you have nowhere to be until things dry out.

August 1, 2022

A return day visit — a brief stop at the shore during a Mogollon Rim road trip. The monsoon season forest at its lushest, the reservoir reflecting the canyon walls and pine canopy above in the still water. The kind of stop that reminds you why this reservoir earns the drive on the gravel road.

More Information:

• No designated camping at the lake — Rock Crossing Campground 3 miles away, dispersed camping on FR 751

• Rock Crossing Campground: 32 single sites, 2 double sites — tables, fire rings, water, self-composting toilets, boat ramp

• Blue Ridge Campground: seasonal — closed in winter

• Boating: 10 HP or less motor / single electric motor only — no large motorized boats

• Boat ramp: seasonal — check current status, closed when water levels are low

• Fishing: Rainbow trout, brown trout, tiger trout — AZGFD stocked

• No swimming — steep canyon walls limit safe access

• Green sunfish: invasive — remove if caught, do not release

• Vehicle length limit: 22 feet maximum (50 feet total with trailer)

• FR 751 is gravel — suitable for passenger cars in dry conditions, closed with first significant snow

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