Willow Springs Lake | What and Where to Fish, Hike, & Cheaply Rent

Join me on my trip from Phoenix into Arizona’s beautiful Rim Country as I visit Payson and Willow Springs Lake for some fishing, hiking, and exploring. During the trip, I stayed at Kachina Pueblo, a bed-and-breakfast in the Payson area, before heading out to experience Willow Springs Lake for the first time. Willow Springs Lake is located along Highway 260, about 30 miles east of Payson in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. The lake offers shoreline fishing, boating, kayaking, paddleboarding, and opportunities to hike and explore the surrounding forest and shoreline. Anglers come here primarily for trout fishing, including rainbow trout and tiger trout, with plenty of shoreline, coves, and deeper water to explore. In this video, I share my real experience at Willow Springs Lake—where I fished, where I attempted to hike, the scenery, the challenges, the mistakes I made, and what I learned along the way. I also discovered firsthand that the lake is much larger and the shoreline much rougher than it appears from the parking area. If you’re thinking about visiting Willow Springs Lake for fishing, hiking, or simply spending some time in Arizona’s Rim Country, hopefully my experience gives you a better idea of what to expect. #WillowSpringsLake #PaysonArizona #ArizonaFishing #TroutFishing #MogollonRim #ArizonaHiking #RimCountry #FishingArizona #KachinaPueblo