State Parks and National Parks

Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area

Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area is nestled amid stately pine trees beside a quiet lake inhabited by great blue herons.

Surrounded by the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, the park opened in 1994 and offers year-round camping, fishing and wildlife watching.

The area earned its name in 1885 when Aaron Adair tried to start a farm here. Local residents scoffed that only a fool would try to farm the land. The town of Adair was eventually covered by a lake, formed by a man-made dam, but the name Fool Hollow stuck.

The 800-acre park's campground offers 123 campsites, with electrical hookups, dump station, fish-cleaning station, boat ramps, picnic tables, grills, private showers and restrooms and a playground.

The adjacent Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest offers many hiking trails. The sunrise Park Resort in the White Mountains offers great snow skiing.

The park sits at 6,300 feet elevation and maintains moderate to cool temperatures year-round.

Photo credits in order: Courtesy of Arizona