Horseshoe Lake

Northeast of Carefree, AZ

Horseshoe Lake is a gem of a destination in the Phoenix Metro area. The lake is surrounded by rugged mountains, canyons, and desert vistas. As a bonus, the dam itself includes a walkway under the spillway. Visitors can walk under the water flowing out of the dam. The one drawback is the ~8 miles of gravel road that leads to the event site. The road is passable by low-clearance vehicles, but the surface is a bit bumpy. We hope you'll take time out of your busy schedules to join us for some navigation fun in a little-visited corner of the Phoenix area.

Directions

Horseshoe Lake is located in the Tonto National Forest northeast of Carefree, AZ.

To get to the event site:

From the Intersection of Pima Road and East Cave Creek Road:

Travel east on East Cave Creek Road for 4.2 miles to the junction with Bartlett Dam Road.
Turn right onto Bartlett Dam Road. Continue east on Bartlett Dam road for 6.3 miles to the junction with Horseshoe Lake Road.
Turn left on Horseshoe Lake Road and travel 10.5 miles to the Horseshoe Lake dam. Horseshoe Lake road is paved for ~2.2 miles traveling north from the intersection. After, a gravel road continues ~8.3 miles to the dam. A sign indicating "Not Recommended for Low Clearance Vehicles" isn't accurate. We've driven the road several times in a Honda Fit, and while the road is bumpy, it is easily passable. At the lake, follow the orange and white orienteering signs to the event start/finish location.

Maps

Click on a map below to open an equivalent Google map in a separate window.

Map to the Horseshoe Lake Event Site from Carefree, AZ

Close-Up of the Horseshoe Lake Area