Not so lake, lake: Mormon Lake.

Mormon Lake, Coconino County, Arizona, USA

On day one of our Arizona trip, my sister and I stumbled about Mormon Lake. We were on our way to The Grand Canyon from Phoenix. The weather was hot and dry. We had driven in upwards of 110 degrees Fahrenheit weather and even though we had the AC blasting in our rental car, we could never escape the sun. Though, the closer we got to The Grand Canyon, the cooler the weather got, but for us, Canadians, everywhere in Arizona was a little too hot for comfort.

As we got out of the exit to look at the lake, maybe take a picture or two and go swimming, if possible, we were in shock at what we saw. The 600 acres of land that was supposed to be covered in water, was bare. There was no sign of water anywhere. All we saw was the marshy area pictured above. It was a shock. It then hit us how hot it actually is in Arizona. It was definitely the first shock, of many other shocks that Arizona was going to put upon us because of its vast, rising monuments and valleys.

A bit about this lake....

It is a shallow, intermittent lake. When full it is the largest natural lake in Arizona. The surface area fluctuates seasonally. The average depth back in the 1900’s used to be more than 10 ft deep. Nowadays, it’s just about 10 ft deep or even lower, too low for ice to even freeze on it in the winter. The steady fall of the Lake’s levels is due to the increasing temperatures and drier conditions that northern Arizona has experienced due to global warming in the recent years.

If you are still curious and want to know more, visit: https://azdailysun.com/news/local/scientists-track-forces-behind-mormon-lake-s-rise-and-fall/article_7383b6f0-e0cc-5da6-947d-24f5f883aaac.html

#mormonlake #globalwarming #arizonaweather #arizona_landscapes