Luna Lake (Arizona)

Luna Lake is a natural body of water that covers approximately 75 acre of land. It is located about three miles (5 km) southeast of Alpine, Arizona, at the elevation of 7890 ft, and is the centerpiece of the Luna Lake Wildlife Area.

Luna Lake has the distinction of being part of the San Francisco River, flowing easterly into New Mexico, then south, and west into the Gila River (in Arizona). The headwaters are north of the other main mountain tributary to the Gila, the Blue River of Arizona.

Location
Luna Lake lies at 7890 ft on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, as such the facilities located here are managed by that authority. It is located about 3 mi east of Alpine. It’s accessible year-round, but ices over in winter months.

Description
Luna Lake is a 75 acre impoundment of the upper San Francisco River. It has a maximum depth of 21 ft and an average depth of 8 ft. It is stocked annually with fingerling and subcatchable rainbow and cutthroat trout. Because it is a shallow, nutrient-rich lake, it is subject to water quality problems and excessive weed growth. The Arizona Game and Fish Department annually harvests weeds to help alleviate some of the water quality problems.

Fauna and flora
The following species are noted at Luna Lake.
 * Gray catbird, (South and West of most westerly ranges in New Mexico, and Colorado.)
 * Southwestern willow flycatcher
 * Bald eagle
 * Mexican spotted owl
 * Myotis occultus, the Arizona myotis, a mouse-eared bat
 * Northern leopard frog
 * Chiricahua leopard frog
 * Clover: Trifolium neurophyllum, "White Mountains clover"
 * Gila groundsel, Senecio quaerens, Senecio

Fish species

 * Rainbow trout
 * Yellowstone cutthroat trout