Fool Hollow Lake, Arizona - Pt. 1 - May 6, 2026

Our latest adventure to Fool Hollow Lake on May 6-7, 2026, was one of many firsts. Mike and I had been to Fool Hollow before on a day trip on my birthday a couple of years before. At that time, we took many a day trip in the Avalanche daydreaming about adventures more like this. We participated in the Arizona State Parks Passport program they were running at the time. When you visit a state park, you get a stamp in your little passport book. It was great fun and we discovered many things. This was the first-ever camping experience for the dogs. This was our first overnight camping experience in the van. After much thought whilst staring at the floor, and as much physical preparation that could be done, I was confident we could handle nearly anything that would come at us on the road. 

We learned of the typical overnight weather from friends who visited us from that general area, who came to warm themselves in the all-abundant heat of the valley. The overnight temperature was expected to be around 35 degrees Fahrenheit. For those of you in the rest of the world that's a chilly 2 degrees celsius. As we made our final preparations, Mike grabbed a small electric blanket. This one bit of kit saved the trip. We would have frozen in the night. 

 After our previous trip, the campground there would be a great place to escape the blooming spring heat of the valley. This was also to gauge how much of our preparation was enough, how much was too much. We opted for a campsite with power and water hookups. The air conditioner wouldn't be needed, but power was necessary. It was necessary to run the electric blanket during the night and the coffee maker in the morning. 

As I am me, I found some interesting trivia about Fool Hollow. The area was named for a farmer who dared to farm there. The place where the lake is now. The other settlers in the area began to call the place Fool Hollow. The name stuck. A little town sprang up, called Adair. Adair was drowned under the lake that is there now. Judging by the extremely low level of the lake at the present time, my guess is that some evidence of the place will probably resurface soon. 

The route we chose was 87 through Payson, where we stopped to refuel. One might wonder why we would travel in such a way when fuel is nearly unaffordable at present? That's one of the main reasons I started my side hustles. When I want to travel, I don't let anything stop me. While a lady doesn't talk about money, I thought it was worth mentioning that it took a shade over $115 to fill up the van. Through the wonder of modern technology, I got a sizable cash-back from the purchase. Travel tip alert! I have a secured credit card where I deposit funds and use that card only when making travel transactions. 

From our refueling stop in Payson, we continued along 280 through Star Valley and Heber-Overgaard to Show Low. Along the way to Fool Hollow, we stopped at Woods Canyon Lake Store and Marina. Here I purchased a steel camp coffee cup for Mike, as we only had one coffee cup with us. We arrived at Fool Hollow Recreation Area shortly before 2pm, where we booked into our campsite for the night. 

The campsite was nicer than expected with full hookups for power and potable water. Although we were close to other campers, the natural blue rock boulder configurations made the site feel more isolated. We were steps away from the restrooms/shower house which managed to be uphill both ways. This phenomenon is something I've noticed as an Arizona thing. I don't think I've experienced it anywhere else I've been. The slight incline wouldn't have been as noticeable if it wasn't over 6000 feet in elevation and if I hadn't abused my lungs over thirty years by smoking and vaping like a fiend. 

I admit I was a bit of a stick in the mud when we arrived. After I did my bit to help set up, all I wanted to do was lie down and read whilst I listened to the natural world around me. At present my sleep schedule is hopelessly reversed from what most humans would consider "normal". To my mind and body, it felt more like 2am than 2pm. I could barely keep my eyes open as my mind began to shut down into sleep mode bit by bit. I don't think I made great company nor do I think I made much sense when I spoke. Mike sat outside and smoked a little as the sun set. Shortly after darkness started to fold itself around us, I discovered I forgot to grab the box with the lights in before we left. With nothing else really to do in the dark, Mike came in and the dogs piled up around us. After a brief period of adjustment and settling, we were soon resting comfortably.