Overview
Roosevelt Lake (Theodore Roosevelt Lake) is Arizona's largest lake lying entirely within the state - about 21,500 acres at full conservation pool - on the Salt River and Tonto Creek in the Tonto National Forest northeast of Phoenix. Theodore Roosevelt Dam, completed in 1911 by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and operated with the Salt River Project, was the first major federal multipurpose dam on the Salt and remains the uppermost storage lake in SRP's four-reservoir chain.
At full pool near 2,151 feet, the lake stretches about 22 miles with roughly 128 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth near 188 feet (SRP). Broad desert arms, flooded canyons, and extensive public forest shoreline create a large, scenic warmwater fishery and boating water.
Roosevelt is a premier Arizona destination for bass, crappie, and open-water fishing, with fisheries managed by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Tonto National Forest campgrounds, ramps, and marinas support heavy recreational use, and the lake feeds downstream Apache Lake and the lower Salt River reservoirs.
Water levels are managed jointly for irrigation storage, hydropower, and flood control, with conservation storage topping out near 2,151 feet above mean sea level (NGVD29). Flood-control space above conservation pool must be evacuated on a regulated schedule after large runoff events. Monitoring current lake levels is important for boating, fishing, and shoreline access as the pool rises and falls with snowmelt, monsoon storms, and Valley water demand.
Current Conditions
Roosevelt Lake is currently 62.78 feet below full pool and has fallen slightly over the past week.
- 7-day trendFallingLatest movement can differ from the seven-day trend.
- 7-day changeDown 0.24 ft
- 30-day changeDown 0.96 ft
- Drought conditionsModerate Drought
About This Lake
Learn how this lake is managed, what affects its water level, and where Lake Insights gets its data.
Roosevelt Lake is a 21,493-acre reservoir on the Salt River managed by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation / Salt River Project.