Stewart Mountain Dam is named after the old Stewart Ranch. It forms Saguaro Lake, which is set in the Sonoran Desert and surrounded by canyon walls. The dam is a concrete thin-arch dam built between 1928 and 1930. It stands 212 feet high and 583 feet long and is home to a 13,000-kilowatt (kW) hydroelectric generating unit.
It’s also one-third of a power-generating trio of dams that helped elevate SRP’s capabilities in the early days of our history.
Stewart Mountain Dam was the last of three dams built between 1923 and 1930. With its completion, along with Mormon Flat and Horse Mesa dams, SRP's hydropower generating capacity more than doubled and control of irrigation releases was greatly improved.*
SRP used the power revenue generated by the three dams to pay back the federal government for Roosevelt Dam’s construction and for the bonds used to finance the new lower Salt River dams.
All in all, this trio of dams helped SRP gain new strength in power generation, water storage and finances, all while delivering a reliable supply of water to the Valley.
It also formed Saguaro Lake, the last, but certainly not least, of the reservoirs to be built on the Salt River.
Stewart Mountain Dam was the last of three dams built between 1923 and 1930. With its completion, along with Mormon Flat and Horse Mesa dams, SRP's hydropower generating capacity more than doubled and control of irrigation releases was greatly improved.*
SRP used the power revenue generated by the three dams to pay back the federal government for Roosevelt Dam’s construction and for the bonds used to finance the new lower Salt River dams.
All in all, this trio of dams helped SRP gain new strength in power generation, water storage and finances, all while delivering a reliable supply of water to the Valley.
It also formed Saguaro Lake, the last, but certainly not least, of the reservoirs to be built on the Salt River.
Explore the Stewart Dam Petroglyphs Trail for a combination of ancient art and the dam's modern architecture, along with amazing views.
See the trailsAnglers will find rainbow trout, several types of bass, crappie, sunfish, channel catfish, walleye and more.
Fishing reportFind boat access-only camping on Saguaro Lake at Bagley Flat, where you can camp in one of the 10 designated sites.
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