| Address | Greer, AZ 85927 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34.0325, -109.4365 |
| Category | Waterfront |
| Nearest city | Eagar |
| Region | Arizona, USA |
| Sources | geonamesgeonames |
River Reservoir Travel Guide
River Reservoir is a lake in Arizona. The nearest service base is Eagar, roughly 15 km away.
River Reservoir at a Glance
- What it is: lake (travel destination)
- Where it is: Greer, AZ 85927 — coordinates 34.0325, 109.4365
- Why it is listed: a source-verified entry in the CollabsTravel master database, matched against official gazetteer and geographic records before publication
- Time needed: a couple of hours
- Best season: May to September
Quick Facts
| Place type | Lake |
| Also good for | Waterfront |
| Region / state | Arizona |
| Postal address | Greer, AZ 85927 |
| Nearest city | Eagar |
| Coordinates | 34.0325, -109.4365 |
| Nearest base town | Eagar (15 km) |
Why River Reservoir Is Worth Visiting
River Reservoir earns its place in this guide for a simple reason: it is a verified destination in Arizona,. Its position 15 km from Eagar also makes it an easy add-on rather than a detour that costs half a day. Visitors book it for waterfront as much as for destination. And unlike listicle recommendations, everything on this page - coordinates, category, sources - was checked against official records before publication.
About River Reservoir
In plain terms, River Reservoir is a lake in the Arizona area of Arizona that travellers book around destination trips. Beyond its main draw, the record tags it for waterfront too, so it rewards more than one kind of visit. Functionally it belongs to Eagar - the town most maps and locals will reference when describing how to reach it. Everything stated on this page comes from that verified record; where background history is quoted, the source is named at the end of the section.
The Story of River Reservoir: History & Background
Built in 1896 on the Little Colorado River, River Reservoir is the largest and deepest of a trio of lakes collectively known as the Greer Lakes. Drained since 2004 because of safety issues, the dam at River Reservoir was repaired in 2005. Like the other two Greer Lakes, it has new amenities. River Reservoir is located at 8,220 feet (2,510 m) on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests.
Lead passage from the Wikipedia article "River Reservoir", reused under CC BY-SA 4.0 with a coordinate-verified name match; the source article carries the full referenced history.
The Beauty of River Reservoir
What people mean when they call River Reservoir beautiful is usually the setting itself - the land, water and sky that put the place on maps. The light does most of the work: low-latitude light keeps greens deep and skies dramatic; the difference between hours, not seasons, drives the look. The seasons restyle everything around it - each season repaints it - plan the visit around the colour you want in your photos. And the beauty compounds with context: with 8 other verified places nearby, the Arizona area reads as one continuous landscape rather than a single viewpoint, which is worth more than any filter on the photos you take here.
Getting There
River Reservoir sits at 34.0325, 109.4365 in Arizona. Most visitors reach it by car, regional rail or local transit; pin the coordinates above rather than only the name - River Reservoir names repeat across regions, and rural entries often lack street addresses.
Base yourself in Eagar and make this a half-day trip; services, fuel and lodging are easiest there. The run from Eagar is about 15 km (9 mi) each way, so allow Eagar as your anchor for the day.
Best Time to Visit
the desert Southwest runs hot from June to September, so spring (March–May) and fall (September–November) are the most comfortable months for hiking and outdoor plans.
River Reservoir Season by Season
- Summer (Jun-Aug) - peak season: the warmest, longest days and everything open, which also makes it the priciest and busiest window
- Autumn (Sep-Nov) - shoulder season: crowds drain away, the light turns photographic, and lodging rates typically fall
- Winter (Dec-Feb) - off-season: cheapest beds and empty viewpoints, but check for closures, snow or rain before committing
- Spring (Mar-May) - rebuild season: wildflowers, newborn wildlife and reopened facilities - the best balance if the weather holds
Things to Do
Planning what to actually do at River Reservoir comes down to the setting it sits in:
- Arrive with the exact coordinates (34.0325, -109.4365) pinned in your maps app — rural place names repeat across states
- Give the site one unhurried hour before adding anything else to the day
- Pair it with the nearest named attraction on this page to make a full loop
- Chain the stop with what is nearby — see the list below before fixing your day route
None of this needs a rigid schedule - the honest pattern at River Reservoir is one anchor at the nearest anchor town, one longer stop, and the rest of the time left for whatever looks better from the car window. That flexibility is what separates a good half-day from a rushed one.
A Perfect Day in River Reservoir
Morning (start early). Have breakfast at Eagar and roll out before mid-morning - the light is softer, parking is open, and River Reservoir is at its quietest before the day-trippers arrive. Give the main stop its full due first rather than saving it for later.
Midday. From River Reservoir, Greer Lakes is only 1 km away - pair the two rather than driving home for lunch; a picnic beats a reservation near most of these spots.
Afternoon. Keep going to Bunch Reservoir (1 km) if the group still has legs; it is the standard second half of this loop.
Golden hour. End at the main viewpoint, waterfront or main street as the light drops; this is the hour River Reservoir is genuinely famous for locally, and it costs nothing.
Evening. Sleep at Eagar unless the road out is long - leaving at dusk is the one mistake that can flatten an otherwise perfect day.
Know Before You Go to River Reservoir
- Save the pin (34.0325, -109.4365) offline - reception in Arizona is exactly as good as it needs to be and no better
- Check the official source listed at the bottom of this page for current hours, fees and closures before driving out
- Visit on weekdays: at most verified spots weekends triple the local traffic
- Bring the basics - water, layers, power bank - because facilities at this kind of place are self-service
Nearby Places Worth Combining
River Reservoir does not sit in isolation - these verified places are all within a short hop and combine into a full loop:
- Greer Lakes — place, about 1 km (0 mi) away
- Bunch Reservoir — place, about 1 km (1 mi) away
- East Fork Little Colorado River — place, about 4 km (2 mi) away
- Pole Knoll — place, about 7 km (4 mi) away
- Boardshack Knoll — place, about 7 km (4 mi) away
- Mexican Hay Lake — place, about 7 km (5 mi) away
- Ellis Wiltbank Reservoir — place, about 7 km (5 mi) away
- Pool Knoll — place, about 8 km (5 mi) away
Planning More of Your Trip
See all destinations in Arizona on the Arizona state hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is River Reservoir worth visiting?+
Yes, if you are in the area for more than a single day. River Reservoir is a verified lake in Arizona that most drive-by lists miss, and the official-record provenance behind this page means the location, name and access facts are checked rather than guessed. Give it a couple of hours.
Where exactly is River Reservoir?+
River Reservoir sits at Greer, AZ 85927, coordinates 34.0325, -109.4365. The postal locality is Greer - use the coordinates rather than the name alone, because place names repeat across regions and a map pin beats a keyword search.
How far is River Reservoir from the nearest city?+
River Reservoir is about 15 km (9 mi) from Eagar, which is an easy out-and-back day trip - most visitors base themselves in Eagar and make the run in well under an hour each way.
What is the best time to visit River Reservoir?+
May to September. Book the shoulder months either side of that window for the same scenery at lower prices, and check seasonal closures before fixing dates.
How long do you need at River Reservoir?+
Plan on a couple of hours for a first visit - the highlights at a normal pace without rushing. Add another half day if you want to combine it with the nearby places listed above.
Is River Reservoir good for families with kids?+
It works with kids who have patience for the setting; judge it by your shortest-attention traveller and keep the visit to the first highlight.
Does River Reservoir cost anything to visit?+
Most public places like this have no entry fee, but parking, guided programs and seasonal shuttles are the usual small costs. Confirm current fees with the official source cited on this page - they change more often than guidebooks do.
What is near River Reservoir?+
The closest verified neighbour is Greer Lakes; the nearby list above has the full set with distances, and combining two or three of them is the standard way to fill a day around River Reservoir.
Is River Reservoir open to visitors, and do you need a permit?+
Public places listed here are visitable by default; the permit exceptions are usually specific activities (backcountry camping, drones, commercial photography) rather than the visit itself. Check the cited official source for anything activity-based.
Should you visit River Reservoir in bad weather?+
Rain reshapes rather than ruins the day - viewpoints become cloud-scapes and trails get muddy. Keep River Reservoir as a fair-weather item on your trip and swap in the covered alternatives from the regional list when the forecast turns.
What makes River Reservoir different from other places like it?+
Its exact combination: a lake in Arizona with verified coordinates and, where listed, an official designation. The difference is usually the setting and the access pattern rather than the category label - the facts table on this page shows that specifically.
Can you visit River Reservoir as a day trip?+
Yes - at a couple of hours on site, a day loop is realistic: morning at River Reservoir, one nearby stop, and home by evening. The Perfect Day section above has the hour-by-hour version.
What is River Reservoir known for?+
In the wider record, lake-class place: Built in 1896 on the Little Colorado River, River Reservoir is the largest and deepest of a trio of lakes collectively known as the Greer Lakes. This guide adds the practical layer - verified coordinates, access, seasonality and what to combine it with.
What is the most beautiful thing about River Reservoir?+
The honest short answer is in The Beauty of River Reservoir section above, but distilled: what people mean when they call river reservoir beautiful is usually the setting itself - the land, water and sky that put the place on maps. Come for the light and the setting rather than a single checklist object.
Is River Reservoir crowded?+
River Reservoir sits below the headline-name tier in its region, so crowding is an event-and-weekend problem rather than a standing one. Weekday mornings in the shoulder season are the quietest version of the visit.
What is the history of River Reservoir?+
The sourced background above places documented events for River Reservoir around 1896 at the earliest point its article dates; for the full timeline with references, the linked Wikipedia article is the primary trail and this guide keeps the practical travel layer on top of it. ## Source Verification This guide's facts come from official public datasets: [Geonames record 5311456](https://www.geonames.org/5311456); [Geonames record 5311457](https://www.geonames.org/5311457). Location data is reviewed in per-state batches before publication.
Nearby destinations
Greer Lakes
Lake · Arizona
Bunch Reservoir
Lake · Arizona
East Fork Little Colorado River
River · Arizona
Pole Knoll
Mountain · Arizona
Boardshack Knoll
Mountain · Arizona
Mexican Hay Lake
Lake · Arizona
Ellis Wiltbank Reservoir
Lake · Arizona
Pool Knoll
Mountain · Arizona