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Slide Rock State Park, AZ

Cool water fun? In the Arizona desert?

Lakes and reservoirs up north along the Colorado River provide great summer playgrounds like nationally famous Lake Havasu, also popular with the spring break crowd.

Year-round, kids and teenagers can also head straight for local Arizona swimming holes located in Sedona, Mesa, and other cool spots around the state.

In and around Phoenix, a number of incredibly scenic lakes and reservoirs (like Canyon Lake and the aptly named Lake Pleasant) create fine opportunities for swimming, boating, fishing and escaping the desert heat during the hottest months of the summer.

Of course, for the really adventurous, there's always river rafting and a dip into the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park. The water temps can be cool (from 40 - 60 degrees F) but when it's hitting over 90 in August that will feel just about right ...

Have fun!

What's the weather like today? Arizona beach webcams

Lake Havasu

Lake Powell

Postcards from the shores of Arizona - Wish you were here!

Cheerio! Old London Bridge spanning Lake Havisu.	Zooming on a jet ski on Lake Mead.
The named it right: Lake Pleasant, Arizona.	Lake Powell, on the rise again after drought laid it low.

DID YOU KNOW? Arizona beaches and lakes fun facts:

• Arizona boasts the two largest manmade lakes in the nation -- Lake Mead and Lake Powell.

• London Bridge, which spanned the River Thames in London for over a century, was moved to Lake Havasu City in 1971 and rebuilt stone-by-stone at a cost of $2,460,000.

• Today famous for summer water fun, Fool Hollow Lake and surroundings was so named for pioneer Thomas Jefferson Adair from Indiana, who moved to Arizona in the 19th century with the intention of working the land. The locals joked that "only a fool would try to make a living there", and the name stuck.

More about Arizona beaches and lakes around the Web:

Arizona's Best Beaches - Take the tour from AZ Central with photos and information on the state's top watering holes and how and where to cool off at state parks.

Arizona State Parks - Parks with Swimming - Find a complete list with descriptions, photos, campground reservations, directions, parking hours, facilities and fees. Just click on the "Swimming" tab, and dive in!