Stewart Mountain Dam | Saguaro Lake | Salt River | Four Peaks | Arizona | kayaks | scenic | drone

This video was shot on Sunday, March 26th, 2023. The weather was perfect on this day with temperatures in the high 60s and low 70s, however the authorities had closed many of the recreational area parking lots along Bush Highway and the Salt River to prevent people from getting too close to the river due to the rising water levels.
Closures at the time of filming of this video included the Granite Reef Recreational Area, Phon D. Sutton Recreation Area, and Coon Bluff Recreation Area.
The parking and recreational area closures along Bush Highway did not stop the crowds from coming out though. We saw lots of people pulled over on the side of the road, taking pictures of the flowers blooming, as well as fishing, horseback riding, and kayaking at the recreational locations that remained open.
Water Users Recreation Site, Blue Point Recreation Area, Pebble Beach Recreation Area, and Sheep's Crossing Recreation Site remained open and accessible, and we staged from a couple of these different sites while filming this drone video.
Recent rains and a heavy snowmelt due to a more active than usual winter snow season have resulted in all of the reservoirs along both the Verde River and Salt River watersheds to become filled to capacity. This has forced Salt River Project, the entity responsible for operation of all of the dams and lakes along both of these watershed systems, to release water from numerous dams along both systems to ensure the integrity and safety of the dams, and the customers they serve.
This video starts out with a shot of the spectacular cliffs along the Salt River to the south, and downstream of Stewart Mountain Dam. Following next are shots of Stewart Mountain Dam and Saguaro Lake with Four Peaks off in the distant background. Next are some more shots of the spectacular cliffs along the Salt River, as well as the river itself and recreational activities that include fishing, horseback riding, and kayaking.
Drone: DJI Mini 3 Pro | DJI Mini 2
Drone Operations: FAA Part 107 certified Remote Pilot
Music licensed by Artlist.io
Edited with Adobe Premiere Pro
#dronevideo #arizona #landscape