Rose Canyon Lake is located 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Tucson, Arizona in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Mount Lemmon. Rose Canyon Lake is the only lake in the Santa Catalina District that is managed for recreational fishing. It is relatively small (7 acres) and is tucked away in a picturesque stand of mature ponderosa pines high on the slopes of the Santa Catalina Mountains. A paved road through Rose Canyon Campground leads to a small parking area a short walk from the water. Anglers fish in the lake throughout the summer, though rainbow trout are stocked only during the cooler months of the season. Fish large enough to catch and take home generally are released in the lake about once a month from early May through the end of June, when water temperatures become a little too warm for these cold water fish. In mid-September, stocking resumes after water temperatures moderate a bit and continues for another couple of months.