Outdoor enthusiasts frequent Bartlett Lake for a variety of recreational opportunities, including shoreline camping in Arizona’s natural desert terrain. While in this part of the Tonto National Forest, visitors may see mule deer, bald eagles, javelina, coyotes, and many indigenous desert plants, including the majestic saguaro, mesquite trees and blooming ocotillo. Bartlett Lake is located only 48 miles from downtown Phoenix and 17 miles northeast of Carefree. The newly engineered, fully paved, scenic Bartlett Lake Road combined with the expanding Phoenix.