A call to the Tonto BLM office indicated that it is possible to exit the streambed at Horseshow with the lake empty. The fear being that it would be too boggy/muddy to get to the ramp. The weekend prior to the launch Lucy and I drove out to the dam to confirm this and to pinpoint the exit spot. The eleven miles of dirt roat are washboarded enough that the drive is not pleasant. Paddling through an empty lake bed channel was eerie but easy outside of the occasional strainer/shallow spot. This lake is often emptied into Bartlet lake to cut evaporative losses.