[1][2] Upper Lake Mary contains nine fish species for angling, including black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, channel catfish, northern pike and walleye.

Also golden shiners and fathead minnows are bait fish that are found in Upper Lake Mary.

The lake is named after Mary Riordan, a daughter of the wealthy lumber barons who built the dam in 1904 for a water supply for Flagstaff.

[4] Due to its tendency to dry up, the Lower Lake Mary does not have the water sports appeal of its upstream sibling.

The waters themselves attract various bird species including the great blue heron and the bald eagle.