Where Do You Fill Up?

Where do you get gas near Canyon Lake and Saguaro Lake?

There are two different places to fill up, and which one you need depends on whether your ski is in the water or on the trailer. On the water, Saguaro Lake Marina runs a full-service fuel dock you can pull up to; Canyon Lake Marina has historically had a fuel dock, but they do not publish fuel hours, so call ahead at (480) 288-9233 before you count on it. On the trailer, you fill up at an ordinary gas station like any other vehicle — and the last reliable stations are back in Apache Junction and at the Mesa end of Bush Highway, not near the water.

That second half is the part that catches people. There is no fuel on State Route 88 between Apache Junction and Canyon Lake, and there is no fuel inside Tonto National Forest along Bush Highway on the way to Saguaro. Once you turn off toward either lake, what is in your tanks is what you have.

The two kinds of refueling, and when you need each

Most renters only ever need the second one. It is worth knowing both.

1. The marina fuel dock — mid-day, without loading up

If you are out for a full day and the gauge is getting low, a fuel dock lets you top off without pulling the ski back onto the trailer. You idle up to the dock, they pump it, you pay marina prices and go back out. Saguaro Lake Marina lists a full-service fuel dock and can be reached at (480) 986-5546. At Canyon Lake, call the marina at (480) 288-9233 first — do not plan a day around a pump you have not confirmed is running.

Marina fuel is convenience fuel. Expect to pay a premium over a highway station. For a two-hour rental you will almost never need it.

2. The gas station — on the trailer, on the way home

This is the one that matters for your bill. Because our rentals are pickup-only and you tow them yourself, the ski or boat is already sitting on a trailer behind your vehicle when you leave the lake. That means you can pull into any normal station and fill it at the pump the same way you fill your truck — and doing it on the drive back is how you hand the rental over with the needle where it started.

Fuel is never included — here is exactly how it works

We say this plainly because burying it is how people end up annoyed at the counter. Fuel is not included on any Wave & Ridge rental, on any piece of the fleet. Every rental goes out with a full tank. You bring it back full. If it comes back short, you pay the cost of the fuel plus a $20 refueling fee.

That fee is not a penalty we are hoping to collect. It is what it costs us to stop, go fill it, and get the ski back in the rotation for the next booking. Fill it yourself on the way home and it never comes up.

How much fuel will you actually go through?

A Sea-Doo Spark 3UP holds 7.9 gallons. How fast that disappears is almost entirely down to your right hand. Wide-open throttle burns several times what easy cruising does, so two people trading laps at full pull will empty a tank far quicker than a family idling into coves and swimming.

As a planning rule: a two-hour rental very rarely needs a mid-day stop. A four-hour rental sometimes does. A full eight-hour day usually does, and that is when knowing whether the fuel dock is open earns its keep.

Base rates. Holiday weekends carry a 20% surcharge. Monday through Thursday, the code MIDWEEK takes 10% off. Full pricing lives on the jet ski rentals page.

Planning the fuel stops into your day

Four stops, in order, and you never think about gas again.

1. Top off your tow vehicle in Apache Junction before you head out. From our lot it is about 26 minutes to Canyon Lake Marina (14.7 miles) and about 30 minutes to Saguaro Lake Marina (20.6 miles) — but towing up SR-88 or out Bush Highway burns more than the mileage suggests, and there is nothing to fill up at once you are past town.
2. Leave the shop with a full rental tank. That is how every rental goes out. Note the gauge at pickup so you know what full looks like on the return.
3. If it is a full-day booking, know your mid-day option. Call Saguaro Lake Marina at (480) 986-5546 or Canyon Lake Marina at (480) 288-9233 the morning of, and confirm the fuel dock is running and what time it closes.
4. Fill the rental on the drive back, in Apache Junction. Last stop before the shop. Full tank in, deposit released the same day, no refueling fee.

The booking details worth reading before you call

You must be 21 or older to rent a jet ski and sign the agreement, and 16 or older to operate one. A refundable $500 deposit per ski is taken at pickup and returned the same day, once the ski is back in the condition it went out in — including the tank.

We are open Monday through Saturday, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and closed Sunday. Arrive one hour before your start time at 724 E Scenic St in Apache Junction for hookup, life jacket fitting and the walk-through — that hour is not taken out of your time on the water. On the return there is a one-hour grace period, after which the late fee in your signed agreement applies.

Cancellation terms are in your booking agreement. If a storm is forecast for your day, contact us before you launch and we reschedule at no charge — we call that Weather Protection, and it is a reschedule rather than a refund.

If your vehicle has a receiver but no ball mount, we rent you a hitch for $20. If you would rather not tow with your own vehicle at all, we comp $20 of a U-Haul rental on four-hour and eight-hour bookings — mileage is not covered. The full how-it-works is in our guide to self-tow jet ski rentals near Phoenix.

Frequently Asked Questions