In the southwest Valley, 16 miles south and a bit west of Glendale, lies Estrella Mountain Park, near where the Agua Fria River flows into the Gila River. The park has seven developed RV sites, each with a parking area large enough for a 45-foot RV. Each site also has water and electrical hookups, as well as a picnic table and barbeque fire ring. Group tent camping is also available for scouting and youth groups at the east end of the picnic loop. Flush toilets are available, but no showers. The park offers more than 30 miles of trails ranging from a couple miles in length to over eight miles in length. Because of the rivers, there is riparian as well as desert scenery to explore.
Estrella Mountain Regional Park
14805 West Vineyard Ave.
Goodyear, AZ 85338
(623) 932-3811
White Tank Mountain Regional Park is the largest in the Maricopa County park system, at almost 30,000 acres. Located only 20 minutes west of Glendale, the park has 40 semi-developed campsites available. The sites have no water or electrical hookups, but each has a picnic table, fire ring and barbecue, and the restrooms have both flush toilets and showers. Campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Group campground areas are available for reservation. The park offers 25 miles of shared-use trails, from easy to strenuous. Some trails circle remains of villages left by the Hohokam Indians and others allow close-up views of petroglyphs that may be as old as 10,000 years.
White Tank Mountain Regional Park
13025 N. White Tank Mountain Road
Waddell, AZ 85355
(623) 935-2505
Fed by the Agua Fria River, Lake Pleasant was created in the 1920s with the construction of Waddell Dam. In 1992, a larger dam was built which tripled the size of the lake. Lake Pleasant Regional Park now boasts 50 miles of shoreline around the 10,000-acre lake. The park offers 148 tent and RV campsites, both semi-developed and developed. The semi-developed sites offer a picnic table under a covered area, a barbecue grill and a fire ring. The developed sites add electricity, water and a dump station. Depending on the lake's water level, the park also offers "shoreline/primitive" camping for most of the year. The park has four miles of pedestrian-only hiking trails and two boat-launching ramps, and the lake is stocked with 12 species of fish.
Lake Pleasant Regional Park
41835 N. Castle Hot Springs Road
Morristown, AZ 85342
(928) 501-1710
