We found Desert Arroyo Park in Mesa on accident while talking about hiking, nature, and the desert. Talk about perfect timing!
The first stop was the paved Discovery Trail. The trail offers education in the form of signs, animal prints, chimes, telescopes, dino sand dig, and more. The second stop was the Explorer Loop. A practice hiking trail to prepare the kids for hiking. There is also a Desert Botanical Walk that we completely missed.
We ended up playing on the playground for a while after our exploring. I love the design of the playground to look like rocks and wood to fit right in with its surroundings. There are spinning rides, slides, balance beams, and a hidden cave. Try to spot all the animals on the outside of the cave. This sparked some imaginative play.
Desert Arroyo Park in Mesa is a beautiful 58-acre parcel of the native desert that takes full advantage of the site’s natural desert landscape with a passive park focusing on experiencing the native desert. The existing desert landscape has been enhanced to develop an interpretive educational experience. There is a looped trail system and an outdoor desert classroom for environmental education.
There are three walking path options:
- ¼-mile Desert Botanical Walk with plant identification signs
- ¾-mile Explorers Path loop for hiking and biking
- ½-mile paved Discovery Loop connecting the five educational/picnic nodes
- Educational materials are available to download and bring with you when checking out the park. Click here.
Desert Arroyo Park
9320 E McKellips Rd
Mesa, AZ 85207
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