Greater Prescott Parks & Recreation

from Prescott LIVING Annual Showcase 2022-2023

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Greater Prescott

Parks & Recreation

Outdoor activities are enjoyable to everyone. Whether a picnic in the park, trail bike ride around town, or even a hike up a mountain, there are so many activity options. The City of Prescott and Town of Prescott Valley not only boast many options for parks, lakes and trails but also have the distinct advantage of gorgeous weather nearly year-round! Take a hike, ride a horse or bike along one of the many trails available. If fishing or boating is more your thing, visit one of the lakes in the area. Watch a baseball game or play volleyball or simply have a picnic at one of the great parks in the area.

No matter what you choose, the City of Prescott and Town of Prescott Valley have exactly the right outdoor option for you.

Prescott Parks

Prescott Parks are for everyone! Some facilities are by reservation only. Visit www.prescott-az.gov/recreation-events/recreation-areas/about-recreation-areas

for a complete listing of information including lakes, mini parks, open space, trails and more.

• A.C. Williams Granite Creek Park • Acker Park • Mike Fann Community Skate Park • Flinn Park • Goldwater Lake Park* • Heritage Park • Jim McCasland Willow Creek Park • Kuebler Sports Complex • Pioneer Park • Prescott Peavine National Recreation Trail* • Roughrider Park and Bill Valley Field

• Vista Park • Watson Lake Park* • Willow Creek Park (Dog Park) • Willow Lake Park* *Parking fees are $3 per vehicle per day. Prepaid parking passes are available.

Prescott Chamber of Commerce 117 W. Goodwin St. Prescott, AZ 86303 928.445.2000 chamber@prescott.org Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Fain Park Photo by Martha CourtPrescott Valley Parks Prescott Valley parks do not have entrance or parking fees. Ramadas and ballfields must be reserved to assure availability. Visit www.pvaz.net/parks for complete information.

• American Legion Park • Antelope Park • Bob Edwards Park • Community Center Park • Fain Park • George Anderson Park • Granville Park • Mountain Valley Park • Pronghorn Park • Quailwood Park • Santa Fe Station Park • Sunflower Park

• Tonto Park – North • Tonto Park – South • Urban Forest • Viewpoint Park Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce 7120 Pav Way No. 102, Prescott Valley, AZ 928.772.8857 Visit the Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce for local business information and events. The Chamber is conveniently located off of Highway 69 and open every weekday. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Greater Prescott Lakes

Nestled in the Bradshaw Mountains about 5 miles east of Prescott is beautiful Lynx Lake. The 55-acre body of water rests inside the Prescott National Forest and has much to offer any visitor. Take in the view with a tasty meal at a café or rent a boat. Hike around the lake on the lakeside trail, or try your hand at fishing. Lynx Lake also offers several camping options just a short distance from the shores of the lake. Fun for all ages just waits for you. www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/ prescott/recarea/?recid=75178 Willow Creek Park is a fantastic facility with space for all kinds of activities. The park offers a ramada, where groups can have a picnic lunch, a parking area with access to the Willow Lake Trail, and a sports field anyone can rent. For our furry little friends, Willow Creek Park also has a dog park with separated sections for small and large dogs. Looking for a great place where your pup can get some exercise? Take them to the dog park. Your buddy will love it. www.prescott-az.gov/recreation-area/ jimmccasland-willow-creek-park About 6 miles from downtown Prescott, Willow Lake offers an ideal spot for many types of outdoor activities. Spend the morning hiking or fishing, or perhaps you prefer taking a canoe or kayak out on the water. Maybe you would like to explore the Granite Dells or simply have a picnic along the shore. Whatever activity strikes your fancy, Willow Lake is the perfect place just for you. www.prescott-az.gov/recreationarea/willow-lakepark

Lynx Lake Photo by Jason Hoover

Do you have a special event or a sporting event that requires the right facility to meet all your needs? Pioneer Park is just the place for you. With multiuse 4-Plex available for baseball, softball, soccer and football, plus a roller-hockey rink and pickleball courts, Pioneer Park has the right type of field for you. www.prescott-az.gov/recreationarea/pioneer-park

Watson Lake Park

Resting on the edges of the famous Dells, Watson Lake and Park are perfect for just about any type of event. For large event seekers, the park has been home for the Prescott Fourth of July celebration, the annual Highland Festival and has hosted several auto shows. Smaller event seekers have also used the location for drum circles, meditation and parties. Looking for time on the lake, check out the rental options offered at the lake marina; perhaps try your hand at paddle boarding. There’s lots to do at Watson Lake and Watson Lake Park. www.prescott-az.gov/recreationarea/watsonlake-park Located in the Town of Prescott Valley, Fain Park and Fain Lake offer a perfect mini getaway from day-to-day life. Take a little time to try your hand at fishing or simply enjoy a picnic lunch along the shores of Fain Lake. Several ramadas dot the landscape of Fain Park offering the perfect spot to relax, spend some time outdoors and enjoy the views of Fain Lake. www.pvaz.net/634/Fain-Lake

Goldwater Lake

Head down Senator Highway about 4 miles to see the beauty of Goldwater Lake. Take the family and enjoy the sand volleyball court, the hiking trails and playground. Goldwater Lake is the perfect place to take a canoe or kayak out onto the water, and boat rental options are available. Three large ramadas are part of the offerings of Goldwater Lake, as well as many other fun activities for all ages. Spend the afternoon fishing or host a special event. Goldwater Lake is a special place to visit and spend a fun day. www.prescott-az.gov/recreationarea/goldwater-lake

Putting Open Space at the Heart of the City

by Kelly Tolbert, Recreation Services Coordinator, Prescott Parks and Recreation

The City of Prescott Mayor and City Council adopted the following Open Space Policy in 2005: “Prescott’s Open Space Program seeks to promote quality of life for the citizens of Prescott by preserving and protecting the natural environment that has given this City much of its character. Its natural areas include magnificent vistas and panoramas, beautiful terrain, and native flora and fauna. Hills, sloping sites, and dominant rock outcroppings afford spectacular views of this natural environment. Seasonal streams and man-made lakes with their plant and animal life compliment these scenic vistas. Prescott’s unique natural areas must be preserved and protected for the enjoyment of current and future generations through the judicious use of Open Space Funds.

“As Prescott continues to grow, open spaces will be woven into the fabric of the City. They will create harmony

between physical development and the natural environment for the benefit of all Prescott citizens. Responsible custodianship of open space throughout Prescott will improve our City’s quality of life. It will foster appreciation of the natural environment by providing increased opportunities for both passive and active recreation. Preservation of open space reinforces pride in our past and contributes to a vision for our future.”

There is a comprehensive timeline as well as more to the policy adopted by the City regarding how open space funds can be used, policies on land preservation, and criteria guiding the acquisition of open space such as: aesthetics, protection and preservation, potential of use, location, need for immediate action and acquisition considerations.

Prior to adopting the official Open Space Policy — the product of an indepth effort among City leaders, staff, open space advocates, The Trust for Public Land and voting residents of Prescott — lack of sufficient funding was recognized. Resident voters were educated and eventually asked to extend an existing 1% sales tax (originally set to expire in 2005 and only used toward street improvements). This extension would prolong the tax through 2015, setting a cap at $40.7 million dedicated to open space acquisitions of state and private lands.

As outlined in the City’s policy, regular maintenance and operation of Open Space properties shall be the responsibility of the Recreation Services Department. Funding for this maintenance comes from the department’s general operating budget. Some familiar Open Space (formerly referred to as Natural Parklands) properties maintained by the department include The Community Nature Center, Granite Gardens, Greenways Trail, Prescott Peavine National Recreation Trail, the Storm Ranch properties, Stricklin Park, Watson Woods Riparian Preserve, and White Spar Creekside Open Space Preserve, among many other conservation parcels. Prescott is known for many of these majestic natural, cultural, biological, historical and recreational significant destinations that have been made available for enjoyment through open space acquisition efforts. For more information on these and many other topics, visit www.prescott-az.gov.

Prescott Valley: Come Hike and/ or Bike with Us!

The Prescott Valley area is rapidly establishing itself as a hiking and biking destination. Miles of trails from mild to challenging connect the Town in all directions.

Some of the most popular include:

Glassford Hill Summit Trail: This trail gains in popularity every year, every season. Named after Col. William A. Glassford, Glassford Hill has a rich history as an extinct volcano, home of the early Mountain Patayan people, and the site of military communications via Col. Glassford’s heliograph from the 1880s to 1890.

Many people hiked Glassford Hill in its primitive form before the trail was constructed. In 2016, the Town of Prescott Valley broke ground for an improved trail, which opened to the public May 21, 2016.

The current trail features amazing views of Prescott Valley as soon as you leave the trailhead parking lot on Castle Drive. You can see the Civic Center from the water storage reservoir, after which you’ll truly start the climb up this 2-mile trail, rated “difficult,” but worth the effort!

All the way to the top, you’ll be tempted to stop, look and take photos as the vistas unfold before your eyes. Picnic tables are placed at several of the switchbacks.

Nature lovers will especially enjoy this scenic gem, home to mule deer, pronghorn antelope, the occasional mountain lion or bobcat, javelina and coyotes. Birders might spot Anna’s hummingbirds, canyon towhees, redtailed hawks, roadrunners, ravens, bushtits, loggerhead shrikes, thrashers, phoebes, bluebirds and bald eagles.

Wildflowers bloom in the spring and draw Swallowtail, Checkerspot, Juniper Hairstreak, Sphinx Moth and Red Spotted Admiral butterflies. Reptiles include horned lizards, tree lizards, stripped lizards and gopher snakes, along with a rattlesnake or two. Most rattlesnakes would rather not be bothered. If you see one on the trail, act calm, move slowly and stay away. Please stay on the trail as the occasional rattlers are primarily found off the trail.

In early 2022, the Town of Prescott Valley, Yavapai County and the City of Prescott entered into an intergovernmental agreement to purchase the remaining space on Glassford Hill with an eye to preserving its open space, connecting existing trails and developing new ones, and otherwise improving recreational opportunities for the region’s residents and visitors. Glassford Hill Summit Trail is a treasure for the community and for those who will visit and enjoy what it has to offer. Welcome!

Fain Park’s Cavalry, Canyon and Loop Trails: Fain Park first opened to the public on August 16, 1997, on a 100-acre parcel donated by the Fains, one of the area’s original frontier families.

The Town of Prescott Valley is developing this park in two phases. The western half is open to recreational activities such as picnicking, hiking, fishing and gold

panning. The lake is stocked with fish by the Arizona Game & Fish Department. An Arizona fishing license is required.

The eastern half of the park contains the historic site of the mining town of Massicks and the Barlow-Massicks Victorian house built by miner Thomas Barlow-Massicks in the 1800s. Future plans include a museum on this site.

All trails in Fain Park are easy-to-moderate in difficulty. The Lynx Creek Loop Trail is about 1 mile long; the Cavalry and Canyon Trails together are about 1.6 miles. Both are beautiful hikes.

Iron King: The Iron King Trail begins west of Glassford Hill Road, north of Spouse Drive. Individuals may travel westward along this path that cuts through Prescott Valley’s open grasslands toward the magnificent Point of Rocks near Watson Lake in Prescott.

The trail features three wash crossings that flatbed railcars used in the actual Prescott East Railroad operation.

Many animals live within the trail area including javelina, rattlesnakes and even an occasional mountain lion. It’s a great place to see wildlife, but please stay on the path and be aware of your surroundings.

Mountain Valley Park and Urban Lakes: Mountain Valley Park is one of Prescott Valley’s first parks, but it’s loaded with amenities, including a multiuse path that features exercise stations and extends to the Urban Lakes, two small lakes stocked with fish and loaded with wildlife such as turtles, birds, and ducks.

No matter the time of year, this is a great place for an easy and scenic walk.

Multi-Use Path Network: Prescott Valley’s paths offer accessible connectivity to education centers, shopping, churches, restaurants and entertainment areas from all directions.

They are also great choices for easy walks and bicycle trips.

Major paths include the State Route 69 MultiUse Path, which provides access to businesses adjacent to State Route 69 from Great Western Drive to Navajo Drive; the PV Pipeline Path, which connects schools, homes and businesses from Lakeshore Drive to Highway 89A (a proposed Phase 4 will connect this path to the Pronghorn and Viewpoint subdivisions); and the Central Core Multi-Use Path, which offers connectivity from Lake Valley Road to Navajo Drive (Phase 3 will include expansion to Serpentine). Smaller paths offer connectivity within the Pronghorn, Viewpoint, Granville, Stoneridge and Quailwood subdivisions, as well as connecting Lynx Lake Estates to the Central Core Multi-Use Path.

Whether you are ready for a leisurely walk or a great bike ride or need alternative transportation routes to work and Town amenities, Prescott Valley has “miles of MUPs” waiting for you!

Photo by Heidi Dahms Foster

Photo by Christine Smith

From a Thought to a Trail:

How It Becomes Reality

by Kelly Tolbert, Recreation Services Coordinator, Prescott Parks and Recreation

Ever wonder how a trail is designed and built? There is much planning and coordinating that goes into the process.

It starts with the land. Ownership is a huge player in the trail evolution process. In many cases locally, the land is owned by the state, Bureau of Land Management, County, City, or privately owned. It can be challenging to work around each agency’s requirements, especially depending on what type of land exchange is taking place. Some examples are easements, outright purchases, or long-term leases.

Many trails got their start as social paths, created from the desire to have a nice pathway connecting two distance points. The issues with social trails is many times they are not legal, are not built in a sustainable manner, do not hold up to tough weather conditions and often go unmaintained.

Ideally, trails are constructed to disperse users in the interest of safety. It is also important to consider unique features that users will seek while keeping environmental impacts to a minimum. With City of Prescott trails, guidelines from International Mountain Bicycling Alliance are followed. IMBA has been a steward for mountain bicycling in communities since the late 1980s. They focus on educating communities and trail users on principles of their stewardship and help guide agencies in building sustainable trails.

Depending on the terrain, the City of Prescott has special trail-building equipment to expedite construction of new trails. Once the proposed path is planned, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) is utilized to plot the trail. Traditional colorful flagging materials are generally installed to guide the equipment along the way. A trailspecific bulldozer, only about 4 feet wide, saves precious time by dozing the first pass, removing any brush from the area and making way for a small excavator to come through and clean anything left behind. These preparations allow for a hand crew to follow the preliminary work and groom the newly created path while ensuring sight lines are safe for horseback riders, mountain bicyclists and hikers.

If the terrain is not conducive to utilizing the trail-specific equipment, then an allmanual hand crew is appropriated and the construction timeline is greatly extended. Funding sources can also dictate how a trail is constructed, with grants and tax revenue often playing a large role. A good example of trails constructed with the equipment/hand crew combination is the recent additions to Pioneer Park Trails. Flat grasslands speckled with shrub oak and juniper made for a perfect project using the Sutter Dozer, which proves to be quite cost-effective and easily transported.

All City of Prescott trail maps can be viewed by going to www.prescotttrails.com, where you can also view a video on how the City’s trails and natural parklands planner determines trail design.

Prescott Valley Recreation

The Town of Prescott Valley features ever-increasing and varied recreational opportunities for all ages.

In the center of Town next to the Entertainment District, the Findlay Toyota Center, a 5,100-seat venue, hosts headlining concerts and events, PBR bull riding, winter ice skating, community banquets and events and more.

The arena is the current home of the Northern Arizona Wranglers indoor football franchise. The NAZ Wranglers earned a spot in the Indoor Football League playoffs this year and clinched sole possession of first place in the IFL’s Western Conference.

Next to the Toyota Center is Prescott Valley’s new performing arts and children’s theater, Main Street Theatre, which has been entertaining people in the area for nearly 20 years, but now has a permanent home.

Founder Clyde Neville worked tirelessly to help the theater thrive and gain its own home where children, teens and adults can show off their acting skills onstage in full productions, but also participate in classes, improv performances, after-school programs and more.

If sports are your choice, Prescott Valley offers more than 20 parks, 16 of which have facilities that can be rented by the public for private parties, receptions and other events. Facilities include baseball and soccer fields, the Mountain Valley Splash outdoor pool and splash pad, ramadas, picnic areas, playgrounds (including several adaptive play areas) and multiuse trails with exercise stations. The Prescott Valley Community Services Department offers a full slate of youth and adult sports leagues and classes, swim options during pool season, and many other ways to get out and move.

For those who enjoy horse racing, Arizona Downs in Prescott Valley off Highway 89A offers a full 2022 season of live racing every Saturday and Monday through Sept. 5 (Saturday, Monday and Tuesday in August), along with simulcasting and wagering on races across the country. Find information at www.arizonadowns.com.

One of the most successful new sports venues in Prescott Valley is the Wheelhouse Sports Complex, also just off Highway 89A. Prescott Valley purchased the Exhibition Center at the former Yavapai County Fairgrounds complex in 2021 and leased it to Sunwest HC, Inc. to create a youth sports complex.

The result is the Wheelhouse Sports Complex, which has since installed two portable skating rinks and two volleyball courts inside the building and is hosting youth hockey and volleyball leagues. It also plans a BMX track in an open area south of the building. An outdoor football field is also in the plans.

Wheelhouse plans three possible roller hockey tournaments in 2022, with a projected 500 players per tournament and projects jobs for 20 people.

Prescott Valley is central to not only the sports and recreation offerings of the Quad-Cities area, but residents can travel just a bit farther to enjoy the Grand Canyon, snow skiing in Flagstaff, the red rocks of Sedona, the wine country of the Verde Valley, and the bustling shopping and entertainment in the metro Phoenix area.

Photo by Findlay Toyota Center