Maricopa County Parks

Estrella Mountain Regional Park 

Estrella Mountain Regional Park, comprising approximately 19,840 acres, is the second largest park in the Maricopa County park system.  Over 16 square miles of the park are located within the City of Goodyear near the confluence of the Gila, Salt and Agua Fria Rivers.

An incredible asset to the Southwest Valley, most of Estrella Mountain Regional Park remains in its natural state and offers 33 miles of trails for mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding.

A major competitive mountain biking track offers two loops and eight miles of riding for any skill level and five miles recommended for experts only. The City of Goodyear plans to link its trail system to Estrella Mountain Regional Park's system in the future.

A 65-acre portion of the park within Goodyear has been developed for active recreation and is called the Casey Abbot Recreation Area. The 18-hole Estrella Mountain Regional Park Golf Course is located within this recreation area along with playground equipment, volleyball areas, and picnic areas with ramadas that can be rented. 

Estrella Mountain Regional Park is owned, operated and maintained by Maricopa County. 

For more in-depth information, see Estrella Mountain Regional Park.

Maricopa Trail

The Maricopa Trail, shown on the map in red, accomplishes Goal One of the Maricopa County Regional Trail System Plan. This trail will connect the regional parks in the Maricopa County Park System.

The name, Maricopa Trail, was selected after much public input. The trail establishes a continuous nonmotorized loop around the Valley connecting White Tank Mountain Regional Park, Lake Pleasant Regional Park, Cave Creek Regional Park, Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area, McDowell Mountain Regional Park, Usery Mountain Regional Park, San Tan Mountain Regional Park, South Mountain Park, Estrella Mountain Regional Park, and Buckeye Hills Regional Park.

The Maricopa Trail passes through the jurisdictions of Maricopa County, Pinal County, the cities of Surprise, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler, Tempe, Avondale, and Goodyear, the towns of Cave Creek, Queen Creek, Gilbert, Guadalupe, and Buckeye, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, the Gila River Indian Community, the State of Arizona, the Tonto National Forest, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Bureau of Reclamation.

The ownership and responsibility of the trail is as complicated and diverse as the jurisdictions it passes through. Major portions of the trail will be placed on property owned by the Flood Control District of Maricopa County. Since this agency cannot legally construct recreation facilities, it must partner with another County department, a city, a town, or another agency to facilitate the placement of the trail. Local communities have entered into agreements with Salt River Project, Arizona Public Service, and water districts to build and operate trails along the canals and in utility corridors. Some trail segments are being built by private organizations and will be maintained by an agency or association. Maricopa County will help facilitate the multitude of inter-agency agreements that need to be crafted prior to the Maricopa Trail becoming a reality.