Photo Courtesy of the Arizona Republic

The city of Chandler is a growing community, home to a large population, a bustling downtown and the state’s biggest technology businesses.

Peeking through the busy-ness of the city is an 113-acre oasis that boasts lush wetland and desert wildlife. The Veterans Oasis Park is known as the city’s “non-traditional” facility, which features habitat suitable for diverse plants and wildlife and offers plentiful recreation opportunities at the site. The park includes park land, lake, wetlands and recharge basins, which infiltrate high-quality reclaimed water to the subsurface as part of the city’s comprehensive reclaimed water management plan.

Visitors to the park can experience recreational opportunities galore. There are more than four miles of trails and wildlife viewing areas. Families can also enjoy a daytime picnic in the ramadas and picnic areas and introduce children to wildlife in the butterfly and hummingbird habitat. Children can also roam around and enjoy the outdoor ampitheatre and a unique learning-oriented playground. There is also a 5-acre community fishing lake, equestrian trails and a Solar System Walk.

Take a day trek away from the hustle and bustle of the burgeoning east valley communities and enjoy all the amenities this park has to offer.

http://www.chandleraz.gov/default.aspx?pageid=682

Photo Courtesy of Verrado Golf Club

It’s no secret that Arizona is home to some of the most beautiful golf courses in the world. In the West Valley town of Buckeye lies the Verrado Golf Club, 18 holes surrounded in the foothills of the picturesque White Tank Mountains.

Golfers spending time on the championship golf course will view large mountains, desert washes, box canyons and the Phoenix skyline off in the distance. The course is perfect for both amateurs and aficionados, playing to nearly 7,300 yards and offering generous landing areas.

While the summer sun can sometimes put a damper on outdoor activities, golfing in the summer is one advantage to living in AZ. Verrado has summer specials with prices that are just as sizzling as that sunshine.

http://www.verradogolfclub.com/

Photo Courtesy of the City of Avondale

Right in the heart of Avondale lays a piece of Arizona’s geographic history. The initial survey point for the state of Arizona lies where the base line and principal meridian meet – right on a hill just east of Phoenix International Raceway.

The hill was constructed in 1851 by the US Boundary commission to draft a survey for the United States-Mexico Boundary under the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo. In 2002, it received status to be on the National Register of Historic Places.

Just below Monument Hill sits the Base & Meridian Wildlife Area. This area is approximately 198 areas and sits on the north bank of the Gila River. Visitors who come to this outdoor oasis gives a glimpse of Arizona wildlife, as the area is teeming with birds, mammals and fish, as well as a variety of vegetation like cottonwood, willow and mesquite trees.

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Photo Courtesy of ProTrails.com

The Peralta Trail is located on the southwest edge of the Superstition wilderness, stretching through two diversely vegetated canyons highlighted by Weavers Needle – a 4,553-foot spire that towers over the landscape.

This hike is rather strenuous with varied terrain, and can easily do a loop of 6.2 mile’s worth of hiking. But the terrific views and useful insight to the canyons’ complex volcanic origin, which begins at the mouth of Peralta Canyon and climbs earnestly on a rugged, heavily vegetated path, make the hike an all-around pleasant experience. Oak and mesquite envelop portions of the trail along the canyon’s seasonally flowing creek, and once you’ve reached the Black Top Mesa, the view is breathtaking.

Plan a late-afternoon hike to watch the sunset, or early morning while it is still cool and sun begins to creep its way over the top of the majestic peaks. What you decide, you will not be disappointed in this serene desert hike.