Phoenix Arizona Waterfront Homes

Bartlett Lake Offers Scottsdale Residents Nearby Watersports Recreation

If you live in the east valley and enjoy boating or water skiing, you are familiar with Saguaro or Canyon Lake.  If you live in Peoria or Surprise, Lake Pleasant is exceptionally close.  But for those that live in the northeast part of the valley, Bartlett Lake is the safe haven for water sport activists that live in Scottsdale, Carefree and  Cave Creek.  Bartlett Lake is 15 miles from north Scottsdale custom home communities such as Desert Mountain, Treviso, Mirabel, and Boulder Heights.

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Lake Pleasant – The Largest Phoenix Area Lake

Water sport enthusiasts,campers and fisherman that live above the 101 freeway in Peoria, Glendale, Ph0enix, Cave Creek, and Anthem will count themselves lucky with their 15 mile or less commute to Lake Pleasant.  They are conveniently located near the largest lake in the Greater Phoenix area that offers 10,000 acres of water and 50 miles of shoreline.  Lake Pleasant Regional Park offers two paved boat launching ramps; a 10 lane ramp and a 4 lane ramp with plenty of adjacent parking making easy access for boaters, water skiers, fisherman, jet skiers and wake boarders.

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See What Canyon Lake Has To Offer

Let’s face it, to live on a lake in Phoenix or any surrounding city may not be a possibility, especially when you are are looking for a place  to  water ski, wake board or use a hydrofoil.  To water ski, you are limited to 6 subdivisions in the valley. When a client from Utah with a passion for an “airchair” or hydrofoil was looking for a home, we had to look  close to a lake or reservoir since hydrofoils require a depth well beyond the typical  6 – 8 foot depth of a residential man made ski lake.  Or the goal may be to find a home close to a lake if you love fishing. The good news is that there are many Phoenix area homes near lakes or reservoirs.  The cities or towns of Mesa, Scottsdale, Glendale, Peoria, Surprise, Phoenix, Cave Creek, Carefree, Apache Junction, Fountain Hills and Gold Canyon enjoy good access to lakes such as Canyon Lake, Saguaro Lake, Lake Pleasant and Bartlett Lake.

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A Constantly Changing Educational Forum

Phoenix area residents are fortunate to have a facility such as  the Arizona Science Center. The icing on the cake is the proximity to the light rail transit station.   Myself, my wife and my son and his friend parked at the Sycamore & Main park and ride in Mesa and boarded the light rail and rode into Phoenix and got off 1 block from the center.  An all day light rail adult ticket was $3.50, and for children $1.75. My only regret was that we arrived so late in the afternoon that we could not take advantage of all the attractions. Fry’s was sponsoring the entire weekend so admission was free.  Thank you, Fry’s.

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Is it Cactuses or Cacti?

Whatever the answer, you’ll find a lot of them at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Papago Park. The 140 acre  botanical park was established at this site in 1939 by the Arizonza Cactus and Native Flora Society.  The garden has more than 21,000 plants many of which are rare, endangered or threatened.   Cactus describes a single plant and the plural is “cacti”.

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Veterans Oasis Park in Chandler includes Urban Fishing Lake

If you are looking for a place for a family picnic or to just hang out, the Veterans Oasis Park that sits on 113 acres may be your answer. There are over 4 miles of biking and hiking trails,  ramadas and picnic areas, and equestrian trails.   Among the many activities,  the 5 acre urban fishing lake is stocked with trout, bluegill, catfish, large mouth bass and other types of fish,  is next to the Environmental Education Center.  Arizona’s Urban Fishing Program is nationally recognized as one of the best in the nation.  Another feature of the park is the 78 acres of wetlands, riparian, and ground water recharge basins. You’ll also feel safe because a Chandler Police Substation also shares the a portion of the 113 acre park.

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The next time you turn on the faucet or take a shower, take time to realize that you live in a desert where the average rainfall in the Phoenix valley is less than 9 inches/year but  the average person uses 150 gallons of water PER day.  So how do we satisfy our “thirst” for water that exceeds our natural supply  in the valley? Read the rest of this entry

Big League Dreams past one year mark

The Big League Dreams Park in Gilbert  has received plenty of exposure since opening in January of 2008.  Critics cite the $40 million cost, originally estimated at $26 million, and deteriorating field conditions since opening day. Town officials defend the public/private partnership as a way to attract outside revenue and an alternative to traditional subsidized recreational activities.   Add in the sometimes bumpy relationship with Big League Dreams that operates the park and there is no doubt the first year of operation has been more eventful than anyone expected. Read the rest of this entry

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch serves many purposes

Synergy is an unlikely word to describe this 110 acre mulit-purpose facility, but it is very fitting.  The Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch is a neighbor to the Southeast Valley Library, providing one of the most scenic libarary views in the city.  The preserve is also home to the Gilbert Rotary Centennial Observatory, which is open every Friday and Saturday evening at nightfall.  The preserve is a bird lovers’ oasis where over 200 different species have been observed.  The lake is  stocked with catfish, trout, bass, and sunfish by the Arizona Game and Fish department.  Less obvious is  the water recycling which replenishes  the underground water supply. All of this comes together to contribute to family fun and entertainment  in an environmentally minded way. And there is no charge to enjoy this unique Gilbert attraction.

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Award winning dog park in Gilbert

I’ve driven by it many times and knew it was a dog park, but I never realized how impressive it was until I visited Cosmo dog park with our two dogs, my 11 year old son and his friend.  What I thought would be a 20 minute stay quickly turned into an enjoyable hour watching our two small dogs run un-leashed in the fenced enclosures and remind us how afraid of the water they are.  The dog in the picture is not either one of  them.  Here’s a quick video of a water loving dog

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