This was my second year at AZ Rise Up, and while I haven't been to Tempe Beach Park as an actual…read morepark in... honestly, I don't even know how long... as a festival venue? Solid. Like, genuinely well done. They space the vendor area far enough from the stages so you're not fighting for your life trying to shop while also dodging people who are deep in their "vibe." Huge win. The stages are set up in a way where, even when artists are playing at the same time, it doesn't feel like a chaotic sound clash, which I did not expect but fully appreciated. Also noticed they adjusted the layout a bit this year (especially around the Rise Up stage), and it worked. Way smoother flow overall. GA+ still not exactly bursting at the seams, but hey, more room for the rest of us. Sound? On point. Setup? Thought out. Experience (overall)? Actually great. Now... the people. Let's just say there comes a moment in life where you realize a fan base is no longer your fan base. And for me, that moment was somewhere between hour 8 and hour 9 of holding down my spot, when I got full-on trampled by someone who apparently believed personal space is a myth. Ma'am. I had been standing there for nearly 9 hours. NINE. This was not a casual pop-in situation. Up until that point, everything had been amazing. The music, the energy, the flow, chef's kiss. But that one interaction? Immediate vibe break. That said, I'm choosing growth here: I genuinely hope she finds whatever she's running toward... and maybe learns how not to run directly through people to get there. Overall though? As a venue for this fest, Tempe Beach Park absolutely delivers. I'll be back... just maybe with stronger crowd boundaries and a little more side-eye.

We've visited the Tempe Beach Park area a few times for events like breast cancer walks and…read morefestivals. It's a beautiful location with scenic views of the bridges and water, and there's even a nearby museum which adds to the experience. Parking can be a bit of a mixed situation. There is a parking garage available, but it does require payment. We also noticed an additional open lot next to the garage where you can park for free; however, it is gated and the surface is mostly dirt and rocks, so just something to keep in mind. One thing we didn't come across was a public restroom, so it's unclear where the nearest one is located. Overall, it's a great area to visit and enjoy events. My only suggestion would be to add more parking options or provide a designated free parking area for visitors, so not everyone has to pay for parking.

Riverview Park is located outside of 2 hotels and for guests staying there it's a great spot to…read moretake a walk. Just down the road from Sloan Park (Cub's stadium) and across the street from Mesa Riverview shopping area, it's very well situated. For locals and people living in the area, it's definitely frequented for fishing, using the playground, playing soccer or sports, and taking a nice walk. It's a clean and well maintained park. When the weather is nice, this is a great place to take a walk at sunset, around the small lake. I've seen some really nice skies and colors from the park. People are there year round fishing and there's a big playground area with a large climbing tower & splash pad towers at the north end of the park. Spread throughout that area are picnic ramadas w/ grills that are popular on the weekend. We walk our pups around when it's cooler outside. Summer months we don't usually walk over, even though we live close by, across the street. It's just too hot, even at night. Overall, it's a great park area and I look forward to when we come back regularly for our evening walks.

This park is so great for kids of all ages! Gated splash pad, lots of shaded ramadas and climbing…read morefor the older guys.

Grew up doing activities here. Cross country meets. Sailing lessons. Fishing. Good times.read more

It's a shame this park is no longer well kept. Sure, there's no trash on the ground but the water…read moreis so polluted, I half-expect a mutated loch monster to emerge from the murky, sewage-green depths. I passed two dead catfish, belly-up near the shore in two different places as I walked the length of the lake. Water pipes and covers are broken throughout the park, art pieces are corroding, and just about every surface of this park is covered in graffiti. A shame, because this park was once very nice. I do enjoy coming here during the spring and fall months because it's a solid distance to walk, the sidewalks are wide, and there are a lot of community picnic areas. This park is so big, it stretches across both sides of Mill Avenue off Baseline Road. There's a place to rent paddle boats and bikes, and there are fishing areas spaced strategically around the lake. Something I also like is how easy it is to find shaded areas. This is a very family friendly park with space for children to play. It's also a great place to bring your dog and have your daily walk. There is a recreation center on the SE side of Mill Avenue that houses tennis courts (and I believe there's a pool). Also within this area is a large playground. I also love the ducks, and I'm sad they're swimming in polluted water. City of Tempe: be better. Take care of your parks, especially since tax dollars go toward the upkeep.

Nice park. Kept clean and well maintained. Decent amount of shade trees and covered areas. It's a…read morebit hot now, but a decent place to cast a line.

I love the uniqueness of this park The lake, the library,…read morethe kid swings, the musical instruments, all so fun. It's clean and well kept. There's a new book featured around the water area every month to read with your kiddo. Duckies to feed, fishing. And it's not too big to where you'll misplace your child

This is absolutely our new favorite! A big open space with lots of great playgrounds for both big…read moreand small kids to keep them busy and jumping around. We went when the park had an event in the community and it was so much fun, lots parking space and just right in town which you can walk around go for lunch and back to park just sit back and hang out around. Good for parents who are looking for a new park to take their kids to try a different spot around towns Check it out this lovely park, your kids will have a blast !

Busy park on a Sunday! Lots of littles and obstacles. Fun slides, cool train, horseshoe area and a…read moresplash pad. Lots of seating and benches. Bathrooms needed some cleaning for sure. There were people bringing their own canopy and tables for parties. Eloteros were present. Bring sunscreen and hand sanitizer.

Grew up here and always loved this park. Lots of grass and a playground. Looks like they installed…read morevolleyball net too

Quiet, clean great place to walk dogs, sit and enjoy the weather, exercise and walk. Very clean…read morewell kept. Grass was just cut this morning. Friendly people who are walking around the park. I'd recommend this location for dogs and relaxing. Today was a great day (good weather)

Fork 'em, Devils. If…read moreyou attended ASU, you have probably climbed "A" Mountain. It's a rite of passage as a Sun Devil. Did you even attend ASU if you haven't stepped foot here? It's a tradition for me to hike this mountain on New Year's Day. You got to start the new year heading in the direction you want to go: upwards and forward. Hayden Butte Preserves is a very doable and easy hike in the heart of Tempe. Come for the sights.

Pretty easy hike. Trail could use some maintenance- missing/washed out steps. Not too crowded at…read more8am on a warm Sunday. No bugs or overgrown shrubs. Rails toward the top for safety and easy to grab/hold onto for stability. We finished in 33 mins and that includes a couple stops to take in the views and catch our breath after a set of steps.

Beautiful grounds! I…read morewent in June in the early morning and it got hot fast. It's a small park so very doable for a quick in and out of your area short on time or want to avoid the heat. It cost about $15 for an adult ticket. No food or drinks are allowed on the grounds. I thought I could walk around with my morning coffee it had to quickly drink it before entering the park.

Honestly, this place is absolutely gorgeous,I will fully admit that. The setup, lights, and overall…read moreaesthetic are really beautiful and definitely make for pretty pictures. But personally, I just don't see it being worth the price of $14 a person. One of the biggest things for me was that the actual area itself felt a lot smaller than I expected. On top of that, there were SO many people packed in that it was hard to even stop for a second and actually enjoy the ambiance without constantly being surrounded by crowds or trying to move around people. It kind of took away from the experience because instead of feeling immersive or relaxing, it mostly just felt overcrowded. What also made it hard for me to justify the price is that you can literally see the entire thing through the fence from the park next to it. Honestly, if I ever wanted to see it again, I'd probably just go sit at the park, save my money, and actually have more room to enjoy the view comfortably without feeling packed in shoulder to shoulder with everyone else. Overall, it's definitely very pretty and visually impressive, but for me personally, the experience didn't match the cost enough to make me want to return.

A quick trail to get your steps in with an amazing view once you reach the top. Make sure to watch…read moreyour step and be careful when you head to the open cave like peak. Once there take a seat and enjoy the view. There is a nice breeze that passes through even in the heat. Plenty of free parking and there are restrooms. *Proper shoes, sunscreen and a hat are highly recommended ~ and that's all I have to say about that...

Depressing, barren and not dog friendly…read more After exploring the great parks in parts of Phoenix, Scottsdale and Gilbert, the dead trees and stagnant water at Papago Park were more like an inner city experience.

This is a pretty nice city park with multiple parking lots, a walking path around a "lake", lots of…read moregreen space, seating, and a playground. There's also a scouting activity area that looked interesting and seems to be for scouting troops to have campfires and outdoor activities. Technically there's also a hummingbird garden but unless you parked in a specific spot or know where to look, you'd miss it as its small and tucked in a far corner. While small, it is nice (aside from the pile of cigarette butts some jrrk left) with some nice plants, a short walking path, and a water feature. It has a lot of desert plants but I was surprised not to see more spring flowers this time of year. The park is nice and the water seemed clean and not smelly, but I wish we had more areas of denser vegetation like the hummingbird area to walk around in. It does seem pretty well kept up and I noticed several newer desert willows growing. At 8 am on a spring Sunday, it was busy with people walking, fishing, at the playground, and doing tai Chi, but parking wasn't an issue.

What a beautiful park in middle of chandler. We have visited this park multiple times for…read morebirthdays, just for a walk around and taking the kids to play area. Though the play area needs a bit of maintenance, the kids love the variety of play equipments available. There is a lake with ducks near by which is a big hit among Kids. We have tried the train ride and it's pretty cute. Unlike other parks it's good long train ride. Overall a good large park, this is like an OG in chandler.