This was an option for parking during the Arizona Dragon Boat Festival. It's about a ten minute or…read moreso walk from the parking lot, through the grassy area, passing the river, under the bridge, and finally through to the gate of Tempe Town Lake. During this eventful weekend, arriving early around 6am is ideal for grabbing the coveted spots under the trees. By 8am, the lot is likely full since the first heats have started. Street parking is also more than likely out of the question by then. During some downtime, I got the chance to explore the park and noticed lots of birds on the trees yapping away. Cranes over near the pond picking at morsels as far as I can tell. Canadian geese marching by and chilling near the gazebo. Medium sized fishes, possibly tilapia, congregating upstream in the river. Dog owners hanging and chatting while their pets pat each other down. Joggers passing by being careful not to step on the occasional brownie. Simply put, this is the abundance of the local park experience.

I am an out-of-town visitor and overall, the park is fair. There are actually two fenced areas…read more Both have plenty of seating and there are some trees, looks like the park departments lay hay or something similar down to help absorb smells and probably keep the dust from lifting. They also provide doggy Doodoo pick up bags. And water fountains for the dogs which have plumbed water so you can get fresh water for your pet. What's kind of discouraging is that people bring their dogs and leave the crap literally laying on the ground. I figure people who arrive when there's no one around just don't care. But it's frustrating. It's a dog park. We all share. We should all take care. Papago Park is actually very pretty and it's close to the trail so if you wanna go for a walk on the trails with your dog, it's in very close proximity. If you're here with your family, there's lots of areas to play for the kids as well. And this area of Tempe is very nice. So it's my second time coming and I'll probably come again since I'm here for two weeks. The people I encountered were very friendly and also very willing to do slow intros for our shy dog. So we didn't have any issues at all with aggressive dogs or pet owners who just seemed nonchalant about a small dog mix in with bigger dogs. So I could definitely appreciate that. Just warning to people who bring their dogs: pick up after your pet. No one else wants to pick up your dogs poop!!

Its meh! We are visiting from out of town and our dog has only been able to walk on leash. So we…read morethought we would find a local dog park. This one have lots of benches and picnic tables for owners to sit and rest. There are a few trees and it's flat and open. Fully fenced and secured. They have doggy bags for picking up doggy Doodoo. Came early in the morning and they were actually more people than I expected. Nothing fancy, but if you need a place for your dog to just run free and off leash, it does the trick.

Nice hidden gem. My dog is now with me in an apartment. We had a house in Fl with a big back yard…read more So it was great to see him off a leash and running around.

The dog park is a little bit of a walk but past the playground area, not large but enough for 7…read moredogs comfortably in my opinion. Contains water fountain for pups and doggy bags. I don't love the location mainly because the dog park is backed up to houses and not all the houses have brick fences or covered fences which means those dogs bark until you leave.

This park was just ok. It had water, bags and just enough space for most dogs to spread their legs…read more I much prefer other dog parks compared to this one. We ended up finishing our time exploring the rest of the park which was cool for adults and kids to enjoy. Will not be returning for the dog park.

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

I love coming to this park. It is really big and there is so much to do. I mostly come here to run…read more Riverview Park does make me wish I was a kid again because they have so many cool things for the little ones to enjoy. The parks I grew up playing at were nothing like this one. There is a 50-foot tall Genesis climbing tower, playgrounds with a rubber surface to protect from falls, a 60-foot long caterpillar mesh rope climbing structure and a splash pad. The lake is stocked for those that like to fish. There are picnic tables, a fountain and ramadas that can be reserved in advance. It is nice to come here in the evenings and see people going on walks and families gathering for celebrations. We all need to get out and enjoy the outdoors more in my opinion. Riverview Park is next door to Sloan Park and the Mesa Riverview shopping area. There is so much in this area to do and enjoy. I have really enjoyed living a short drive away from here the past couple of years. Riverview Park is located right off the 202 freeway and has plenty of parking.

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.

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.

This is a great little neighborhood park. It was really…read moreclean. They had trash and recycling bins. They had swings, a slide, a monkey bar type structure and shade for the kids. Benches for the parents. Don't bring glass containers!

Dwight Park is a small neighborhood park and very nice. It has always been clean every time we have…read morebeen there. The play equipment is in great shape as well. Our granddaughter really likes it so we do too

Verty nice dog park, but the employees working the park are not so dedicated. The trash cans are…read moreconstantly overflowing with trash and dog feces inside the dog park. I have to constantly call the parks phone # to complain when these containers overkill. They don't cut the grass on a regular basis within the dog park also. This leaves finding your dogs poop difficult at times.​

A solid dog park with a lot of space for room to run, the dog run is visible as soon as you pull…read moreinto Esteban Park. There are separate areas for big dogs and smaller, more timid ones, but the area for the small dogs is still pretty spacious. The grass is well maintained, even in the dead of summer, and there are a handful of young trees offering a bit of shade. For a wide open area, it surprised me that there weren't more trees sprinkled about. There are only 3 benches for owners to relax while pups are goin wild, two of which are right at the park entrance. In my experience, not the best place to put benches because inevitably people and dogs tend to hang out there, which causes some commotion as dogs are trying to come in and out. There's a water spigot for you to refill water for your pups, but only one small metal bowl for everyone to share. I'd recommend bringing your own water dish, and I usually just bring my own water too. We'll likely be back, as it's probably one of the nicer and bigger parks in this part of the valley.

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)

Great park to walk around or just relax. Also a great place to walk dogs since there's a ton of…read moregrass space away from the road and paths all over it.