(Maricopa County) Join Maricopa County’s Parks and Recreation Department on Thursday, September 12 at 6 p.m. for an open house at Lake Pleasant Regional Park’s Operations Building as staff share the final draft of the parks Trails Master Plan.

“As a fourth-generation Arizonan who has lived in the West Valley for many years, I’m really excited about this project! Currently, the park has two trails, Pipeline Canyon and Roadrunner. Combined, these trails are 2.8-miles in length. However, the department is proposing the construction of 17 new trails which will give the park 25.15-miles of multi-use trails,” said Maricopa County District 4 Supervisor Clint Hickman.

“Over the years, the focus for the park has been water-based activities,” said R.J. Cardin, Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department Director. With Maricopa County’s population increasing by more than 24 percent over the past ten years, the department agreed it was imperative to expand services at the park. “By developing the trail system in the park, we’re providing residents with a venue to not only boat and fish but also hike, mountain bike, horseback ride and connect with nature with the lake as a scenic backdrop,” added Cardin.

The proposed project contains a mixture of new and connector trails which will also link the park to the Maricopa Trail. “Linking the Maricopa Trail to the park allows visitors continuous travel from Cave Creek Regional Park to White Tank Mountain Regional Park. It’s thrilling to think that those using the trail will now be able to travel close to 60-miles on a county trail,” said Maricopa County Board of Supervisors’ Chairman Andy Kunasek, District 3.

Along with the development of a designated trail system comes the need to close some unauthorized routes. “When we developed the trail plan, we did take unauthorized routes into consideration. There are routes that we will be able to use once we bring them up to our trails standards. However, other areas will need to be closed for safety or conservation concerns and the park will take steps to restore these areas,” said Cardin.

For more information on the project, attend the open house at the park on Thursday, September 12 at 6 p.m. or visit http://www.maricopa.gov/parks/lake_pleasant/LPTrailsPlan.aspx. Lake Pleasant Regional Park is located at 41835 N. Castle Hot Springs Rd., Morristown, AZ 85342.