Lake Pleasant Regional Park is a large outdoors recreation area straddling the

Maricopa Maricopa can refer to: Places * Maricopa, Arizona, United States, a city ** Maricopa Freeway, a piece of I-10 in Metropolitan Phoenix ** Maricopa station, an Amtrak station in Maricopa, Arizona * Maricopa County, Arizona, United States * Marico ...

and

Yavapai county Yavapai County is near the center of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, its population was 236,209, making it the fourth-most populous county in Arizona. The county seat is Prescott. Yavapai County comprises the Prescott, AZ M ...

border northwest of

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

. The park is located within the

municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

boundaries of

Peoria, Arizona Peoria is a city in Maricopa and Yavapai counties in the state of Arizona. Most of the city is located in Maricopa County, while a portion in the north is in Yavapai County. It is a major suburb of Phoenix. As of the 2020 census, the populati ...

, and serves as a major recreation hub for the northwest

Phoenix metropolitan area The Phoenix Metropolitan Area – also the Valley of the Sun, the Salt River Valley, or Metro Phoenix (known by most locals simply as “the Valley”) – is the largest metropolitan area in the Southwestern United States, centered on the city ...

Lake Pleasant

The cornerstone of the park is the , Lake Pleasant, one of the important artificial

reservoirs A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...

surrounding the Phoenix metropolitan area. Created by the Carl Pleasant Dam, which was finished in 1927, and upon completion, was the largest multi-arch dam in the world. The lake originally had a surface area of and served as a private irrigation project. At high and long, the original Carl Pleasant Dam was, at its completion, the largest agricultural dam project in the world. The lake was filled by the

Agua Fria River The Agua Fria River (Spanish for "cold water") is a long intermittent stream which flows generally south from east-northeast of Prescott in the U.S. state of Arizona. Prescott draws much of its municipal water supply from the upper Agua Fria w ...

, capturing a large watershed throughout Yavapai County. Construction of the

Central Arizona Project Aqueduct The Central Arizona Project (CAP) is a 336 mi (541 km) diversion canal in Arizona in the southern United States. The aqueduct diverts water from the Colorado River to the Bill Williams Wildlife Refuge south portion of Lake Havasu ne ...

, which began in 1973, soon diverted water from the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...

to the lake, converting the lake from an agricultural project into a storage reservoir for the project. Completed in 1994, the

New Waddell Dam The New Waddell Dam is an embankment dam on the Agua Fria River in Maricopa County, Arizona, northwest of Phoenix. It serves as part of the Central Arizona Project (CAP) while also providing water for the Maricopa Water District. The dam creates ...

tripled the surface area of the lake, submerging the old dam beneath its waters. Shortly after the completion of the dam, the area experienced a prolonged

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

, and while the lake grew considerably it would not reach full capacity until early 2005. Although still fed by the Agua Fria River, the CAP aqueduct is the primary source of water for the reservoir. Lake Pleasant is used as a major water sports recreation center for the Phoenix metro area, as well as serving as an important storage reservoir for the rapidly growing region. A number of boat docks and beach access make the lake a popular destination for scuba diving, water skiing, jet skiing, sailing, windsurfing and other water sports. The lake has been plagued by a number of deaths over the years, and Arizona authorities have from time to time called for caution when at Lake Pleasant because of a number of reasons, including rising waters and

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...

in the area. Lake Pleasant Fish Species * Threadfin Shad * Bluegill * Redear Sunfish * Green Sunfish * Black Crappie * White Crappie * Largemouth Bass * Smallmouth Bass * White Bass * Striped Bass * Channel Catfish * Flathead Catfish * Common Carp * Tilapia ''Potential Fish Species'' * Sucker * Gizzard Shad * Yellow Perch * Walleye * Northern Pike * Muskellunge * Rainbow Trout * Blue Catfish * Bullhead * Goldfish * Buffalo Potential Aquarium Released Species * Peacock Bass * Arowana * Ciclids * Pacu * Rocket Gar * Ripsaw Catfish * Bala Shark * Colombian Shark * Iridescent Shark * Rainbow Shark * Red Tail Shark * Silver Apollo Shark

Other uses

Lake Pleasant from Pipeline Canyon Trail

The park covers a total of over 23,000 acres (93 km²) of mountainous desert landscape, including the lake, and boasts a number of other recreational activities, such as mountain biking, camping, and hiking. The park also has an educational visitors' center that provides information regarding the history of the lake, the construction of the Waddell Dam and the surrounding areas. The presence of the lake has also attracted other recreational activities in the area, such as a dirt racetrack and a large

glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...

school/airport. The rapidly growing city of Peoria has annexed the park and surrounding lands with an eye on future development, though 2007–2008 economic downturn has brought a temporary halt to its plans. Economy aside, the increasing popularity of the area is evidenced by rapidly growing subdivisions to the south, such as Vistancia, and skyrocketing

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

values, the city has zoned much of the land in the immediate vicinity for future use of both high-end waterfront residential neighborhoods and commercial opportunities off of Lake Pleasant Parkway and the

Carefree Highway Arizona State Route 74 (SR 74), locally known as the Carefree Highway, is a state highway in central Arizona that stretches east to west from its junction with U.S. Route 60 (US 60) just south of Wickenburg to its junction with Inter ...

. Several plans also call for potentially expanding the existing airstrip to be expanded into a regional

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

Annual events

Lake Pleasant Paddle Fest is a full day event featuring different paddle craft and fun activities. Bill Luke Bass Days is a day and night time festival taking place at Lake Pleasant Marina featuring carnival rides, cornhole tournament, wildlife exhibits, vendors, food and live music.

Transportation

The area is served by

Pleasant Valley Airport Pleasant Valley Airport was a privately owned public-use airport located in Peoria, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It closed in 2022 due to the lease for the land (on state Trust Land) not being renewed.http://www.airfields-freeman. ...

, located 3 miles away. Plans to start commercial service to the airport, including from

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a civil–military public airport east of downtown Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is Arizona's largest and busiest airport, and among the largest commercial airports in th ...

, have been unsuccessful. Several roads connect the area to Phoenix's main freeway systems.

Scenery

The following pictures are of some of the scenery at Lake Pleasant Regional Park and the ruins of a thousand year old Hohokam Puebloans village. File:Lake Pleasant Regional Park-Sandstone cliffs.JPG, Sandstone cliffs at Lake Pleasant Regional Park. File:Lake Pleasant Regional Park-Scenery 2.JPG, Scenery at Lake Pleasant Regional Park. File:Lake Pleasant Regional Park-Indian Mesa.JPG, Indian Mesa at Lake Pleasant Regional Park in Arizona. On top of the Mesa are the ruins of a village built by the Hohokam Puebloans about 1000 years ago. File:Peoria-Lake Pleasant Regional Park-Hiking trail.jpg, Hiking trail leading to the Indian Mesa (in the background). The hiking trail is located on a portion of a canal which the Hohokam built in 700 AD. The canal is now filled with soil. File:Peoria-Lake Pleasant Regional Park-Indian Mesa Ruins Marker.jpg, U.S. Bureau of Land Management Marker on Indian Mesa. The marker warns that removal of artifacts is strictly forbidden by Federal Law. File:Peoria-Lake Pleasant Regional Park-Indian Mesa Ruins 1.jpg, Part of the wall of the fort that surrounded the village. The holes in the wall are viewing holes so the defenders can view the only path to the top. File:Peoria-Lake Pleasant Regional Park-Indian Mesa Ruins 2ax.jpg, A posthole dug by the

Hohokam Hohokam () was a culture in the North American Southwest in what is now part of Arizona, United States, and Sonora, Mexico. It existed between 300 and 1500 AD, with cultural precursors possibly as early as 300 BC. Archaeologists disagree about ...

s inside their house. The Hohokams placed heavy mesquite or pine posts in them to support a roof. File:Peoria-Lake Pleasant Regional Park-Indian Mesa Ruins 3.jpg, Different view of the ruins of a Hohokam house. File:Peoria-Lake Pleasant Regional Park-Indian Mesa Ruins 5.jpg, Another view of the ruins of a Hohokam house. File:Peoria-Lake Pleasant Regional Park-Indian Mesa Ruins 6.jpg, Entrance to a Hohokam home. Lake Pleasant is in the background. File:Peoria-Lake Pleasant Regional Park-Indian Mesa Ruins 7.jpg, Rocky trail leading to the entrance of a Hohokam house. File:Peoria-Lake Pleasant Regional Park-Indian Mesa Ruins-Pottery 1.jpg, Ancient Hohokam pottery pieces (small brown ones) found at Indian Mesa. File:Lake Pleasant SW01.jpg, Lake Pleasant – north view with Bradshaw Mountains in background File:Lake Pleasant SW02.jpg, Lake Pleasant – south view in general direction of Phoenix

External links

Lake Pleasant Regional Park Website

Arizona Boating Locations Facilities Map

Lake Pleasant Arizona Recreation

Arizona Game & Fish – Fishing Locations

Video of Lake Pleasant

References

{{authority control Geography of Peoria, Arizona Parks in Maricopa County, Arizona Parks in Yavapai County, Arizona Regional parks in the United States Pleasant Pleasant Pleasant