Glendale Regional Heroes Park

 One of the cornerstones to a good community is a public park. People underestimate how important it is to have a free public gathering place. A place to barbecue together, try out an archery range, play on multiple different play areas, play a round of disc golf, or even just taking a stroll together. There is so much a park could do for a community and with the brand new addition of a lake to this park it could be one of the best ones in the valley. This is Glendale Regional Heroes Park.

Glendale is one of the largest and most established areas in the Valley of the Sun and has a lot to offer with a great community. In the southern part of the area is a park that features way more than you think a public park should have. But before we get into what's in the park, let's learn about some of the history of the park itself.

In 2016 Glendale decided to build a park at the intersection of 83rd Ave and Bethany Home. This area connects the Grand Linear Canal park and trails all the way to the State Farm Stadium. The park gets it's name due to police station located right next to area and it wanted to celebrate the heroes that keep the community safe. This idea follows through the park's conception and creation to create a fun and safe environment for the people of Glendale.

Since the park's opening in 2016 there have been a number of features added to the park. You have the public park essentials such as walking paths, green space, shade structures with picnic tables, playgrounds, along with water fountains and public restrooms but they have a lot of unique features as well.

The park is home to the Regional Heroes Park Library which hosts plenty of events and offers a place to escape the heat if needed. There is also a huge barbecue area featuring 8 different barbecue stations including shade, tables, prep space, and even sinks. Close to the barbecue area are a few beach volleyball courts and then further back is an archery range which is very unique to find in a city park. Along with basketball courts on the way to the 83rd Ave entrance of the park you will find a BMX park called X-Court. Although it's listed as a BMX park it also allows skateboards and roller-skates and I'm sure you could get away with a Razor scooter as well. Further towards the entrance there are a few more basketball courts and a splash pad to cool off. The unique features of this park really make it stand out from others that I've been to and makes it a unique experience for this park. It diffidently draws in more people due to the uniqueness of the activities you can do here.

The newest feature of the park was finished last spring of 2022. The park now features a lake! The lake can be fished in, walked around, there are nice grassy areas as well as Ramadas to watch the water and the fountains. Even though it looks enticing, you are not allowed to swim or take any sort of watercraft on the lake. I love the lake because it adds an extra unused area of the park for more walking and it keeps the area much cooler. Once the trees planted mature this will be an amazing spot to beat the heat! You are able to fish in this lake with some restrictions but the fish are imported from Colorado and most of the time don't take to the warmer weather in Arizona so it's not the most sustainable or pleasant park of the lake. Other than the fish, I really enjoy this addition to the park and think it was way to mirror Cesar Chavez park in Laveen, Steele Indian School Park in Phoenix, Kiwanis Park in Tempe, and the Fountain Hills Park. 

Since the Glendale Regional Heroes Park is connected to the Grand Canal Linear Park, you can actually walk, bike, run, scooter, skate, or even hoverboard from Camelback and 75th Ave all the way to the State Farm Stadium. I've rode my bike before through the paths and they're actually quite nice and well maintained through the neighborhoods with some smaller playgrounds, green space, and Ramadas. Once you get to the Regional Heroes Park along the linear park there is the Redline Disc Golf Course. It is an 18 hole course that runs along the canal from 83rd ave to 91st ave and back. The course is well designed but not well maintained. There are missing tee off areas (some have turf and some are just notated through wooden stakes and plastic ribbons). If the course was maintained better it would be a really nice course and would add immensely to the park experience. Also be aware that the course is long and has limited shade so please bring water and watch out for hole #8, it's a beast!

So that's everything to say about the Glendale Regional Heroes Park except... there's still a lot of unused land and I mean a lot! In between the barbecue area and the lake is a huge unused and unmaintained space and there's an even bigger area towards the back of the park. This could be maintained to be more green space or it would be nice to put in some baseball fields, soccer fields, or even a dog park. There is a lot of potential for this already jam packed park and I cannot wait to see what is in store for it next!

                     All the Best, Ross Patrick