County Parks Might Be Losing Visitors Because of Arizona State Park Closures

The Arizona State Parks Board's decision to close many of its parks has had an unexpected consequence: some Arizona residents mistakenly believe the Maricopa County Parks are closing. I'm guessing they think the parks are managed by the state, or perhaps that the same budget pressure affecting the state parks are trickling down to the county parks.

According to Dawna Taylor, Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department, park staff members are fielding questions about closures. Though the department's general fund budget has experienced a 62 percent cut over the last two years, it has no plans to close parks. Still, the perception could take away from the parks' bottom line.

"Our annual pass sales are down at some of the parks, and we have had quite a few park visitors who are considering purchasing annual passes ask if we're planning on keeping our parks open," Taylor said.

The parks staff recently issued a press release to remind the public that county parks are still open.

"Out of respect for our sister agencies, we've tried to avoid touting the fact that all of the county parks are still open for business. However, we're discovering that our silence is feeding rumors that we're closing and further confusing visitors," R.J. Cardin, director of the Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department Director, said in the press release.

The department has reduced its staff size and delayed some capital improvement projects. Otherwise, the county parks open and ready for visitors. From my perspective, that's a welcome piece of news. As a mountain biker, I consider the county parks a far more valuable asset than the state parks. I probably make 10 visits to Maricopa County parks for every one visit to a state park.

That's not to say the state parks aren't excellent, too - it's just that county parks have some of the best biking and hiking trails, and they're clustered close to the metro Phoenix area.

Statewide, though, many other people depend on state parks - for their livelihood as much as the recreational opportunities they present. Five towns even made a deal with the state to manage some state parks for 1-3 years.

That may be long enough for the state government to get back on its fiscal feet and take over the park management in the future. Local management of these lands would stop them from falling into disrepair and from being closed to visitor. Other towns are in talks to see how they might be able to make similar plans to keep other state parks open (most notably Lost Dutchman State Park, Picacho Peak State Park and Red Rock State Park). Unfortunately, several state parks have already closed have already closed. A complete list is available at the link above.