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| - It's easy to give Papago Park a 5 star rating!
I've been coming to the park all of my 45 years and have great memories, including living right on the western border overlooking the golf course for over a year.
I have used the park facilities and amenities in every way shape or form. As a visitor to the zoo, I've played real golf (at Papago and Rolling Hills) and disc golf here. I've climbed, hiked, mountain biked and road cycled here. I have visited the Desert Botanical Garden and I have seen one of the greatest concerts of my life (Keiko Matsui) there. I have enjoyed watching the squirrels, fish, ducks, turtles, and coyotes that live here.
Disc Golf (Moeur Park): This course is a big challenge! There is running water involved in the first several holes and you should steer well clear of that. My buddies have fallen in the river (canal) while trying to cross it or retrieve their disks right out of it. The course is also very thickly forested, especially right around the river. Your disk can get eaten by the bush, so bring something to retrieve it at least. It's really cool to play here. You're in the middle of the city but it feels far away, somehow, between the serenity of the running water and the brushy desert terrain.
Golf: I love the Rolling Hills course. The terrain is different from most courses in the valley and it plays into my style, although I'm not enough of a golfer to really have a style. The "Papago" course is also really nice and fun.
Mountain Biking: This is the nicest set of trails in the valley. They are smooth and rolling rather than jagged and pretty easy to navigate. They are also plentiful with acreage full of trails to explore. They are also part of the larger system of trails connecting to the rest of the valley via the crosscut canal and also the Tempe Town Lake. Really great cycling here.
The zoo is outstanding! In addition to the great selection of animals, there are two water features in which the kids love to get wet! We have been members of the zoo off and on, but currently we are not. My wife just mentioned that we should renew our membership and get going back there regularly.
I've spent some time fishing in the ponds at Papago with very little luck, but if you keep an eye on the right websites, you can find out when they stock the lakes and have a better opportunity at getting something on your line.
Desert Botanical Garden is a relaxing place to walk around and not to miss.
Hole in the Rock is a great climb, but beware that it is much harder to get down than to get up, and you should probably keep looking behind you and down on the way up to make sure you're willing to go further before you get up there and get scared. The hole also has ancient historical significance, as the sunrise shines through it on the winter solstice and hits the point on which the nearby Pueblo Grande (Museum) was built. It is a very significant location for the ancient Anasazi where they initiated several canals coming off of the Rio Salado.
Papago is a great place! I would give it more stars if they were available.
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