Work begins on regional park in northern Pinal

Federal funding from the state of Arizona has been secured for the 498-acre Peralta Regional Park near Gold Canyon.

Pinal County’s Open Space and Trails Department is slated to develop recreation facilities at the site, including picnic tables and shelters, equestrian and hiking trails, restrooms, car- and walk-in campsites, educational kiosks and a dedicated area for stargazing.

Estimated implementation costs for the park were recently detailed by Kent Taylor, director of the department, in an update for the county’s Open Space and Trails Advisory Commission.

Those costs, he said Jan. 14, according to county documents, are: Phase 1, $3,848,500; Phase 2, $320,080; and one-time start-up costs, $90,000

Estimated operational costs are $200,000 annually, with staffing estimates of 1.5 full-time equivalent for rangers, one FTE for trail/grounds maintenance, a volunteer park host October-May and additional assistance from the Friends of Peralta Regional Park, according to the presentation made to the commission.

Heavy equipment began work this week on the site off Peralta Road. The park is to be one of seven owned and operated by Pinal County. Amenities will include group and individual picnic sites, overnight camping (tent/vehicle), stargazing node, handicap-accessible interpretive trail, 9-plus miles of multi-use and non-motorized trails (separated equestrian parking).

Pinal County worked with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management since 2013 to secure permits and approvals needed in order to see the vision for Peralta Regional Park implemented. In October of 2019, BLM issued a lease to Pinal County for Peralta Regional Park. The construction contract was awarded in December with an approximate 10-month construction timeline.

The primary value and attraction of Peralta Regional Park will be the opportunity to provide visitors from the region with exposure to the unique natural character of the upper Sonoran Desert setting.

According to the county, the design intent is to artfully and sensitively arrange park facilities to provide the public with access and exposure to these natural attributes while minimizing the impacts to the environment.