• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Link
  • Home
  • Membership
    • Member Dashboard
    • Expeditionist Only
    • Change Password
    • Forgot Password?
    • Support Us
    • Pick A Membership
  • Store
    • AZBackroads Store
    • Cart
    • Subscriptions
    • Hats
    • Hoodie
    • Wall Art
    • Downloads
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Connect With Us
    • Report A Trash Dump
    • AZBCE Ambassadors
    • Our Allies
  • The Backcountry
    • Arizona 4×4 Routes
    • Wildfires & Restrictions
    • Forest Alerts
    • The Guide to camping
    • Trail Etiquette
    • Arizona state trust land permit

ACTION ALERT COMMENTS OPEN | Pinal County Palo Verde Regional Park

BLM, Call To Action, Land Use

Written By

Kevin Allard

December 16, 2021

Palo Verde Regional Park Recreation & Public Purposes Act Lease

Pinal County has applied for a lease under the Recreation & Public Purposes Act to create a county park that will include several amenities catering to local outdoor enthusiasts. The project area is located on 393 acres of public land in the Palo Verde Mountains just west of Maricopa, Arizona, in a popular OHV area managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The proposed park consists of three regions and does not encompass the mountain range.

The county is introducing a non-motorized trail system, a day-use OHV staging area, an archery range, approximately 35 campsites with utility hookups, an RV dump, and several other improvements. There will be non-motorized trailhead parking areas and equestrian staging areas. These areas include bathrooms and shade canopies, signage, monuments, trash receptacles, maintenance facilities, and a host camping area.

Pinal County will improve the park with paved roads to access the park. Culverts will be installed at dry wash crossings to make internal roads accessible to park visitors. The county will install pipe fencing with an entry station and control gates around the perimeter.

The Palo Verde Regional park will take up approximately 493 acres of public land and cost around 31.5 million dollars to construct. It will be managed by the Pinal County Open Space & Trails Department, and entrance fees will be determined at a later date.

Not bad for motorized users

The estimated 3.7 million dollar OHV area will provide motorized users a place to offload their toys to enjoy the motorized trails around the area. It will include a 16.5-acre open OHV riding area that will allow cross-country travel and facilitate access to federal public lands.

The day-use OHV Area will include 20 pull-through parking lanes and a single parallel parking lane. There will be vault toilets and a host campground installed onsite with maintenance facilities and trash receptacles. The county will install steel pipe and wire fencing around the perimeter and throughout the park to control traffic. An Iron Ranger self-pay station will induce an honor system to collect payments from park visitors.

The OHV Area will also provide access to the proposed non-motorized Accent Trail that leads to the Desert Loop Trail in the Palo Verde Mountains and will provide access to the network of proposed hiking trails.

Maps of the project area improvements.

Please become a supporting member.

For just 30 cents a day, you can help us keep trails open!

Gain access to our GPS tracks plus an incredible collection of 1,300 Points Of Interest to explore around the state. You will also get access to commentary from the author.

Learn More
Sign Up
Members Only

The Bureau of Land Management is asking for public comments.

Public comments are currently open for five different documents, and we are asking for your help in shaping the proposed plan. Please review the documents and provide your input to the Bureau of Land Management. This is your opportunity to help shape the language, procedures, and operation of this Pinal County Park.

Our Concern

Existing Roads

In general, we support these proposals because they assert local control over public lands, as long as the proposal doesn't affect our access. However, the future existence of several roads and other recreation areas concerns us. These roads would interfere with the proposed non-motorized trail system and would likely be closed along with popular target shooting areas sometime in the future.

One road provides access to a wonderful lookout near the top of the Palo Verde Mountains and would provide motorized users a route from the OHV area to the proposed archery range and non-motorized trailheads. The other road travels along the base of the Palo Verde Mountain range from north to south on the western side. This road circles the range in the valley below and is a significant part of the motorized trail system in the area.

We intend to assure the county will guarantee access to the surrounding areas by including specific languages in the proposed plan to recognize nearby roads as valid. We would like to see the BLM issue a Recordable Disclaimer of Interest in Land to the area's existing motorized and non-motorized roads and trails. Additionally, we would like to see the OHV staging area allow overnight camping and the park allow E-Bikes on some single-track trails.

Target shooting, dispersed camping, and "dispersed recreation" areas.

The Palo Verde Mountains are surrounded by existing dispersed camping and target shooting areas that this proposal could threaten in the future as conflicts may arise among users, and management may favor restricting use to the park.

We believe the Bureau of Land Management should clarify that dispersed camping, target shooting, and other forms of dispersed recreation can continue as normal in their current locations outside of the county park. Likewise, the county should consider including an outdoor shooting range or making improvements to existing target shooting areas to avoid future closures. These things would significantly improve the experience of users who take advantage of the park's facilities and protect future access to public lands.

Documents open for comment

We encourage you to review the documents below and submit a comment on each one. Please tell the Bureau of Land Management how to improve and perfect this proposal.

  • Be sure to mention specific sections of the document and describe how the plan can be improved.
  • Give solutions to achieve the goal of creating a county park.
  • Tell how often you visit the area and how this proposal will improve or harm your recreation experience in the Palo Verde Mountains.

Substantive comments would:

  • Question, with reasonable basis, the accuracy of the information in the Environmental Assessment;
  • Question, with reasonable basis, the adequacy of, methodology for, or assumptions used for the environmental analysis;
  • Present new information relevant to the analysis;
  • Present reasonable alternatives other than those analyzed in the Environmental Assessment; and/or
  • Cause changes or revisions in one or more of the alternatives.”

You can use the links below or visit the project website to submit your comments.

You must comment on each document separately.

The Draft Environmental Assessment and the Plan of Development have the most meaningful information.

Visit the project website HERE
DocumentsLink to comment page
Palo Verde Regional Park Draft Environmental Assessment (PDF).Comment on this document NOW!
Resources and issues identification checklist (PDF).Comment on this document NOW!
Biological Resources Report (PDF).Comment on this document NOW!
Plan of Development (PDF).Comment on this document NOW!
Draft unsigned Finding of no Significant Impact (PDF).Comment on this document NOW!
Kevin Allard [#facebook#]
Author: Kevin Allard

Kevin is an American outdoorsman born and raised in rural Arizona who grew up exploring the Arizona backcountry with his father. Today, he and his son travel to the most remote regions of Arizona, scavenging for the remains of early western pioneers. As a lifelong outdoorsman, Kevin has learned to stick close to his roots while engaging in important advocacy work regarding motorized access to public lands. You can find his work in many local and nationwide publications, including The Western Journal, 4Low Magazine, and his website AZBackroads.com.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Tags:

We Need Your Help To Keep Our Backroads Open!

Please become a member today!

Learn More
  • SB1393 | Reallocating the OHV fund to establish County Sheriff OHV Safety Fund

    SB1393 | Reallocating the OHV fund to establish County Sheriff OHV Safety Fund

  • ACTION ALERT | SB1100 increases OHV weight limit to 3,500 lbs

    ACTION ALERT | SB1100 increases OHV weight limit to 3,500 lbs

  • SPECIAL REPORT | Desalination: A monopoly on western water

    SPECIAL REPORT | Desalination: A monopoly on western water

  • ACTION ALERT | Table Mesa Recreation Area Management Plan Revision

    ACTION ALERT | Table Mesa Recreation Area Management Plan Revision

  • ACTION ALERT | Middle Gila Travel Mgmt Plan Starts | Access to 350k acres threatened

    ACTION ALERT | Middle Gila Travel Mgmt Plan Starts | Access to 350k acres threatened

  • ACTION ALERT | permit zones Tonto NF | $10 fee Bulldog Rolls Sycamore St Clair Desert Vista

    ACTION ALERT | permit zones Tonto NF | $10 fee Bulldog Rolls Sycamore St Clair Desert Vista

  • Black Canyon TMP Final Decision | Approx 260 MI of existing roads CLOSED

    Black Canyon TMP Final Decision | Approx 260 MI of existing roads CLOSED

  • ACTION ALERT | Buckeye Hills Travel Mgmt | 354 mi of roads CLOSED Rainbow Valley

    ACTION ALERT | Buckeye Hills Travel Mgmt | 354 mi of roads CLOSED Rainbow Valley

  • ACTION ALERT | Bouse & Cactus Plain Final Decision | 1,049 mi of roads CLOSED

    ACTION ALERT | Bouse & Cactus Plain Final Decision | 1,049 mi of roads CLOSED

  • ACTION ALERT | Proposal calls for diversion tunnels around Glen Canyon Dam

    ACTION ALERT | Proposal calls for diversion tunnels around Glen Canyon Dam

Please become an AZBackroads.com Member

As a member, you unlock access to:

  1. an incredible collection of GPS tracks.
  2. a collection of over 1,300 Points Of Interest.
  3. and commentary from the author, free merch, and a discount on all products in our store.

We Need Your Help

Learn More

Welcome

Log In
Sign Up

Accepting

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Gab
  • About Us
  • Connect With Us
  • Report A Trash Dump
  • AZBCE Ambassadors
  • Our Allies
  • Take Action Now
  • Privacy & Return Policy

The Backcountry

  • Help Save Apache Trail
  • Arizona 4×4 Routes
  • Wildfires & Restrictions
  • Mapping Adventure
  • Forest Alerts
  • THE Guide to Camping
  • Trail Etiquette
  • AZ State Trust Land Permit

Membership

  • Member Dashboard
  • Members Only
  • View Profile
  • Edit Profile
  • Change Password
  • Log out
  • Support Us

Store

  • AZBackroads Store
  • Membership
  • Hat
  • Shirt
  • Hoodie
  • Wall Art
  • Download
  • Cart

This website is built and maintained by Kevin Allard. All content on this website is protected by Copyright and shall not be redistributed without written permission by the author. The Arizona Backcountry Explorers and AZBackroads.com name and logos are registered trademarks of Kevin Allard. Names and logos of our partners, affiliates, and syndicates are registered trademarks of their respective owners.