Maricopa County Parks

 May 1, 2017 - Dan Wilson from Usery Mountain Regional Park gave us a great overview of this particular park as well as the entire Maricopa County Regional Park system. The Maricopa County park system is one of the largest in the country, containing over 120,000 acres and experiencing more than 2 million visitors a year. The parks receive only 7% of their budget from the county - the remainder comes from visitor fees. The parks are very well maintained and offer a wide variety of programs. The operation of the parks is supported by a very large number of volunteers: some stay on-site all winter, some support specific operations like visitor centers and some help with specific events.  Our club has many hikers and the discussion was lively.  Usery Mountain park is a particular favorite of many members.