City: Phoenix, AZ

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (928) 501-1710

Description: At 10,000 surface acres, Lake Pleasant tends to be crowded with boats and Jet Skis on weekends. But it’s also home to the Arizona Yacht Club, whose members use the lake for their weekend regattas. The lake, formed by the Waddell Dam, offers gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains. The massive regional park around the lake crawls with wildlife, including coyotes, burros, and nesting bald eagles. The lake permits parasailing as well as boating. You pay $6 per motor vehicle to get into the park, plus $4 for vehicles pulling motorized watercraft. The park’s main entrance (the first as you come up from the Valley) gives access to a 10-lane boat ramp, which is adjacent to parking for 355 vehicles with boat trailers. The second (north) entrance is 3 miles past the first and gives access to a four-lane ramp at Scorpion Bay, which has space for 112 vehicles with boat trailers. Information: www.pleasantharbor.com or www.scorpionbaymarina.com.