Tempe Beach Park

Originally built in 1931, Tempe Beach Park was completely renovated in 1999 as part of the construction of Town Lake. The park connects to the 5 miles (8.0 km) of paths for bicycling, jogging or in-line skating that circle Town Lake.

Tempe Town Lake Boating Facilities

Activities

The historic baseball field plays host to baseball and softball games, as well as carnival games. Patrons of the lake are able to rent paddle boats.

In 2002, the $1.3 million Splash Playground was opened in Tempe Beach Park. The 1-acre (4,000 m2) playground is both a way for kids to have fun in the water, and to learn about the water cycle. Only about two inches of water will pool in parts of the park. The water is kept flowing across the playground, where it is eventually collected, filtered, cleaned, and re-circulated in a state-of-the-art system.

The amphitheatre accommodates 5,000 people for concerts or outdoor trade shows.

Rio Salado Cruise Company operates its boat concession out of the beach park.

The Arizona State University Sailing Club, the Arizona Yacht Club and private boat owners sail out of the Tempe Town Lake Marina on the north bank of the lake.

Several rowing clubs practice and race on the lake, including Rio Salado Rowing Club, Arizona State University’s Rowing Club, Tempe Town Lake Rowing, and the lake’s premier junior rowing program, Tempe Junior Crew, as well as many private owners. All boat owners must have a license as well.

The Arizona Dragon Boat Association, the Gila Dragons Dragon Boat Team and several Outrigger Clubs all have their home on the lake.

Tempe Town Lake at sunset on the Fourth of July with crowd waiting for the annual fireworks display with the Mill Avenue Bridges in the background.

Events

Annual events at Tempe Beach Park include the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl New Year’s Eve Block Party, Circle K Tempe Music Festival, Oktoberfest, APS Fantasy of Lights, Fourth of July fireworks show, and AVP Pro Beach Volleyball (now held in Glendale as of 2007).

Tempe also hosts the Ironman Arizona Triathlon in November of each year. The 2.4-mile (3.9 km) swim portion of the race is held in Tempe town lake. See http://www.ironmanarizona.com

In addition, several regattas for rowing, sailing, and kayaking occur throughout the year. There is also the annual Rowers Triathlon, which consists of a 4000m erg piece, body circuits, and a five kilometer run.

Description

The lake was completed in 1999, using inflatable rubber barriers in the riverbed to confine water within its boundaries. It is nearly 3 km (2 mi) long, with an average surface area of 910,000 m² (224 acres), and an average depth of 4 m (13 ft), for a total average volume of 3,590,000 cubic metres (2912 acre-feet). The maximum depth of the lake reaches 6 m (19 ft).

The lake was initially filled with 3.8 million m³ (3065 acre-feet) of water purchased from the Central Arizona Project. Evaporative and other losses (about 6400 m³ or 5.2 acre-feet per day) are compensated through additional purchase of CAP water, exchanges of reclaimed water, and long-term storage credits. Seepage losses are virtually nil, thanks to a system that recaptures virtually all seepage and pumps it back into the lake.

A park surrounds the area, along with office and residential highrises such as SouthBank, Grigio, Northshore Condominiums, Onyx Tower Condominiums, Rio West, Plaza Del Rio and Hayden Ferry Lakeside. The lake is used for practice by the ASU rowing team. The lake has fishing, boating (by permit and by day rental which can be purchased at the Rio Salado Operations Center), and an excursion cruise, the “Rio Salado Cruise.” The lake also hosts a small marina on the northern shore. Tempe Beach Park is home to several major annual events including Tempe’s yearly Independence Day Celebrations and the Tempe Music Festival.

Boating Facility Features

• Restroom facility at Tempe Town Lake
• Paved access
• Boats to rent
• Restaurants
• Lodging
• Single electric motor only
• Launching area
• Parking area
• Tables
• Drinking water
• Handicap barrier free
• Restrooms

Fishing at Tempe Town Lake

Tempe Town Lake is stocked with rainbow trout on a monthly basis from November to February. Other species found in the lake naturally include largemouth bass, yellow bass, tilapia, carp, channel catfish and bluegill. An Arizona fishing license is required to fish in the lake. All motor vehicles are required to have a four stroke marine engine.

- Wikipedia

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