Adobe Dam Regional Park is located approximately 16 miles northwest of Phoenix. The park consists of approximately 1,514 acres of park land - 761 acres which have been developed. Unlike the rest of the County's regional park system, Adobe Dam is known as a place where families can congregate to enjoy a multitude of concessionaire recreational activities.
Adobe Dam is the only park in Maricopa County's regional park system where you can float down a lazy river on an inner tube at a water park, ride a model train or fly a model airplane, participate in a kart race on a racetrack, watch a baseball or softball game, and enjoy a leisurely game of golf all in the same day!
While Adobe Dam Regional Park is focused on offering recreational activities to park visitors, the primary purpose of the area is to be maintained for flood control, and the secondary purpose is recreation and open space. Construction of the Adobe Dam, and appurtenances, began in November 1980 and work was completed in December 1981. Adobe Dam is designed to hold water during times of floods and the Department works closely with the concessionaires housed within Adobe Dam Regional Park to make sure facilities are properly sited, and are designed to minimize potential damage.
While there is little information on file regarding the history of Adobe Dam Regional Park, the Department can confirm that the Adobe Dam project was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1965. The authorized purpose of the project was to provide flood protection to residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and public and semi-public lands within the Phoenix metropolitan area. As a result of comments by the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, recreation development was investigated and determined to be economically justified and was therefore included as a project purpose. In September 1981, the Parks Department entered into a Joint Use Agreement with the Flood Control District giving management responsibility to the Parks Department.