Living in Arizona in the summer takes a kind of grit unique to old Western movies. Standing out in the 110-degree sun, squinting your eyes like Clint Eastwood and feeling every drop of moisture evaporate from your body. It’s how I felt crossing the 100-yard stretch of dusty terrain from the parking lot of the Salt River Recreation Area to the banks of the cool running water.
Because of the pandemic, water recreation is getting a slow start in the Southwest, and up until this month, most splash pads were closed. Many still are. With the risk of COVID-19, a crowd of kids slipping and sliding into one another isn’t where I want to be, but my boys just love splashing! Luckily it’s not hard to find a refreshing natural oasis.
The Salt River We parked and made a day of splashing, floating and wading in the water on the banks of the Salt River a few weeks ago, just a twenty-minute drive from our house. It was so embarrassingly close, we couldn’t believe we hadn’t done it before! We’ll definitely be going back with tubes or kayaks.
Hudsons Creek This hiking trail alongside a creek near Payson was the perfect escape to celebrate my birthday back at the end of April. It’s about an hour and a half from the East Valley and in slightly cooler weather at a higher elevation. The kids loved looking for fish and watching leaves and sticks float down.
Oak Creek A couple hours drive away in Sedona, Oak Creek is not only a great place to cool down, but it has a beautiful swimming hole for bigger kids, shallow areas to picnic and splash, and remarkable views. Try to go during the week, as the weekend fills up quickly and you may have to wait to get in.
Our Own Backyard! While we frequent the community pool just down the block, I’ve also transformed our backyard into a kid-friendly oasis, complete with play area, kiddie pool, and sprinkler splash pad. They get their toys and play for hours!
These are just a few of our favorite places where nature challenges the desert heat. As important as it is for us to kick back and cool off, it’s even more important to ensure these treasures will stay beautiful for generations to come, so pack it in and pack it out, and have a wonderful summer.
Our Life in A-Z 
Next time I’m out there, I’d love to see the Salt River! What do you think of doing a Google Meet or Zoom on the 4th of July with everyone? ❤️ Lola Martha
On Sat, Jun 20, 2020 at 11:21 AM Our Life in A-Z wrote:
> ourlifeinaz posted: ” Living in Arizona in the summer takes a kind of grit > unique to old Western movies. Standing out in the 110-degree sun, squinting > your eyes like Clint Eastwood and feeling every drop of moisture evaporate > from your body. It’s how I felt crossing the 100-y” >
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