Goodyear, Arizona, is a suburb of Phoenix that’s renowned for its professional sporting venues, antique malls, horse riding adventures, and a Bible museum. It also comes with plenty of unique places to explore and offers a mix of exciting and friendly natural scenery that the whole family can enjoy. If you’re new to Goodyear or have lived here for years, you should be sure that you’ve checked out all of these nature-filled places to see around Goodyear.

Estrella Mountain Regional Park

“9.21.13 5pm – The Hill at Goodyear Metro Park” by Greg Habermann licensed under CC BY 2.0

14805 W Vineyard Ave, Goodyear, AZ 85338

Estrella Mountain Regional Park comprises a vast region that spans about 20,000 acres of mountains, wetland, and desert ecosystems. It’s the ideal place to visit if enjoy horseback riding, hiking, learning about history, or taking adventurous trips. The trails add up 33 miles long with 2.4 miles of easy hiking and 8.7 miles of all-day-long hiking. 

The park lies at the convergence of the Gila and Agua Fria Rivers. This makes it ideal for people who love nature watching and fishing. The playground allows you and the family to enjoy some baseball, golf, or horseback riding. There’s also wonderful grass on a 65-acre piece of land that would be great for picnics. 

Wildlife World Zoo

“Bearded Dragon” by Steve Walker licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

16501 W Northern Ave, Litchfield Park, AZ 85340

The Wildlife World Zoo in Litchfield Park hosts a collection of endangered and exotic animals, acting as a home for over 600 distinct species. It features a 215-acre zoo, aquarium, and safari park. The zoo has largest collection of exotic animals in all of Arizona, and you can take various rides throughout the property, like the safari train, a boat ride through the Australian habitat, and a tram through more of the African habitat. You also enjoy a petting zoo and daily wildlife encounter shows.

You can visit with real, living dragons at the zoo’s Dragon World! See their vast collection of ectotherms like the Burmese python, Asian water monitor, bearded dragon, rhino iguana, and more. They even have a saltwater crocodile and a rare white alligator.

Their four-building aquarium holds the honor of being the state’s first public aquarium, housing both fresh- and saltwater species. Watch the otters frolic, then see the “River Monsters” like catfish and seahorses glide through the water. The zoo’s South Pacific Reef tunnel tank, the longest acrylic tunnel in the state, gets you up close and personal with a variety of gorgeous fish species.

Goodyear Community Park

3151 N Litchfield Rd, Goodyear, AZ 85395

Goodyear Community Park is one of the more beloved parks in the entire West Valley area. The park offers so many amenities, from a dedicated little league field and two softball fields to multiple volleyball courts and basketball courts. Or you can grab your helmet and pads and head to the skate park, where skateboarders and in-line skaters can let it rip.

If those sports aren’t up your alley, then you can enjoy the open park space and walking trails. The park is super dog-friendly, offering a dedicated dog park and various areas for doggie bags.  The park’s splash pad opens from April to October, so don’t forget to carry swimsuits for your children.

For family parties, you can rent and reserve a lot of the facilities, like the community center, various sports courts, and even the park’s ramadas. Each ramada can host up to 16 people, and they all come with a grill. Visit the Goodyear Park website to book a reservation if you are planning a party.

Corral West Horse Adventures

14401 W Arena Dr #9019, Goodyear, AZ 85338

Corral West Adventures offers exciting ways to explore the Sonoran Desert with your family. The hosts encourage visitors to explore natural public lands on horseback. They feature horse rental services, horseback riding services, wagon rides, trail rides, and sunset dinner rides. You’ll love feeling like a cowpoke in such a scenic setting. The horses are well-trained, and your escort can share fun facts about the area and point out the natural vegetation. 

If you want to involve the kids, Corral West Adventures offers various camps and events for the young ones. After-school programs and home-school programs offer youths the chance to learn about caring for horses and, of course, some trail rides. They even offer a Cub Scout program and a merit badge for Boy Scouts. 

Foothills Community Park

12795 Estrella Pkwy, Goodyear, AZ 85338

This park goes by a few names amongst us locals, but that’s because it offers so many things for you to do. The property is also sometimes called Estrella Foothills Bike Park because of their volunteer-maintained pump track. It has a beginner, intermediate, and advanced course for all of the mountain bike riders out there. There’s even a spectator area for the folks who aren’t ready for the track’s various bowls, humps, and sharp turns. The park has quickly become a premier destination for mountain biking, thanks to the design and direction of Arizona BMX racer Johnathan Medeiros.

The entirety of Foothills Community Park covers up to 18 acres, with plenty of community amenities like baseball fields, soccer fields, ramadas to rent, picnic tables, barbecue grills, and more. There’s even an amphitheater for live music events, and if you get hungry in the middle of the day, you can find some snacks at the park’s concession stand.

We all know that Goodyear is a great place to enjoy the outdoors and make some terrific memories with your family. These venues all offer great ways to get some fresh air while staying close to home. Do you have a favorite spot that we missed? Drop us a line at Crème de la Crème of Goodyear, AZ and we’ll check it out for ourselves.