Valley splash pad season starts as temps climb

State of play: Several local splash pads are open year-round or have begun their "summer" season already.

• We tracked down the opening date for most of the Valley's free options:

Open now:

• Tempe Marketplace
• Desert Ridge Marketplace
• Westgate Fountain Park
• Scottsdale Quarter
• Gilbert Water Tower Plaza
• Gilbert Regional Park
• Mesa Golfland Sunsplash (splash pad is separate from paid water park)
• City of Scottsdale splash pads (Chesnutt Park, Paiute Park, Pima Park, Scottsdale Civic Center)
• City of Mesa splash pads (Riverview Park, Signal Butte Park, Pioneer Park, Plaza at Mesa City Center)
• Caveat: Riverview Park closed March 22-30 for maintenance.
• Town of Queen Creek splash pads (Founders' Park, Mansel Carter Oasis Park, Frontier Family Park)

Opening soon:

• March 20 (Fridays-Sundays only until May 23): Phoenix (Altadena Park, Civic Space Park, Dust Devil Park, Edison Park, El Oso Park, Francisco Highland Park, Laveen Village Park, Margaret T. Hance Park, Mariposa Park, Mountain Vista Park, Nuestro Park, Patriots Square Park, Pecos Park, Trailside Point Park)
• Caveat: Edison Park and Nuestro Park will open May 23.

• April 1: Chandler (Chuparosa Park, Desert Breeze Park, Espee Park)
• April 1: Surprise (Dick McComb City Park, Marley Park/Heritage Park, Rescue Oasis Park, Veramonte Park)
• April 1: Buckeye Sundance Park
• April 4: Tempe (The Cloud at Kiwanis Park, Esquer Park, Parque de Soza)
• Caveat: Jaycee Park will open May 1 or later due to maintenance.
• April 4 (weekends only until Memorial Day): Avondale (Friendship Park, Festival Fields Park, Alamar Park, Park Avenue Plaza)
• April 20: Goodyear Community Park
• April 15: Peoria (Camino A Lago Park, Paloma Community Park, Pioneer Community Park, Rio Vista Community Park)
• May 23: Glendale (Heroes Park, O'Neil Park, Sunset Palms Park, Sycamore Grove, Greenway Granada Park)