Town of Buckeye to transform 8700 acres of Arizona desert lands into a camping hub

Buckeye is leasing land from the Bureau of Land Management to transform the desert land into a camping hub complete with picnic areas, campgrounds, and hiking and equestrian trails reports the Tucson Citizen.

The town has signed a lease agreement with the BLM to develop 8,675 acres in the far West Valley into a regional park over the next 25 years. Buckeye plans to annex the land and begin constructing access roads to develop what for now is being called Buckeye White Tank Regional Park.

After 25 years, if BLM officials are satisfied with what Buckeye has done with property, they will transfer ownership to Buckeye. Buckeye leased the land at no cost under the federal Recreation and Public Purposes Act, enacted by Congress in 1954.

“It is a rather large acquisition, but the parcel was isolated from other blocks of public land. We had no interest in that land,” said Jim Andersen, a land-realty specialist for the BLM.

Under the plan, the entrance to Buckeye White Tank Regional Park will be at the end of Watson Road, about 2 miles north of Interstate 10 and south of Maricopa County’s White Tank Mountain Regional Park (photo) that the land borders and which is already popular for scenic desert hiking, campgrounds, and wildlife.

Buckeye officials hope to partner with the county and create trails that will interweave with existing trails at the White Tank Mountains.