– Scottsdale knows how to build parks: The George “Doc” Cavalliere Park at Greasewood Flat –
One of our favorite fun places to visit for good food and drink is Greasewood Flat. (Greasewood Flat is closed for now.) It’s located off Alma School Road in North Scottsdale across the road from the Four Seasons Resort. Follow the dirt road and to the parking lots , including special “parking places” for horses. Once you enter, you will find wooden tables and benches, big open fire pits and lots of good music and good times.
Greasewood Flat was opened by George R. Cavalliere, a true cowboy, in 1975. He passed away in 2009 at the age of 93 and is still missed by all his friends. In his honor, the City of Scottsdale built and dedicated a park to him in 2012. It is adjacent to his property and there are several lookouts within the park trails that give you a panoramic view of Pinnacle Peak and Greasewood Flat. There are houses and hotels built all around the area now, but it’s still easy to visualize how rough that terrain must have been when he settled here in the 1950’s.
Aptly named the George “Doc” Cavalliere Park, it is designed with trails, grassy areas, basketball courts and a shaded playground area for children. There is ample parking and, again, there is parking for the horses as this trail is shared by hikers, horses and bikes. They even thought about our “best friends” and installed a water fountain for dogs.
The design of the park area is true desert. There are three large rusted iron walls that are majestic to view as you walk into the park. The retaining walls of the buildings and play areas are the classic rocks stacked within iron cages. This is something you see throughout this area and it allows the walls to blend in with its surroundings.
The benches are poured concrete with iron arms and are scattered throughout the park to provide areas to sit and rest, or just gather for conversation. The basketball courts are lighted and amazingly big to accommodate large groups of children. It invites you to come and play.
Just within the entrance is a cement walled area that works well for toddlers who want to play in the sand. As a bonus, it keeps them contained and safe so Moms and Dads can sit on the cement walls and watch them.
Last but not least, the large shaded area with special rubberized mats houses an array of climbing and playing equipment for children of all ages. Again, there is lots of seating for the Moms and Dads while their little ones enjoy the equipment. Or, they can run all over the grassy area next to the playground, which is also walled to keep the little ones within sight.
I don’t know who designed the park (I plan to find out), but they managed to establish a park area for all ages that can be enjoyed for many years to come.
You can reach the park by turning east off of Alma School Road at the Fire Station. It ‘s well marked with a sign and stays open until at least 10:00 PM every night.
More Information:
George “Doc” Cavalliere Park
27775 N. Alma School Parkway
Scottsdale, AZ 85262
