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Gateway Park Has It All

A Fantastic place to play!

By Lisa Franz, MacaroniKID Publisher: Surprise-Peoria-El Mirage April 9, 2025

Gateway Park, El Mirage

The only thing “wrong” with this park is its slightly unusual location out on the empty side of El Mirage but, other than that, it's Great and has so much to offer families. There’s something for kids, teens, adults, and even the family dog! 

Here’s an overview of the park’s features which, taken all together, make this a fantastic destination:

  • A Splash Pad! And it just opened up this week for the warm season.
  • A good sized regular playground with much of it covered.
  • Full sized Basketball courts
  • LOTS of green grass
  • Huge fields that are wide open in the daytime and Sundays.  Think soccer balls, frisbees, races and playing catch.  There are trees all around the perimeter so I am not 100% sure if kites are a good idea but if you can stay in the middle, they might be a lot of fun too! 
  • A Dog Park (other side of the driveway in case you missed it)
  • A restaurant!  Windy City Dogs is right there, integrated into the park.
  • A Skate Park
  • A popular Walking Track that goes all the way around the main fields and is just under half a mile. It’s well maintained and fairly shaded, making it an option even when it’s sunny and on the warm side outside. The trees and bushes all around are full of happy birds including doves, hummingbirds and woodpeckers so it’s nice.
  • It’s in the flight path of Luke AFB so if your child loves watching the jets and planes, they will get a pretty good view if they happen to be active during your visit. (On the flip side, if your child does not like occasional loud noises, go on Sundays when the base does not have flights.)

Because of its location away from homes, it’s typically not super busy. This means you can usually count on your kids having free reign of the space and playgrounds. The only exception is in the evenings and Saturdays when youth sports come out and hold their practices and games. If you come during those time frames, expect to have some company.

There are bathrooms (very spartan) and water fountains and many of the parking spots are covered either by solar panels or trees. The YMCA and El Mirage Police Dept. share the entrance and parking area so it’s a safe place to be any time of the day or evening. 

As parents, you can never know too many parks and splash pads. This one will be a great addition to your repertoire. I hope you visit this park and enjoy the time spent there! The park is located at 10100 N El Mirage Rd, El Mirage, AZ 85335