Every time the graphic that featured the number of miles nature trails in the city of Surprise was shown to the public, it drew heavy sighs from those in City Hall.
The complete lack of an in-city trail system stood in marked contrast to fellow Valley suburbs. The city knew the open space around McMicken Dam would be ideal one day once Maricopa County made progress on dam restoration projects, but waiting was difficult.
On Oct. 1, Surprise’s nature trail and open space plans for McMicken Dam started to transfer from theory to reality. The city council approved a memorandum of understanding with the Maricopa County Flood Control District establishing the intent for both parties to develop areas of the dam for recreation and open space uses.
