Tempe Town Lake

Time spent walking, biking or skating along Tempe Town Lake can feel like a mini-vacation; after all, this is a sparkling waterfront in the Phoenix-area desert. The lake occupies a two-mile stretch of the Salt River’s natural (but long-dry) path, and water is held there today for recreational and visual pleasure by inflatable dams. Athletic users of the north- and south-bank paved paths can rely on five distinctive bridges between Mill Avenue and Priest Drive to time their workouts or change up their scenery.