Antonia Mejia, who writes the City of Mesa's Rec Report, describes herself as less "sporty" than she used to be. In an October 7 post on the City's site, she wrote about a rider at the new Signal Butte bike area who offered her his BMX bike. She rolled "very slowly" into the intermediate section, and after a few laps her confidence came back. The same post says word of the park had spread fast enough that construction crews reported trespassers trying it out before opening day.
The rest of us can try it on Saturday, November 7, at 10 a.m., when Signal Butte Park Phase II formally opens to the public. The bike park is the second half of a park southeast Mesa has been using since 2020, and it covers more ground than the original.
One park, built from both sides of a wash
Signal Butte Park sits on the northeast corner of Signal Butte and Elliot roads, and Signal Butte Wash runs through the middle of it. A July 8, 2025 report to Mesa City Council explains the split. Phase I was built in 2020 with money from the 2012 Parks Bond and covered everything south of the wash. Phase II builds "the remaining park improvements north of the wash" and is funded by the bond program Mesa voters approved on November 6, 2018.
Here's how the two halves got built:
| Milestone | Date | Source of funds |
|---|---|---|
| Voters approve the bond program that includes Phase II | Nov. 6, 2018 | 2018 General Obligation bonds |
| Phase I opens south of the wash | 2020 | 2012 Parks Bond |
| Valley Rain Construction awarded pre-construction services | Nov. 2, 2023 | 2018 GO bonds |
| Council approves the first construction contract | April 2025 | 2018 GO bonds |
| Council approves the remaining construction | July 2025 | 2018 GO bonds |
| Phase II opens to the public | Nov. 7, 2026 | n/a |
When KTAR covered the first opening in January 2020, it described a 30-acre recreation area with a custom geometric playground, slides and climbing features, swings, four ramadas and a one-mile walking trail. The City puts the new northern half at roughly 43 acres. Together they make up a park the City now lists at 76.7 acres. So if you've been taking kids to the splash pad for six years, you've been using the smaller part of the park.
A new pedestrian bridge over Signal Butte Wash connects the two halves. Council documents list it first among the Phase II improvements, ahead of the restroom, ramadas, BMX tracks and parking lot. The City's Rec Report says the bridge also lengthens the walking trails.
The first thing Mesa bought was the lighting
The order of the contracts tells you a lot about how this half is meant to be used. Council's first approval, in April 2025, was $1,037,798.12 to lock in long-lead electrical equipment the City called "essential to the overall timing of construction." The remaining work came in July 2025, a $5,004,988.14 contract with Valley Rain Construction Corporation plus a 5% change-order allowance. With both allowances, council authorized about $6.34 million. The City's own Rec Report rounds the project to a "$5 million park."
That electrical package is what lets the park run after dark. According to the City, LED lighting will keep the bike park open until 10 p.m. daily, and light spill outside the park boundaries will be minimal. The project page adds that the paved sections of the new pathways are lit too. Mejia says she prefers night riding in cooler weather, and a November opening falls right at the start of that season.
The whole property already lists hours of sunrise to 10 p.m. or as posted. The difference on the north side is that lit tracks and lit paths make those evening hours usable for riding.
What's actually north of the wash
The paved humps you've seen from Signal Butte Road come in three skill levels. The City calls the result the largest asphalt pump track in Arizona.
- Tot track. Nearest the new parking lot, this separate winding loop has bright green tunnels, colorful hoops, low ramps and a curved wooden wall, with white arrows marking direction.
- Intermediate pump track. This is a network of rollers and banked turns with what the City calls "multiple transfer opportunities." It's the section Mejia rode on her first day.
- Advanced flow trails. The City lists these with the pump track as the main attractions.
The track surfaces are marked with blue, yellow and green routes. East Valley Explorer points out that aerial photos don't show official difficulty ratings, so check the signs on site before picking a line.
The northern half also has space for people who aren't riding. The City's project description lists one large ramada and two smaller ones, a restroom building, and about 1.6 miles of asphalt and stabilized native-soil pathways. One of those paths is a 1.25-mile walking loop around the tracks. Add that to the one-mile trail from 2020, and walkers using the bridge have more than twice the path mileage the park opened with. The Rec Report also mentions a BBQ zone.
Getting to the right side of the park
The two halves have different addresses, and that can send drivers to the wrong spot. Mesa lists Phase II at 3355 S. Signal Butte Road, while the original park is at 11132 E. Elliot Road. If you search for "Signal Butte Park," you may land at the playground lot on Elliot.
For the bike area, use these landmarks:
- Head to Signal Butte Road, north of Elliot. The riding area is south of the SRP Browning Substation, with the existing park and a water treatment plant across the wash.
- Look for Fire Station 219 at 3361 S. Signal Butte Road. The bike park entrance is right next to it.
- Park in the new lot. The City's figures for it range from 45 standard spaces plus two accessible stalls to "48 spaces" in the Rec Report, so expect about four dozen.
With that few spaces and an opening-day crowd likely, families who live close enough may want to walk or ride in. The other option is the familiar Elliot Road side, then crossing the new bridge north.
The City's Signal Butte Park page also says the east construction area next to the plant stays closed until December 2026. That closure doesn't affect the park amenities.
Before the first lap on Nov. 7
According to East Valley Explorer, the grand opening was announced by Pillar Skateparks and Pillar Ride Co., whose October announcement said the site was still an active construction site and not open to the public. Mejia's post confirms the date and the 10 a.m. start on the City's behalf. Until then, stay outside the construction barriers, however tempting the rollers look from the road.
The City hasn't posted an opening-day program or a track-specific rule list yet. Mesa's general park rules allow Class 1 and 2 e-bikes and electric scooters on park sidewalks at no more than 5 mph, effective February 11, 2026. That rule covers sidewalks, not the pump track or flow trails, so read the signs at the track entrance before bringing a scooter or e-bike onto the riding surfaces. A helmet, water and sun protection make sense on any visit. East Valley Explorer notes that the new section has a lot of exposed pavement and young landscaping.
Mesa Parks and Recreation staff call Phase II the biggest project they've finished since Reed Park was revamped last year. From the Elliot Road side, the playground, splash pad and ramadas are still where they've been since 2020, and on November 7 a new pedestrian bridge across Signal Butte Wash will take you to the larger half on the north side.
Living near Signal Butte and Elliot means a park like this becomes part of your week. If you're thinking about how southeast Mesa fits your next move, Alex LeBouton and Melissa know the area street by street. Schedule a Consultation, and we'll talk through the parks and pathways near the homes you're considering.
