Clifton Splash Pad

The Clifton Splash Pad is the town’s summer cool-down spot: a free, colorful water-play area on Park Avenue in East Clifton. Rust-red canyon walls, palm trees and the Spanish Revival buildings along the San Francisco River surround it, making it one of the more photogenic corners of the county seat.

The splash pad replaced Clifton’s old municipal swimming pool. It was paid for through Freeport-McMoRan’s Community Investment Fund, part of the mine’s broader investment in local recreation. The Town of Clifton Parks Department runs it.

It operates from mid-May through Labor Day. It can’t be reserved; it’s always open to the public during posted hours, most recently listed as 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Families who want a ramada or gazebo for a party can reserve one at a nearby town park, such as Al Fernandez Park, also on Park Avenue, through Town Hall at 928-865-4146.

It’s an easy stop to pair with a walk along Park Avenue past the Clifton Hotel and the Mining Shovel display, or a visit to historic Chase Creek across the river.