Indian Bend Wash Is Down One Lake, and the Rest of the Greenbelt Is Next in Line

What are the lakes along the Indian Bend Wash greenbelt actually for? The City of Scottsdale gives a plain answer. The lakes in the parks along the Wash are used to irrigate park landscaping. The ducks, the fishing and the view from the path come second to that job. Once you see the lakes as a water system, the fences at Vista del Camino Park this fall make more sense. So does the shorter list of lakes when the fences come down.

The city is in the middle of a $34,611,546 bond-funded project to repair the lakes and irrigation between Murray Lane and McKellips Road. The early phases at Eldorado Park fixed irrigation, turf and a pump station. The two lake phases, at Vista del Camino and McKellips Lake Park, follow one pattern. Each removes a lake, rebuilds the lakes that remain, connects them with a channel and moves the path to fit the new shoreline.

Why the Old Lakes Were Losing Water

The city lists the problems in unusually specific terms. Plants had rooted into the lakes and punctured the clay liners, which caused larger than normal water loss. Lake edges were eroding next to the multi-use paths. The irrigation systems were outdated and undersized. The open channels between lakes had eroded banks, sediment, heavy plant growth and decaying pedestrian bridges. The spillway just north of McKellips Road was leaking.

All five problems come back to water leaving a system that is supposed to hold it. Scottsdale voters approved the funding on Nov. 5, 2019, as Question 2, Project 23. City Council approved the Indian Bend Wash Municipal Use Master Site Plan on March 3, 2020.

What Vista del Camino Looks Like Now

Work on Area 4, the stretch of Vista del Camino Park between McDowell Road and Roosevelt Street, began in October 2025. The plan for this segment does five things:

• Reshapes and deepens the north and south lakes to improve water quality, with new liners and concrete edges
• Removes the middle lake
• Builds a low-flow channel to carry water between the two remaining lakes
• Adds a new pump station and an irrigation system with a smart two-wire controller
• Realigns the multi-use paths

The city's latest update says the lake by the ball fields has been removed and the new low-flow channel is complete. The dam at the south end of the park has been rebuilt, and the south lake has its new liner and concrete edge. Sod installation was scheduled to begin in September 2026.

The path is the part that matters most for a morning loop. The city scheduled the multi-use path through this segment to close from Sept. 14 to mid-October, with a detour along Miller Road. That page was last updated Sept. 10, 2026. It still lists Area 4 as under construction, and it has not posted a reopening date for the realigned path. The city's project page has the detour map. Check it before you count on riding straight through between McDowell and Roosevelt. Some amenities in this segment are behind construction fencing for public safety.

When the path reopens, it will follow the new shape of the park. The trip south from McDowell will pass one fewer lake, with the remaining water connected by the new low-flow channel.

The Six Phases and Where They Stand

Vista del Camino is the fourth of six areas. Here is where each one stands, according to the city:

The earlier work at Eldorado is a preview of what comes after construction. Work began there in March 2023 with the Eldorado Park Pond rehabilitation, south of Murray Lane, plus some turf converted to xeriscape and upgraded concrete pathways. To rebuild the pump station, the city drained Eldorado Park Pond and moved its aquatic life to Chaparral Lake. Fenced areas stay fenced until the Bermuda grass is reestablished. That last detail matters for Vista del Camino too. A path can reopen weeks before the grass beside it is ready for use.

McKellips Lake Park Is Next

The phase that will most change the southern end of the greenbelt has no date yet. At McKellips Lake Park, between Roosevelt Street and McKellips Road, the plan includes:

1. A new liner and concrete edge on the south lake
2. Removal of the north lake by the ball fields
3. A rebuilt dam and new low-flow channels, including one between Roosevelt Street and the south lake
4. A new irrigation system and a pump station in the existing maintenance yard
5. Switching the water source from well water to SRP water drawn from the lake
6. Realigned multi-use paths

Item five is the clearest sign of how the city sees these lakes. Once this phase is done, the lake at McKellips will water the park around it, the same way the rebuilt lakes to the north do. The city also states that the dog park will stay in its current location. For regulars at that end of the Wash, that is the line on the project page worth remembering.

Where to Fish While the South End Is Rebuilt

Fishing on the greenbelt now centers on Chaparral Lake. It is the only Scottsdale water on the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Community Fishing Program stocking sheet, revised Sept. 30, 2026. The summer pause on community-lake stocking ran from June 25 to Sept. 15. The fall schedule shows Chaparral Lake switching species as the water cools:

• Week of Oct. 19–23: catfish
• Week of Nov. 2–6: catfish
• Week of Nov. 30–Dec. 4: trout
• Week of Dec. 14–18: trout

AZGFD says stockings in community waters happen on random days from Monday to Saturday within the listed week, and the schedule can change. The sheet lists weather, water quality, golden algae and fish availability among the reasons a date can slip. The December trout weeks are the furthest out, so check them again closer to the date. AZGFD also sets the fishing license rules for community waters, so check its site for what applies to you.

The Crossing That Already Changed

Not every greenbelt project is still underway. The Indian Bend Wash Underpass at Chaparral Road is finished. It is a below-grade crossing on the east side of Hayden Road that lets walkers and cyclists stay on the Wash instead of crossing Chaparral at street level. Construction began in May 2024 and took nine months, and the project also changed nearby paths and sidewalks. It adds to what the city calls more than 24 grade-separated crossings along the 11-mile greenbelt.

Three Stops Just Off the Path on Hayden

North of the construction, the Hayden Road side of McCormick Ranch has added places to end a ride.

Vecina opened its second location at 8300 N. Hayden Road, Suite D-101, on Friday, Sept. 18. Phoenix New Times reported that the Scottsdale restaurant opened with dinner service and plans to add lunch later. Its reservation listing shows daily hours of 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Starfish Scottsdale serves coastal Asian cuisine on the northwest corner of Hayden Road and Via de Ventura, in the former Okay Maguey space. Mouth by Southwest reported a limited-reservation soft opening on May 1 and a grand opening set for May 5.

DASH has not opened yet. Chef Matt Carter, Brian Raab and pastry chef Lisa Graf are turning the former Fired Pie space at 9619 N. Hayden Road into an all-day neighborhood restaurant and market. The menu will include coffee, pastries, sandwiches, Roman-style pizza, charcoal chicken, wine, cocktails and soft serve. Forking Scottsdale's Oct. 8 newsletter reported that the team is still aiming for a late-2026 opening. WhatNow Phoenix reported on Oct. 1 that no opening date had been announced.

If you live near the greenbelt and are thinking about how the Vista del Camino and McKellips work fits into your own plans, we can go over the city's phase schedule with you. AZ Unique Homes is happy to help you sort out the details. Let's Connect.