Scottsdale City Councilwoman Betty Drake held up an enlarged postcard of the scenic buttes inside Papago Park with a caption that read “Cactus Park at Apache Trail, AZ.”

Scottsdale City Councilwoman Betty Drake held up an enlarged postcard of the scenic buttes inside Papago Park with a caption that read “Cactus Park at Apache Trail, AZ.”

Planners of Papago Park’s future on Wednesday suggested electric trolleys, a high-end golf course and a narrower McDowell Road pass through the buttes as ways to help make the park a “premier destination.”

Planners of Papago Park’s future on Wednesday suggested electric trolleys, a high-end golf course and a narrower McDowell Road pass through the buttes as ways to help make the park a “premier destination.”

The first major steps toward renewing and rehabilitating Papago Park were made this week with the creation of two official tri-city committees and an option for funding.

Papago Park is a 1,600-acre window to the unspoiled desert — and it should remain that way, said representatives of two Scottsdale neighborhood groups.

Papago Park is a 1,600-acre window to the unspoiled desert — and it should remain that way, said representatives of two Scottsdale neighborhood groups.

The first of about $10 million in proposed improvements designed to boost Papago Park as a cultural beacon is slated for completion in the fall.

Papago Park is a 1,600-acre window to the unspoiled desert — and it should remain that way, said representatives of two Scottsdale neighborhood groups.

Papago Park is a 1,600-acre window to the unspoiled desert — and it should remain that way, said representatives of two Scottsdale neighborhood groups.

A 24-year-old man was killed Friday in Mesa after investigators believe he hiked off the main trail and fell over 100 feet to his death.

A man was found dead Sunday morning in Tempe’s Papago Park with a gunshot wound and a gun in his hand.

Papago Park may be best known for its desert wildlife and boulder-studded terrain, but after an almost $10 million renovation to its sometimes overlooked golf course nears completion over the next seven months, park visitors may find themselves trading in their hiking boots for a new pair of golf cleats.

Just after nine on Saturday morning, and Freddie Hidalgo and family are taking a walk in Papago Park. “It’s something we can do as a family,” he says. But it isn’t your standard stroll.

There have been many books written about golf courses, but most of them are about the game’s most-storied settings — Pebble Beach, Augusta National, Winged Foot and Pinehurst No. 2.