Mansel Carter Oasis Park is a 48-acre park that opened in 2017 in Queen Creek.
When we say this park has something for everyone…this park has something for everyone! From sport fields, a splash pad, skate park, sand pit, lake, exercise equipment and more.
Did you know you can also bike to Mansel Carter Oasis Park? See the Getting There section below for a fun option!
Warning: if you go hear your kids won’t want to leave and they’ll beg you to go back. Don’t say we didn’t warn you
In This Guide:
What’s to See & Do
Playground
Splash Pad
Skate Park
Sand Pit
Lake at Mansel Park & Fishing
Hours & When to Go
What to Bring
Good to Know Before You Go
Parking
Getting There
Things to Do Near Mansel Carter Oasis Park
Mansel Carter Oasis Park is named after Mansel Carter who was nicknamed “Man of the Mountain.” He had a way with small bird and animals and became a local celebrity as he welcomed visitors from all over the world. When he died in 1987, he was buried alongside his best friend in San Tan Regional Park.
What’s to See & Do
While we’ll cover all the parks amenities in detail here, this is a full list of what you’ll find at the park:
- A huge playground
- 2 lighted multi-purpose fields
- 4 lighted baseball fields
- 2 sand volleyball courts
- 2 lighted basketball courts
- 5-acre fishing lake
- Peninsula with rock waterfall
- 8 picnic ramadas
- Skate park
- Sand dig pit
- Shipwreck-themed splash pad
- 3 fitness areas
Playground at Mansel Carter Oasis Park
The huge playground at Mansel Carter has tons of features and is accommodating for kids of different ages. The all rubber surface covers the playground area, which can be harder to find.
While you have the typical swings and slides, most of the features aren’t common to playgrounds in the area which makes this park so fun.
There is a large tower area with stairs, ramps and climbing areas for kids to run and climb around in. You’ll see lots of games of tag and hide n’ seek happening.
What an amazing park! It is HUGE! Fantastic splash pad, fun playground up on the hill, a sand area for excavating dinosaur bones (not real ones, sorry), small lake with fish, a workout station, bike trails, a skatepark, ….. I felt like I was in a different little world over there. Go check it out!!
– Tiffany J.
There is also a large spinning globe which children love to climb in and hang on the outside of (ok, and sometimes an adult too!).
Plus there are different rock features, musical instruments, merry-go-round and more.
Just past the tower feature are several slides and a rock climbing wall that take you down towards the sand dig area and an exercise area.
Warning: you won’t be the only parent having trouble keeping their kid wanting to going back and forth from the playground to the splash pad!
Splash Pad
The splash pad at Mansel Cart has a shipwrecked theme featuring a pirate ship, big splash drop bucket, sprayers, fountains and even an area for smaller ones.
They made sure to add features for both younger and older kids.
Great park! The water part is really cool and includes giant buckets of water that dump down on you and a pirate ship. When it’s 110 degrees this is what you need – not just some little sprinkles form a splash pad. Also has a covered playground. It’s a bit far from my house but worth the drive.
– Nadaa T.
There are 3 water switches to turn on the water at the park. You’ll find these at the top of red poles within the splash pad itself.
When is the Mansel Carter splash pad open?
The splash pad is open from 7am to 9:30pm from March 1st to October 31st.
Skate park
The skate park is roughly 11,000 ft.² in size featuring a mini ramp, balance beams and beginner elementss. There is also a good size Street plaza. You’ll find a staircase to climb up to the top of the ramp.
You’ll see kids, teens and adults with both scooters and skateboards enjoying the area.
While the skate park is a good size, it’s not as large as the skate parks at Freestone Skatepark in Gilbert.
Really nice, newer park. One great thing about it is that it’s mirrored so whether you’re regular or goofy you can do the same stuff. It you can try stuff regular or switch.
– Josh S.
It is, however, well lit at night for an evening skate.
The skate park is open daily from 7am to 9:30pm.
Sand Pit
If your child loves to play in the sand you’ll love the sand pit at Mansel Carter oasis Park.
This is one of the parks amenities that is often overlooked as it is down the hill on the far side of the playground. Often times you can find this sand pit empty or with just a few kids playing.
The sand pit has a large Boulder with a water feature which makes it fun for building sand castles or anything else the kids can dream up. The kids can also climb inside of the Boulder to play in the sand underneath or even escape the sun for a bit.
Lake at Mansel Park & Fishing
The 5-acre Lake at Mansel Park is part of the Arizona Game & Fish Department’s community fishing program and is the town’s first lake.
The lake is regularly stocked and you can see the full stocking schedule here. As with other community lakes, due to the heat there is no fish stocking between June 25th and September 15th.
Awesome spot for families. The parks, splash pad, skate park, courts, fishing ponds and paths are sure to keep you busy. There’s a covered fishing area and my 7yr old son hooked 12 fish in under 2 hours.
– Brad F.
The lake’s water comes from recovered water (recharged effluent) from the ground that cannot be used for drinking.
Everyone 10-years and older must have a license in order to fish at the lake. Licenses can be purchased online from the Arizona Game and Fish Department or at license dealers (like Walmart, Bass Pro Shop, etc.) in the state.
You’ll also find fishing line bins along the lake.
What fish are there at Mansel Carter Oasis Park?
The water in the lake is relatively clear and his home life variety of fish including:
- Largemouth Bass (limit 2 per day; must be 13-inch in length minimum)
- Rainbow Trout (limit 4 per day)
- Bluegill
- Sunfish (limit 10 per day)
- Channel Catfish (limit 4 per day)
- White Amur (limit 1 per day; must be 30-inch in length minimum)
- There are about a dozen picnic tables available at the front of the playground area. You can see both the playground and splash pad from there.
This is a nice place to walk around the lake and see and feed the ducks.
There are also two covered picnic pavilions right next to the lake. Leading up to the pavilions beautiful waterfall feature. The pavilions along the water light up at night.
Hours & When to Go
The park is open daily from 7am to 10pm. At night the park is well lit including the playground, basketball courts and field.
In the cooler months the park is very popular from 5pm to 7pm. So if your kids are bored and looking for other kids to play with, this is the time to go.
What to Bring
With so much to do at Mansel Carter, what you’ll need to bring depends on how long you plan to stay (we recommend you plan on staying for longer than you think you will!) and what you plan to do. Some things you may want to consider bring are:
- Plenty of water
- Snacks
- A picnic
- Bathing suit & towel
- Change of clothes
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Sports equipment (basketball, volleyball, soccer ball, etc.)
- Skateboard and / or scooter
Good to Know Before You Go
- There are 3 restroom facilities available (2 of which are family restrooms)
- Mansel Park is an IBCCES Autism Certified Center
- No lifeguard is on duty at the Splash Pad
- Everyone 10 years and older must have a fishing license
- There are BBQ pits available at the park
Parking
There is tons of parking around all the amenities so even when it is crowded, parking will not be a problem. While there are only 2 parking lots, they are extremely large to accommodate the number of people who want to visit the park.
There is also overflow parking next to the skate park in the event more is needed.
Getting There
The park is located at 19535 E. Appleby Road Queen Creek.
From Sossaman Road, drive East on Appleby Rd. There are two parking lots available and overflow parking lot is available west of the park.
You can also access the park by walking or riding the Queen Creek Wash Trail. Park at Desert Mountain Park and ride from there to Mansel Carter Oasis Park.
Note: you will pass a neighborhood along Appleby Road. No public parking is available there.
Things to Do Nearby
- Visit the Queen Creek Botanical Gardens
- Play at the playground at Desert Mountain Park
- Walk or ride the Queen Creek Wash Trail
- Grab a bite to eat at Creek Side Taco Shack
- Play in the splash pad or at the playground at Founders Park
- Take a hike at the beautiful San Tan Regional Park
