Where Desert
Becomes Home
5,300 acres woven into the Sonoran Hills, northwest of Phoenix. A new kind of master-planned community defined by trails, views, and the wild beauty of the Arizona desert.
Everything You Need to Know About Saddleback
The most comprehensive independent guide to Saddleback — covering every village, builder, amenity, and investment angle. Use the sections below to jump to what matters most to you.
Schedule Time with Eric →The Scottsdale of the West Valley
Developed by Austin-based Castle Hill Partners, Saddleback is the largest remaining undeveloped master-planned community site in Peoria — a 5,300-acre canvas nestled into the Sonoran Mountains, five minutes from Lake Pleasant.
Groundbreaking took place November 2024, with first homes available for purchase mid-2026. Prices range from the $500,000s to $3 million, across a carefully curated mix of builders and villages suited to every stage of life.
The community sits just 42 miles from downtown Phoenix, adjacent to the booming Vistancia neighborhood, and minutes from major employers including TSMC Arizona, BNSF Industrial Park, and soon, Amkor Technology.
Four Distinct Saddleback Villages
Each village is designed to complement its terrain, connected by trails and anchored by its own character and homebuilder lineup.
Saltbrush Village
Woven together by the Saltbrush Trail, this launch village connects north to scenic nature trails and south to Founders Park. Thoughtfully designed homes for families, entertainers, and those seeking single-level desert living.
Long Canyon Village
An inspired collection of single-family residences designed to complement and elevate their natural surroundings. Anticipated to appeal to move-up buyers seeking architectural distinction and panoramic desert views.
Long Canyon Reserve
An exclusive gated enclave offering only 19 semi-custom luxury estates. Larger lots, sweeping desert and mountain views, and award-winning craftsmanship define this boutique pocket of Saddleback.
Blue Basin
Saddleback's future luxury village promises to be as stunning as its surroundings — bringing sophisticated single-family homes into the higher Sonoran hills. Homebuilders to be announced. This village will raise the bar for new luxury in the West Valley.
A Basecamp for
Every Adventure
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60+ Miles of Trails
Including the signature 13-mile Saddleback Trail — a peak-to-peak journey leading all the way to Saddleback Mountain. Hiking, mountain biking, and trail running from your front door.
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60+ Acres of Public Parks
Founders Park anchors Saltbrush Village, with a variety of additional private parks, recreation areas, and wellness-focused community amenities throughout the development.
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2,500+ Acres Preserved Open Space
Thousands of saguaro cacti and native Sonoran habitat protected and preserved. Villages are carefully nestled among rolling hills — you see nature, not rooftops.
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Architecture Rooted in Place
Homes inspired by regionally traditional styles including Craftsman Bungalow, Spanish Colonial, Monterey, Territorial Ranch, and Contemporary — each selected to complement the desert landscape.
Saddleback Homebuilders: Lennar, Taylor Morrison, Toll Brothers, David Weekley & Camelot
The Gateway to Arizona Adventure
Found at the northern extension of Vistancia Boulevard in north Peoria, Saddleback connects to SR-74 — giving residents fast access to recreation, employment, and some of Arizona's most beloved destinations.
North Peoria is the third-highest median household income area in Maricopa County — behind only Paradise Valley and North Scottsdale — with an average of $160,000. The city is the second fastest-growing in the West Valley, with booming employment anchored by TSMC, BNSF Industrial Park, and the forthcoming Amkor Technology facility.
Saddleback Home Prices: $500K to $3M
From production-built family homes to gated semi-custom estates, Saddleback offers genuine choice across price points and lifestyles.
- Open single-level floorplans
- Generous great rooms & kitchen islands
- Next Gen® multigenerational suites
- Select RV garage options
- Trail access from Saltbrush Village
- Customizable luxury floorplans
- Elevated architectural details
- Designer interior finishes
- Larger canyon-view lots
- Indoor-outdoor connection
- Panoramic mountain views
- 19 gated semi-custom estates
- ~⅓-acre average lot size
- Chef-inspired kitchens & spa baths
- Premium Sonoran desert views
- Award-winning Camelot craftsmanship
Saddleback Amenities: Trails, Parks, Pools & More
Saddleback's amenity program goes far beyond the typical clubhouse-and-pool formula. Every element is designed for the Sonoran lifestyle.
The Saddleback Trail System
The crown jewel of the community is a 60+ mile network of pathways and flowing singletrack trails — designed for mountain bikers, hikers, trail runners, and those who simply want to step outside and wander. The signature Saddleback Trail is a 13-mile peak-to-peak journey from the community floor all the way to Saddleback Mountain, delivering panoramic views that stretch from the Arizona Cardinals stadium to the downtown Phoenix skyline. Nearly every home functions as its own trailhead — no driving to a trailhead, no special trip. The entire trail system also links each village to shared amenities, parks, and each other, making the trails the community's connective tissue.
Founders Park & Neighborhood Parks
Founders Park anchors Saltbrush Village to the south, serving as the social hub for the first phase of the community. Beyond that, 60+ acres of public parks are being donated to the City of Peoria, supplemented by a variety of private community parks and facilities throughout the development. Playgrounds, picnic areas, and gathering lawns are woven throughout.
Adventure Hubs
Saddleback will feature dedicated adventure hub facilities — equipped spaces for gear storage, bike maintenance, group meetups, and launching outdoor excursions. These serve the community's trail users and outdoor enthusiasts who need a base of operations without leaving the neighborhood.
Swimming Pools
Multiple swimming pools are planned throughout Saddleback's village network, providing resort-style recreation within walking distance of homes across the community. Specific locations and programming details will be announced per village phase.
Outdoor Workspaces
Saddleback acknowledges the reality of remote and hybrid work. Dedicated outdoor work areas provide shaded, connected environments where residents can work productively while staying connected to nature — blending the home office with the Sonoran landscape.
Stargazing Areas
Set away from Phoenix's urban core in the mountains of north Peoria, Saddleback is positioned for exceptional dark-sky experiences. The community plans dedicated stargazing areas — places simply to sit back and count the stars, as the official community ethos describes it.
Pop-Up Retail & Public Art
Saddleback's amenity vision includes pop-up retail spaces and curated public art installations — creating a walkable, culture-forward community character. Rather than strip-mall convenience, residents will encounter artful, activated public spaces as an extension of daily life.
Wellness-Focused Design
Fitness centers, outdoor yoga spaces, and wellness-oriented programming are embedded throughout the community plan. Saddleback explicitly frames health and wellbeing as a design priority — citing the proven wellness benefits of daily immersion in the Sonoran landscape.
Gated & Non-Gated Options
Saddleback offers both gated and non-gated neighborhoods, giving buyers genuine choice. Long Canyon Reserve is a fully gated luxury enclave. Other villages offer the connected, open character typical of master-planned communities. Both share the same trail network and community amenities.
Built With the Lightest Touch
Castle Hill Partners made a deliberate choice: Saddleback would not be a community that bulldozes and builds. The rolling hills, arroyos, saguaro forests, and Sonoran ridgelines are the product's greatest asset — and they will be protected accordingly.
Over 600 acres of Saddleback's land will be protected in perpetuity. There is no golf course. No water-intensive features designed to fight the desert. Instead, the community respects Arizona's most limited resource and showcases the native landscape as its defining character.
The city of Peoria has embedded Saddleback into its Mountains, Open Space & River Ecosystems (M.O.R.E.) program, which will nearly double the city's maintained natural acreage as development proceeds.
Saguaro Preservation Program
Rather than clearing native cacti, Castle Hill catalogued, relocated, and replanted thousands of saguaro and their symbiote palo verde trees throughout the first two villages. This is already completed for Saltbrush and Blue Basin, with the program continuing across each new phase.
No Golf Course — By Design
Many Arizona communities default to golf as the anchor amenity. Saddleback made a conscious choice to prioritize desert-compatible outdoor activities — trails, natural open space, and adventure — over water-intensive fairways, a forward-thinking position in Arizona's water-constrained future.
Responsible Water Planning
Water is addressed directly in Saddleback's planning documents. Castle Hill has committed to responsible sourcing and use, with a thoughtful plan in place for the community's water needs — critical in the Sonoran Desert where water management defines long-term viability.
Peoria M.O.R.E. Program Integration
Saddleback's open space dedication is part of Peoria's citywide Mountains, Open Space & River Ecosystems initiative. The city expects Saddleback Heights to add approximately 3,800 new acres to its managed natural lands — essentially doubling the city's preserved acreage over time.
At the Center of Arizona's
Tech & Industrial Boom
North Peoria is rapidly becoming one of the most significant employment centers in the American Southwest. Saddleback sits at the intersection of this growth — close enough to benefit from it, tucked deep enough into the mountains to feel a world away.
Top-Rated Schools,
Right in the District
Saddleback falls within the Peoria Unified School District (PUSD) — one of Arizona's largest, serving 34,000+ students across 44 schools. North Peoria's schools consistently rank among the state's highest performers, with Centennial High School rated #58 in Arizona and Peoria Traditional School in the top 32 elementary schools statewide.
The district offers a strong mix of traditional academics, IB programs, Spanish immersion, and career & technical education (CTE) pathways in fields like medicine, engineering, bioscience, and global business. Multiple charter and private school options also exist nearby.
As part of the community's growth infrastructure, land has been reserved within the broader north Peoria area for a potential future PUSD school to serve Saddleback and neighboring communities directly.
Centennial High School
Peoria Unified School District · Grades 9–12
Sunrise Mountain High School
Peoria Unified School District · Grades 9–12
Peoria Traditional School
Peoria Unified School District · Grades K–8
Lake Pleasant Elementary
Peoria Unified School District · Grades K–8
Sunset Heights Elementary
Peoria Unified School District · Grades K–8
Future PUSD Campus
Land reserved · To serve Saddleback area
North Peoria's Transformation
Saddleback doesn't exist in isolation. It's the most visible flagship of a broader north Peoria transformation driven by semiconductor investment, industrial expansion, and master-planned community development that is reshaping the entire West Valley. Here's what's happening around it.
Vistancia & Northpointe
The adjacent Vistancia community — one of the Phoenix area's most successful master-plans — is actively releasing phases with Shea Homes, Richmond American, and David Weekley. Northpointe at Vistancia offers new construction from $500K–$600K. Saddleback directly connects to this ecosystem via Vistancia Boulevard.
Active SalesNorthPark by PulteGroup
A massive 6,355-acre master-planned community with plans for 19,247+ residences, retail, and a business hub. NorthPark is still years from delivering for-sale homes — making Saddleback a rare near-term option in the same growth corridor. Led by PulteGroup.
Planned · 2028+Halo Vista
A 2,300-acre, 28 million sq. ft. mixed-use project targeting 70,000 jobs and 9,000+ rental units. Halo Vista will be rental-only — no for-sale homes — which channels buyer demand directly toward Saddleback and nearby ownership communities.
Rental OnlyLake Pleasant Regional Park
Five minutes from Saddleback, Lake Pleasant offers boating, kayaking, paddleboarding, fishing, and camping on one of Arizona's largest lakes. It's the outdoor recreation anchor for north Peoria and a major driver of the area's quality-of-life appeal.
5 Min AwayMystic at Vistancia
Another adjacent community with Lennar, Taylor Morrison, D.R. Horton, and Brightland Homes building new phases. A new park is planned near the Mystic clubhouse. This adds to the critical mass of retail, schools, and services that will serve Saddleback residents.
Active SalesSR-74 / Carefree Highway
Saddleback's northern border connects to State Route 74, which will eventually provide a direct link from the community to the broader highway system — shortening drive times to Lake Pleasant (6 miles), the TSMC corridor, and north to Wickenburg, Prescott, and beyond.
Under DevelopmentSaddleback Development Timeline
Saddleback Peoria AZ — Frequently Asked Questions
Everything buyers, investors, and future residents want to know — sourced from official announcements and public disclosures.
Saddleback Community — News & Press Coverage
"The views are exceptional throughout most of the project. The quality of builders being selected and the quality of homes that will be built — this area of north Peoria really is the Scottsdale of the West Valley."
"The lush desert surroundings at Saddleback, with thousands of saguaro cacti and over 2,500 acres of open space, is exactly the kind of setting we look for when selecting locations for new Camelot communities."
"Lennar is excited to add to our northern Peoria offerings with three individual product lines. Job creation, the desirability of this location for raising families, and the beautiful mountain setting make Saddleback a great master plan with a very bright future."
"We're excited to be one of the first builders in the Saddleback master plan. The Phoenix MSA land market is very competitive — we are always looking for locations where we can make a difference for our customers. Saddleback is sure to be one of those locations."
"Saddleback will be the gateway to adventure. We aim to get back to the basics — creating a well-rounded experience where wellness, sustainability and connection are celebrated."
"The first time I met Castle Hill Partners in 2023, they presented their vision. I immediately went home and told my wife: 'We are buying a home here.' It will be the jewel of the county — life elevated."
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Last updated: May 2026. Information on this page is sourced from official Castle Hill Partners press releases, Phoenix Business Journal reporting, and public disclosures. Home pricing, availability timelines, and builder details are subject to change without notice. This is an independent informational resource maintained by Eric Ravenscroft, REALTOR® at Real Broker, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Castle Hill Partners.
Updated: May 2026
Not Just an Agent.
A New Construction Insider.
This guide exists because navigating a master-planned community like Saddleback is genuinely complicated — and most buyers don't know what they don't know. I built it because I know this community inside and out, and I believe you deserve the full picture before you make one of the largest financial decisions of your life.
As a Top 1% REALTOR® across North America, CRS-certified, and Owner of The Ravenscroft Group with Real Broker, I've closed over $100 million in residential sales and helped clients build more than $133 million in long-term wealth. With 150+ five-star Google reviews and 15 years combining real estate with financial planning and wealth management — including serving as a Director of Wealth Management — I bring an analytical, strategy-first lens that most agents simply don't have. My work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, MSN, and Morningstar.
At Saddleback, I know how Lennar structures their upgrade process, what Taylor Morrison's lot premiums look like before they're published, which Camelot floorplans hold value, and how to negotiate effectively at the builder table — because I've done it hundreds of times. I'm also on a first-name basis with the sales agents at every builder here. Working with me costs you nothing; the builder pays my commission. What you get in return is an advocate who knows every clause, every incentive, and every red flag.
"There is a much longer list of builders I won't recommend. Knowing that difference before you sign anything could save you from the most expensive mistake of your life."
Real Buyers. Real New Construction. Real Results.
From 150+ verified five-star reviews. These three highlight exactly what Eric brings to new construction buyers at communities like Saddleback.
★★★★★"He was on a first-name basis with the agents for the various builders. I also feel that he did his best to get me the best deal available. He was there to talk me through my concerns, sometimes after hours. I would highly recommend Eric and The Ravenscroft Group for any of your real estate needs."
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★★★★★"Eric Ravenscroft was instrumental in helping my wife and me purchase our new build home. He was knowledgeable, responsive, and guided us through every step of the process with professionalism. His attention to detail and clear communication made the experience smooth and stress-free. We both highly recommend Eric if you are looking to buy or sell your home."
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★★★★★"As an out-of-state buyer purchasing a new build sight unseen, I was nervous. Eric walked me through every phase of construction via video calls, flagged things I never would have caught, and negotiated a rate buydown that saved me thousands. His relationships with the builder's team were evident from day one — they clearly respected him."
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