Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Boyce Thompson Arboretum is the oldest and most spectacularly situated arboretum and botanical garden in the American Southwest. In the roaring 1920s mining magnate Colonel William Boyce Thompson founded this 320 acre collection of desert plants at the foot of towering Picketpost Mountain. He wanted to create in this place the most beautiful and useful arboretum of its kind in the world, and to instill in people an appreciation of plants.

Now more than seven decades later the Arboretum has grown to include two miles of walking paths, a place for children to learn and for all ages to appreciate the beauty and importance of our desert ecosystems.