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Boyce Thompson Arboretum, AZ

Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Arizona

Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park is the place to discover the intricate beauty and many faces of Arizona's oldest and largest botanical garden. Featured are plants from the world's deserts, towering trees, captivating cacti, sheer mountain cliffs, a streamside forest, panoramic vistas, many natural habitats with varied wildlife, a desert lake, a hidden canyon, specialty gardens and more.

Located just one hour's drive due east of Phoenix, the 323 acre Arboretum has more than two miles of winding paths and shaded trails for visitors to explore. Its easy to see why the Arboretum has been repeatedly voted "best day trip" in Arizona newspaper reader polls. You can see more than 3,200 different desert plants, and there are various tours most weekends which explore themes such as "Plants of the Bible" and "Edible/Medicinal Plants of the Desert." Tours and most public events are included with regular admission.

The Arboretum was founded in the 1920s by mining magnate Col. William Boyce Thompson. In 1917 Col. Thompson served as co-leader of a Red Cross mercy mission to Russia, where he came to understand the importance of plants as the ultimate source of a large portion of mankind's food, clothing, and shelter. It was then, that he determined to use his great wealth to improve the use of plant resources. The Arboretum is one of his legacies. It was the first purely botanical institution in the inter-mountain states. The Arboretum's mission is "to instill in people an appreciation of plants, through the fostering of educational, recreational and research opportunities associated with arid-land plants."

Today the University of Arizona, the State Parks Board, and the nonprofit Arboretum Corporation manage the arboretum.

BTA is open daily, Sept. through April, 8:00AM to 5:00PM. Summer Hours, May through August, 6:00AM - 3:00PM.

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Boyce Thompson Arboretum Hiking Trails

Boyce Arboretum Trails
Boyce Arboretum TrailsIn the Boyce Thompson Arboretum's 323 acre park there are more than two miles of winding paths and shaded trails for visitors to explore. Arizona newspaper reader polls voted BTA the "best day trip" in Arizona.

Short trails lead through Sonoran and Chihuahuan desert areas, a cactus garden, riparian areas, an Australian forest, and herb and rose gardens. On your first visit make sure to request the Main Trail Guide, a booklet which helps interpret the scenic 1.5-mile loop through Queen Creek Canyon. Additional handouts you can get in the visitor center give information on the other trails and gardens. Most of these trails branch off from the first part of the Main Trail, so you don't have to walk far to see the highlights. Much of the trail system is wheelchair-accessible (particularly the serene Demonstration Garden). The Curandero/Sonoran Desert Trail describes traditional herbal medicines of the Sonoran Desert. "Curandero" is the word for a traditional healer in Mexican culture.

Tours and most public events are included with regular admission. There are also picnic tables and charcoal grilles available to visitors, and leashed pets are welcome.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum Birdwatching

Boyce Arboretum Birdwatching
Boyce Arboretum BirdwatchingThe Northern Cardinal, Yellow-breast Chat, warblers and nesting hummingbirds are among the species to see at Boyce Thompson Arboretum this summer. Gambel's Quail, Gilded Flickers, Cactus Wrens, Curve-Billed Thrushes, and Black Throated Sparrows are the abundant species, as are many other lower Sonoran birds. The extensive irrigated areas of native and exotic trees and shrubs provide food and shelter for countless winter visitors and transients.

More than 270 bird species and 72 terrestrial mammals and lizards have been seen in the area. Ayer Lake and Queen Creek on the Main Trail are good places to watch for wildlife; you can see rare Gila topminnow and desert pupfish in the lake -- a refugium for these two endangered species of fish.

* Tours and most public events are included with regular admission. There are also picnic tables and charcoal grilles available to visitors, and leashed pets are welcome.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum Visitors Centers

Boyce Arboretum Visitors Center
Boyce Arboretum Visitors CenterThe Boyce Arboretum Visitors Center offers various exhibits and a gift shop with snacks, books, prints, posters, and seed packets. You can also purchase cactus, other succulents, trees, shrubs, ground cover, and herbs.

During Summer months the cooling-tower exhibit at the visitor center creates a cool microclimate; its 30-foot tower functions as a giant evaporative cooler. Scheduled events include Summertime guided tours where you can learn about lizards and butterflies; Spring and Fall plant sales, a live music fest in November and Fall Color Festival at the end of November, Australia Day in January, Herb Festival, World Desert Fair and more. A picnic area near the parking lot is available to visitors.

There are also two greenhouses which contain cactus and succulents that would not otherwise survive winter cold at this 2,400-foot elevation. The Smith Interpretive Center, between the display greenhouses, has exhibits on plants and local history. A Demonstration Garden offers tips and examples of water-efficient landscaping design.

Tours and most public events are included with regular admission. There are also picnic tables and charcoal grilles available to visitors, and leashed pets are welcome.

Special Programs & Events

January - Australia Day, Quilt Show & Contest, 2 p.m. Lecture Series Wed. - Sun.
February -The Language of Flowers, 2 p.m. Lecture Series Wed. - Sun.
March - Wildflower Month, Welcome Back Buzzards, Spring Plant Sale, 2 p.m.
Lecture Series Wed.- Sun.
April - Earth/Arbor Day, Spring Plant Sale
May - Herb Festival
September - Bye, Bye Buzzards
October - Fall Plant Sale, Creepy Crawly Critter Contest
November -Feeling of Fall Festival

Park Area Attractions

Superior 2

Florence 14

Apache Junction 10

Park Area Events

Florence 2

Park Area Businesses

Superior 3

Florence 22

Apache Junction 40