Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park

Fall/Winter Hours

From Sept 1 – April 31 Fall/Winter hours are in effect. The park is open from 8 am - 5 pm everyday except Dec. 25. The day's last admission is taken at 4 pm so those visitors have one full hour to enjoy the gardens and trails. Also, learn about the new Girl Scout Badge Workshops

September 4

Bikers' Breakfast (New Event!)

7 - 8:30 am. Labor Day Weekend lures motorcycle riders east on highway 60, so kick-start your Labor Day Weekend with a special Bikers' Breakfast event at the Arboretum, featuring live cedar flute music by Prescott recording artist Joseph Leal, who is celebrating release of a new CD with this concert at the Arboretum (Joe's a brother biker, too, he rides a Victory 1700 Kingpin). Stop by Superstition Harley Davidson in Apache Junction, or various restaurants, bars and venues in Globe for free punchcards offering "Five & Dive" tour package savings for motorcycle riders. Check out complete tour info at gmteconnect.com

Star Night & Cedar Flute Concert (New Event!)

5:30 - 7:30 pm. One of the Arboretum's most popular performers is Joseph Leal, a Chino Valley recording artist who employs his Native American style cedar flute music as part of his job as a healer at the Yavapai Regional Medical Center. He's celebrating the release of a new CD, and will play an outdoor concert preceding one of the Arboretum's special Star Night astronomy parties with the East Valley Astronomy Club Sept. 4. Events include an Astronomy 101 lecture from 3:00-4:30, live music with Joseph Leal at 5:30, a black-light scorpion walk lead by AZ State Parks Volunteer Dave Oberpriller at 8:00, and sky-watching from 8:00-10:00 pm. Read more at http://tinyurl.com/29jp8gb or call (520) 689-2723.

September 5

Sunday Dog Walk with Lynn and 'GoodBoy'

7 - 9 am. Leashed and well-behaved pets are welcome at the Arboretum, and twice each month this summer your canine compadre is invited to meet and sniff new friends, while dogs' human companions learn some facts about the Arboretum and about desert plants from BTA volunteer Lynn Krause. No pre-registration is required, and there is no additional fee to participate.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum Video Tour

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A variety of plants from the world's deserts await you at Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park.

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.

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.

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Encompassing 323 acres, the Arboretum is Arizona's oldest and largest botanical garden. It was the first purely botanical institution in the inter-mountain states. The Arizona State Parks Board entered into agreement with the Boyce Thompson Arboretum Board and the University of Arizona in 1976 to cooperatively manage the Arboretum.