Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park

Summer Hours

Starting May 1st, summer hours are in effect. The park is open from 6 am - 3 pm everyday during May, June, July and August. See events below.

August 15

Photo Shoot & Botany Walk

6:30 - 9 am. Co-Authors Christine Maxa and David James lead a Photo Shoot and Botany Walk exploring one of nature's most fascinating interrelationships — that which exists between flowers and the insects they depend on for pollination. Limited to 10 participants; $30 for Arboretum annual members ($37.50 nonmembers). Call 520-689-2723. Photo taken at the park shows a Mesquite Beetle.

Sunday Tree Tour with Terry Mikel

8:30 am. "What's an Arboretum?" Terry Mikel is our special guest as tour guide for a Sunday walk where visitors learn the answer to that often-posed question during a relaxed and leisurely guided tour through the forested areas of the Arboretum. Join us for a chance to learn about the towering sycamore and cottonwood trees, native hackberry, mesquite and many more.

How-To-Juice-A-Prickly-Pear-Cactus Class

10:30 am. Learn to harvest the Sonoran Desert's most distinctive summertime fruit, without turning your hands into pincushions. We'll share homemade prickly pear snacks in the Children's Learning Center after class. Preview this event on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl976a9pvLE

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

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.

Take a 360° Virtual Tour

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.

July 2010

July 25 - Edible & Medicinal Desert Plants Walk

8:30 am. Apache Junction author Jean Groen returns as tour guidefor this tour, Sunday, sharing her knowledge about the ways desert plants have fed, healed and clothed Sonoran desert peoples for more than a thousand years. Please note: this tour explores the Curandero Trail, which has steep sections that are not suitable for visitors who use wheelchairs or walkers. (Repeats Aug. 22)

July 31 - Prickly Pear Cactus Class

10:30 am. If you have sipped a prickly pear margarita (served at many Phoenix-area restaurants) or sampled sweet cactus candy made by Tucson-based Cheri's Desert Harvest, you already know there's nothing which quite compares to the magenta color of juice from the prickly pear cacti that are common at this elevation. This Arboretum one-hour class is where visitors will learn how to harvest prickly pear fruits without your hands becoming a virtual porcupine of painful cactus spines and glochids. Stay to the end and we'll share a few homemade prickly pear snacks! There's no pre-registration required; this class is included with regular admission of $7.50 for adults, or $3 for ages 5-12. Preview this event on YouTube. Mike Rolfe posted a short feature about the Summer, 2009 How To Juice Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit Class. (Repeats Aug. 15, Aug. 28, Sept. 6)

The University of Arizona also maintains a website for this park, with additional park information and photos. Learn more.

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