Boyce Thompson Arboretum
Arizona State Park Partnership With The University Of Arizona · Superior, Arizona
Arizona's oldest and largest botanical garden, founded in 1924 by the mining magnate William Boyce Thompson at the foot of Picket Post Mountain near Superior, about an hour east of Phoenix. Trails wind through desert plants from around the world — cacti from the Americas, eucalyptus and acacias from Australia, and aloes from Africa — as well as a desert legume garden, a hummingbird garden, and a canyon along Queen Creek shaded by trees, with small Ayer Lake below the cliffs. Thompson's hilltop Picket Post House overlooks the grounds, and the arboretum is known for birdlife and for rare late-autumn colour when Chinese pistache trees turn red. In summer 2026 it opened 6 AM to noon and closed on Tuesdays, with adult admission cut to $16 from the regular $24.95.
37615 East Arboretum Way, Superior, Arizona, 85173, United States
Summer (June-August 2026): 6 AM-12 PM, closed Tuesdays. The rest of the year the arboretum opens daily with longer hours (check btarboretum.org).
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