Spread out over 140 acres in Papago Park, the Desert Botanical Garden is picturesque with cacti and other desert plants set to a backdrop of red hills. It’s quiet and peaceful with only the sounds of a few hushed voices and native birds as they chirp happily amongst the over 21,000 plants. with perfect blue skies. Lovely.
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The idea for the Desert Botanical Garden started in the 1930s when a small group of local people expressed interest in conserving the fragile desert environment and joined together to create the Arizona Cactus and Native Flora Society. Their goal was to sponsor a botanical garden to “encourage an understanding, appreciation, and promotion of the uniqueness of the world’s deserts, particularly the local Sonoran desert“. They have much to be proud of in their achievement of that goal.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DESERT BOTANICAL GARDEN
The garden features several different ecosystems including mesquite bosque, semidesert grassland, and upland chaparral with a focus on plants adapted to desert conditions in their Australian, Baha California, and South American collections.
There are over 21,000 plants in more than 4000 taxa with about one-third of those being native to the area. About 140 of their species are on the rare, threatened, or endangered list. And they have over 10,000 plants in the cactus and agave collections. With such diversity, and the sheer numbers of plants, you can imagine it would take a small army to care of them, and they have one in their dedicated group of volunteers that share their time and professional expertise.
If you are planning to visit the Phoenix area it is worth a few moments to check out their site to see what is happening at the gardens. In addition to their permanent exhibits they have many temporary and seasonal ones, including their annual Las Noches de Las Luminarias (the lights are all the little yellowish containers you’ll see in the photos) whereby guests can enjoy musical entertainment, dinner, or simply stroll through the paths with a warm cup of cider or cocoa and see the pretty lights. One day I’d like to come back to see this myself.
The Desert Botanical Garden says they are a “world-class experience for every visitor” and it is well deserved to say that. They have created something amazing which we’re sure you can see from the photos in this post.
PLAN YOUR VISIT TO THE DESERT BOTANICAL GARDEN
Information last updated November 2019
HOW TO GET THERE
The Desert Botanical Gardens can be found at 1201 N Galvin Pkwy, Phoenix, AZ 85008 which is inside Papago Park.
You can get to the castle by the 17 and 56 buses, bus 17 stops about 5 minutes walk away at McDowell Rd & Galvin Pkwy, bus 56 stops at the Desert Botanical Garden.
Parking is available on site and is free of charge to visitors.
HELPFUL LINK:
- If you need an app that will navigate you around whether walking, driving or using public transport and even works offline then click for a guide about how to use Here WeGo.
OPENING HOURS
Opening hours are 0800-2000 every day. The gardens are closed on 4th July, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Opening hours can vary, so please check the Desert Botanical Gardens Opening Times for the latest information.
You will be outside all of the time as you walk around the gardens. You may, therefore, wish to avoid the hottest parts of the year or times when the weather is bad. We would recommend you allow at least a couple of hours to fully explore the gardens.
HOW TO BUY TICKETS
Basic admission prices are $24.95 for over 17s, $12.95 for children over 2 and free for under 3s.
You can book behind the scenes tours as well as special events at the gardens for an additional cost.
ACCESSIBILITY
The garden is fully accessible.
For accessibility details please visit the Desert Botanical Gardens Website.
ARE THE DESERT BOTANICAL GARDENS WORTH THE VISIT?
The Desert Botanical Gardens are quite beautiful any time of the year and well worth a visit. The diversity of desert flora and fauna extends well beyond the typical cactus you may expect (though there are plenty of cacti to see too). The five thematic trails lead you through varying beauty of the Sonoran Desert and you can learn a lot about horticulture of the area.
See what others think of this attraction on Trip Advisor.
ADD TO YOUR PHOENIX ITINERARY
From stunning mountain drives and trails to desert landscapes with their unique flora, Phoenix has plenty of attractions to tempt visitors, from the quirky to the mainstream.
IN THE AREA
- Taliesin West is the winter home of esteemed architect Frank Lloyd Wright It is now home to his foundation and open for tours of this stunning example of how he designed in harmony with nature.
- One of the most popular trails in the White Tank Mountains, Waterfall Canyon Trail passes ancient hieroglyphs en-route to the waterfall. Only running after wet weather, dry weather allows you to climb right up into the fall area that would normally be inaccessible.
- Built by Boyce Gully for his daughter Mary Lou, the Mystery Castle is constructed out of whatever material he could find to provide a castle his daughter could live in, which she did for many years.
- Drive the stunning Apache Trail, part-paved, part-gravel road through the beautiful Superstition Mountains. Just beyond the Roosevelt Dam at the far end, you can see ancient cliff dwellings at the Tonto National Monument
- See how people lived in Pioneer times at the Pioneer Living History Museum. Visit 30 homes, both authentic and recreation to see how life was lived in the late 1800s.
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RESOURCES | PLAN YOUR TRIP TO PHOENIX
To book flights, rental cars, accommodations, and activities for your trip, please check out our recommended travel providers, favourite apps and websites.
These are a few tours we would recommend for your trip to Phoenix.
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