The University of Arizona

Daily Guided Tours, First-Of-Season Wildflowers

Guided tours of our mile-and-a-half long main trail are daily at 11:00 a.m., and included with admission of $9 for adults or $4.50 for ages 5-12; daily admission also includes special weekend events such as the South African Desert Festival February 25, and our Geology Walk that same day with Kristen Gholson - also a Bird Walk Sunday with Kathe Anderson and Carl Tomoff February 26, at 8:30 a.m.
Read more about guided nature walks and weekend events
Annual memberships make a great gift! They start at $45 for a couple or $60 for a family -- and membership is the best possible way you can help support the Arboretum and our mission of desert plant conservation and education. Wildflowers are more numerous each day -- read this week's Wildflower Report.
Try a new restaurant when you visit next weekend: Cafe Piedra Roja, just five-minutes drive from the Arboretum in our nearby town of Superior, offers visitors a buy-one-get-one-at-half-price meal deal. Show your BTA membership card or admission receipt from having paid to visit the gardens to qualify for this special discount when you order breakfast, lunch or dinner. Phone Cafe Piedra Roja at 520-689-0194 for details.
Bring your dog, pets are welcome at the Arboretum, provided they are well-behaved and leashed at all times. Invite friends and bring a picnic - outdoor tables and charcoal grilles are shaded by trees in our picnic ground. Do you need Maps and Directions? Arizona State Parks has an excellent map/direction page. The Arboretum is an
Arizona State Park located at Highway 60 milepost #223 near the historic copper mining town of Superior, 55 miles due east of Phoenix. The drive takes about two hours from Tucson via highway 79 North through Florence to highway 60 -- then turn right and continue east another twelve miles. Trails are Wheelchair Accessible There is no restaurant at the Arboretum but sandwiches, drinks and snacks are available in our gift shop. Picnic tables and charcoal grills are available for visitors to use; propane and charcoal are allowed, wood fires are not. Read about the Arboretum's 75-year heritage, our history page describes how the Arboretum has grown to include two miles of trails and into a place for children to learn and for all ages to appreciate the beauty and importance of desert ecosystems.Explore the gardens on a virtual tour!

February Gallery Exhibit
During February our Visitor Center Art Gallery showcases a Valentines-themed exhibit of photography by Michael Madsen, who finds heart-shaped rocks in nature, photographing them with a variety of colorful and creative backgrounds.
Madsen will teach a basic camera skills class for novice-to-intermediate photographers here March 12, Monday.