A (long) Walk Through the Desert Botanical Garden

Image via Wikipedia

During our recent trip to the Phoenix area, we took half a day to head out to the Desert Botanical Garden, located on 1201 N. Galvin Parkway in Phoenix, Arizona. The garden is open from 8 a.m. to 8  p.m., seven days a week. Plan to spend at least 3-4 hours there, unless you’re the kind of person to breeze through a museum.

We took a fairly leisurely walk around, reading all signs and info, and spent about four hours at the garden, including a quick salad break at the Patio Café.

There are four main loops to the garden: Desert Wildflower Loop Trail (including the Butterfly Garden, the Hummingbird Garden, the Shade Garden, the Bee Garden, and the Boulder Garden), Desert Discovery Loop Trail, Sonoran Desert Nature Loop Trail (the most scorching, with the least amount of shade), and Plants & People of the Sonoran Desert Loop Trail (the shadiest). There is a small, shady, and deliciously perfumed Herb Garden just off the Desert Discovery Loop Trail.

Plan to visit the shadier trails during the hottest part of the day; start out with the sunnier trails if you arrive early, or save them until the end when it’s cooler. Surprisingly, the Desert Wildflower Loop Trail was the least attractive at the time of year we went (October), and since it was the trail we started out with, we were a bit disappointed in the garden at the beginning. Once we continued to explore, though, it only got better. If you love plants, and are in the Phoenix area, be sure to visit the Desert Botanical Garden.

If you can visit during butterfly season (from now until November 14), be sure to visit the Butterfly Pavilion, which is centrally located near the Agave Yucca Forest and is filled with Monarch butterflies. It’s open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is free for members and children under three; $3.50 for general public with paid garden admission.

Don’t miss Las Noches de las Luminarias, when the garden lights up during the nights of December with more than 8,000 handlit luminaria bags. I’ve heard how gorgeous this event is, but haven’t been able to visit yet. Check out the link above for photos.

If you’re interested in visiting, definitely stop by their website first so you can better plan your stay. There are special seasonal events and exhibitions throughout the year. Don’t forget to take at least one large bottle of water with you, as well as sunscreen and a sun hat. We didn’t, and ended up purchasing numerous bottles of water during our visit…and getting a little tanned (though not burned, miraculously) in the process!

All signs are in both English and Spanish, and if you can read Spanish, be sure to take a look at the (unintentionally) hilarious translations. They’ll keep you laughing even if you’re scorching in the desert heat.

Admissions are $15 for adults, $13.50 for seniors 60 and over, $7.50 for students aged 13-18, $5 for children aged 3-12, and free for children 3 and under. It happened to be free the day we showed up (Monday, October 11), possibly because of the holiday, though I can’t find any information supporting that on their website.

Also check out the DBG on Facebook and Twitter for more info.