Arboretum at Flagstaff Review

We had our wedding here in late September of 2018 and it was perfect! It was still green, and the weather during the day was in the low 70s and perfect for an outdoor ceremony. Our reception had heat in the tent, so when the temperature reached the 50s, we were still comfortable. The natural surroundings looked incredible in pictures, and created the exact feel that we wanted for our wedding. We would also love to give a shoutout to Alexis Holle, the coordinator for the Arboretum, for putting together the perfect event that we will remember forever. We would recommend this location to anyone looking to have an outdoor wedding in the woods in Arizona.

We go every year to the Festival Of Trees fundraiser. It's a great event. Also a good place to learn about Northern Arizona.

It's a beautiful place, but then so is most of Flagstaff. The Aurboretum has mostly gorgeous pine trees, but does have a few other trees & plants. However getting to the Aurboretum wasn't much fun on the 2 1/2 mile dirt road. I'm sure I'll need a new air filter, on my next oil change.

Highly recommend taking the tour. Makes it a really great experience.

Our visit was not at the height of the blooming season, but this is still a great stop. Beautiful grounds, plants and a butterfly house.

A pretty nice, mostly unmanicured nature spot, with an unusual butterfly shelter and interesting trail information.

Great place! Nice hiking trails and butterfly house.

Nice arboretum, well staffed and friendly. Three miles of gravel road to get there, though. If you like trees and gardens, it's worth the travel.

This is a great place to take students on a field trip. They have different programs for different grade levels. The staff is knowledgeable and patient.

Always love this place. Dog friendly, extra fee but worth it. Nice walks, never too crowded. Beautiful all the time.

Cute little hidden garden, with some good views. Not much in bloom at this time (early June), so really just a nice little nature walk. Little butterfly house was cute. We were stopping by because we had some time to kill on our way back from the Grand Canyon. A dirt road leads to the arboretum, so that was a bit of a surprise, but not a problem.

Made this an impromptu stop while visiting Flagstaff this past weekend, and were so glad we did. There were beautiful flowers to photograph and enjoy and there was a beautiful wedding going on while we were there too. The staff was extremely friendly including the staff member who we flagged down as she left and happily answered our questions at the entrance gate (she exemplified joy in her responses about the place) and Emily (behind the desk at the Visitor Center) was so very pleasant. Also, the woman in the horticulture center was pleasant. She helped us get a bucket to photograph a flower from the top-side so we didn't have to touch anything. Photos came out amazing! Thanks so much for making our stop a pleasant one--it ended up being the highlight of our trip!

Wide open spaces. We were there during covid, so we didn't get the full experience, but enjoyed it just the same

The landscape is not what I expected but the staff is great and offer great tips.

It was beautiful and peaceful to wander around. Its COVID time and end of season so it didn't cost anything and the visitors center is closed. We just wandered the trails

Really nice place to visit, although it is located back in the woods, it's still worth a visit to view nature & enjoy the outdoors.

Another beautiful place to visit in Flagstaff! Would visit again when I have more time to explore. Just be prepared for a bumpy drive in as the road is not maintained.

Beautiful place with amazing views. just a little hard to find

This was a beautiful place for a road trip break! We stopped in Flagstaff to rest ourselves and fuel the vehicle. On the way into town we saw a sign and decided on a whim to try it. The road back to the arboretum was a fairly good dirt road, but wash-boarded when we went. The scent of fall was in the air and the gardens were hunkering down for winter. I bet each season has its own glory here. There are trails through the park and markers on the trails, but we didn't have a map or guide. The restrooms were open, but the visitor center was not, probably covid-19. All in all, this was perfect place for an unexpected forest bath.

Little variety, advertised color almost nonexistent.

Beautiful location for a wedding. The reason I give it 3 stars and not 5 was because the wasps and bees there were everywhere once the food was put out. It was overwhelming.

Beautiful arboretum! I was there today for the Memorial Day weekend plants sale and to listen to the band that was playing. The staff was very friendly and willing to answer any questions that I had. Contrary to what the person said about the gravel road being terrible and not a good road to drive down, I drove a Chevy Impala down the 3 mile stretch with no issues. I ve driven on MUCH worse roads than the one to the arboretum totally fine. If you DO have a problem with driving on a road that has a lot of washboards on it, don t drive down this one.

Cute place and family friendly. You do have to pay an entry to fee, but I don't recall it bein that expensive. You could even check groupon for deals. Beware, the path to get there is not for the faint of heart! Meaning, you go from a nice smooth pavement to a dirt road for 2 or 3 miles. Its bumping and filled with rocks, so be careful going out there. They have plenty of parking and a butterfly exhibit during part of the year. I'd go back, but in a much better suited car. G9 see some nature!

Wonderful smell of pine trees as soon as you get out of the car... Beautiful plants... Awesome view of the mountain peaks.

The road there is rough(unpaved) but it has see cool things to see.

Well it's great cool place to go I went up there looking for the butterflies but they don't open until Memorial Day The Butterfly House so it's okay I will return

Really cool , great for learning plants in the area

The Halloween exhibit is overpriced and unorganized. Lots of room for improvement.

Best friend got married here and it was absolutely stunning

An absolute favorite for locals and tourists alike. Wonderful grounds that are prime examples of what Flagstaff has to offer.

I went here with a friend when the facilities just opened for the season. There wasn't a lot of flowers b/c of the recent snow. The staff gave us half off our admission and gave us a personal tour that included a close of with the birds of prey! Great place for kids.

This arboretum is a wonderful one. They have a rough gravel road coming up to the property. After you check in and get your bearings the place really opens up and the trails are lined with displays of the plants and there is a wonderful butterfly house!

Don't get fooled with the existing pics at Google from this place. Due to covid, seems no one was there to maintain this place and most of the plants are almost dead. Just a dry land and absolutely nothing especially after the bumpy drive for 15 mins. Rest room was open and clean.

A fantastic place to go for an outdoor walk and enjoy some nice scenery.

Free entry if you are member of Desert Botanical Gardens

It takes a little while to get to because you have to drive several miles on a hard pack and bumpy dirt road. There is not a lot to do and not much to see as the size of the place is not very big. I understand that they will be closing for the winter but most of the areas where there should be plants are empty. The front desk person was friendly and pleasant. They could do so much more with this arboretum to make it a place where you would want to visit if not frequently .

Terrible drive up for our small car. Big rough dirt/gravel road. We had to go 10mph in our chevy cavalier otherwise it would be way too bumpy. Then when you get here, it's not much. The butterfly house is really small with hardly any butterflies. And the park itself is small. It only took about 20 minutes to walk the whole thing at a normal pace. I was very disappointed with our experience here at the Flagstaff Arboretum. Not worth the time and money.

Absolutely breathtaking! Friendly staff and a beautiful location to host your wedding

A wonderful display of indigenous plants, wildflowers, and arbors. A beautiful setting that is pure Flagstaff. The dirt road can be a bit rough seasonally, but well worth it. Love the new policy allowing dogs on short leashes. Bring your lunch and enjoy the day in a very nice non-profit nature preserve.

Best find in the Flagstaff area. Our docent Cheryl was knowledgeable of the Flora and fauna of the area. The 40 minute tour was educational as well as enjoyable. A must see when in Flagstaff!

Most beautiful scene for a wedding!! Alexis is a great coordinator. I was SO incredibly lucky marry my love there

Love it here, family friendly, beautiful place to come when in Flagstaff. My kids loved the nature bingo game and it made it more of an adventure. Got married here almost 10 years ago, they keep updating it and making it better for guests to learn and enjoy. We had a picnic here and the kids were soaking in the beauty of the forest. Dont forget the mushroom garden that has cute little gnomes everywhere.

Beautiful plants and trees. The butterfly house is cool too.

Perfect place for a relaxing afternoon nature walk. Plenty of benches to sit and enjoy the views. They have signs throughout the trail that tell you about the different plants and animals that thrive in the area. Truly magical. You won't regret it.

Beautiful location, went here for a wedding, hard to access, the road is really beat up to get out there

The Arboretum at Flagstaff has a lot of potential but in my opinion was fairly unkempt and underwhelming. It could definitely be improved by more educational materials and more unique plantings. Additionally, the road to the arboretum is unpaved so you WILL need a carwash after visiting. I'd recommend saving some time and exploring one of the many Flagstaff Urban Trails instead - most have better views with a similar variety of plant species.

Being that my wife and I are members we always make it a point to visit the Arboretum. What a perfect way to be in nature with all the trees and lovely shrubs

This is a beautiful botanical garden. We caught some great weather and great views. pets are allowed as long as you clean up after them. You definitely look out for a little chipmunks hummingbirds and much more wildlife running through the brush.

I love The Arb! Tucked a bit out of the way but peaceful and serene once you arrive. You may see deer or elk on the 3 mile dirt road through forest land. Take your time, relax, and reconnect with nature. The Arb grounds include an herb garden, willow pond, greenhouse, butterfly house, research facilities, a nature trail, shade garden, pollinator garden, and the forest meadow affords gorgeous views of the peaks.

It had a lot of plants that's a nice looking place had a great time

Really not much to do here. What you see out of the really old telescopes here are probably worse images than you would see out of your child's telescope at home.Good for the historic context, that's about it.

Lot's of fun. Great place too go and get lost in nature while learning about nature

It has been about 2 years since I was there and I remember it like it was yesterday. Anyone can really appreciate the effort that goes into maintaining a place like this. Super educational and a great way to spend an afternoon. Everyone was very friendly. Thanks so much to everyone who made this enjoyable. Have to agree that road is little rough. The answer is not to go but maybe smooth it out a little. Or maybe the guy with the Chevy Impala could start a service transporting visitors.

Quite a rough ride to get to the arboretum but it is well worth the trip

Great high country botanical collection especially Penstemon flowers

Enjoyed the visit so much, I got a family membership.

The crew at Christopher Metcalfe Creations enjoyed the Arboretum.

We went at the wrong time of the year, everything was drying off for the winter. Not a bad way to spend a few hours, I imagine in the spring/summer it's much nicer. We still had fun walking around.

An hour wait for a hayride that lasted 5 min... What a disappointment! Seemed like they oversold the event and were not prepared to have so many people show up.

Incredible views of the peaks. I highly recommend the Summer Concerts

My friends and I visited this place when we were up here. Unfortunately, it wasn't spring so not much was in bloom. However, when it is, we will be stopping by again to see how beautiful it is going to look! Regardless, we had a good time walking around this place. It's so quiet and beautiful.

I loved this place! It was incredibly peaceful and the restrooms are clean.

Not as many or as large of facilities as you might expect for a normal arboretum, but the countryside is beautiful and it may develop further in the future. The ride out there is a little rough

Annual plant sale today was incredible with indigenous plants and free admission!

Beautiful, quiet place with nice easy trails. However the roads leading to the Arboretum are rather rough, you will definitely need an SUV/ van/ truck.

Wonderful place - quiet, relaxing and spectacular gardens. Be prepared for 4 miles of dirt road, but worth the drive.

Terrible co. Road in. Washboards for 3 miles. Nice spot once you get there

Nice place to visit to connect with the mostly native flaura and fauna. Short interprative trail explains the pine forest.

I personally love learning about the flora. And there was plenty of it.

We weren't super impressed. While it was pretty, the visitors center was closed and we couldn't find any employees to figure out where to find the butterflies or how to become jr naturalists.

Educational went with my granddaughter and I luv it

Awesome place to be. Spend some time....relax....enjoy.

I'm sure it was nice but with the covered 19 everything was kind of shut down I would love to see it in full bloom.

Beautiful place to walk around with a huge variety of plants and trees. Great information on types of lansdscape, effects of and how to heal the damage we have caused to nature.