Although monsoon rains have brought cooler temps to Desert Botanical Garden, summers in the Sonoran Desert are hot and dry, as well as humid. To ensure your experience is safe and enjoyable, the Garden has compiled a list of cool tips for summer visits.
Top Spots to Stay Cool in the Garden
The Garden has a few cooling areas and indoor spaces that guests can visit as a way to take a break from the heat. Inside The RAF Exhibit Gallery, the light lounge offers an interactive and colorful light projections. This experience is part of Desert Oasis Garden After Dark. Over at Webster Center, guests can witness the award-winning Arizona landscape photographs from Mark Klett in Mark Klett: Desert Citizens. This exhibit showcases the Sonoran Desert in a unique lens. And don’t forget to stop at the Garden Shop to purchase a souvenir or a plant. The Garden Shop also offers cool treats and Desert Botanical Garden-branded apparel and items.
Best Spots for Shade
The Sonoran Desert is considered one of the greenest deserts in the world because of its annual rainfall. These conditions are optimal for a number of desert-adapted plants like large mesquite, ironwood and palo verde trees. These trees’ canopies also offer a unique shade structure along several paths across the Garden. Here are a few hidden spots for the best shade.
Visit the cottonwood trees near the oasis pond at the Plants and People of the Sonoran Desert trail. Sit under the shaded mesquite tree inside the Wildflower trail for a nice little rest in nature. Snap a photo inside the shaded terrace at Ottosen Entry Garden with a number of mesquite trees providing optimal shade. And walk down the main path to the Lewis Desert Portal to witness towering palo verde trees that create the perfect shaded pathway. And don’t forget to stop at the Christensen Family Desert Oasis to sit down and rest under the tall Tipuana Tipu tree.
Coolest Hours to Visit
The Garden is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. All trails, the Garden Shop and Getrude’s by Tarbell’s are closed 1-5 p.m. in July and August during peak heat. But during the summer, the best times to visit is when the gates have opened or after sunset. At 6 a.m., guests have the opportunity to witness rosy-faced lovebirds munching on sunflowers at the Wildflower trail, night-blooming cactus flowers still open before they start wilting or cooler weather. At sunset, guests can experience Desert Oasis Garden After Dark. More than 12 light installations brighten the Garden’s trails and add a pop of cool colors this summer.
Coolest Drinks
Stop by at the new Cactus Cantina this summer only for refreshing drinks. Inside the SRP Visitor Center, guests can purchase a number of cool specialty drinks, like the Berries & Cream topped with sweet cold foam and blueberries on a signature cup. This month, a new drink option is arriving to the menu! Purchase a Summer Sangria as you stroll through the Garden’s trails in the evening.
