Fountain Hills Desert Botanical Garden

Shawn Pahl

LEAVE MO TRACE! Fantastic little slice of heaven in Fountain Hills. You can see the fountain going off from the trails. Parking spot only has four regular parking spots and one handicap

Moana Hopkins

It's small, in a 6-acre crevice between two neighborhoods. There are cacti that were attacked by pack rats. One cactus had a red hue on its spines and very wavy pattern I've not seen before. The garden is just over 1/2 mile round-trip, easy on the downslope and uphill. Do wear a good pair of closed toe shoes, it's a rocky path, and rattlesnakes have been reported in the area. There are only 4 parking spots, and this is free entry. Please, be responsible, don't eat here on the trail, but if necessary, take any of your trash out with you. It's easy walking for kids 5+, moderately difficult for those under that age.

Matt Loutherback

Not really a "botanical garden", but rather a neighborhood nature trail with placards placed at naturally occurring plants. Not a bad place to visit if you're already in the area, but not worth a 40-minute drive, in my opinion. Especially in the winter time. But at least it's free.

Michael Smith

Apparently "botanical garden" is just a fancy way of saying that a piece of nature has been set aside for conservation with nice placards placed to describe the various plants that grow in the area, as well as to describe historical and other points of interest. Not that there's anything wrong with that! There is a nice trail system that allows you to walk through the area at your leisure and learn a bunch of stuff if you are so inclined. There is also a sensor at the entrance that counts how many people are visiting - it is clearly labelled that this is NOT a camera, as apparently some people are concerned. It is important to see how much interest places like this generate to justify whatever decisions need to be made.