The Santa Clara Arboretum is an interesting area worth exploring and is not far from the large city of St. George, Utah. The Arboretum is located amongst a suburban neighborhood and near some little league baseball fields. However, once you begin your hike through the Santa Clara Arboretum you’ll likely forget that you are so near the city!
The Santa Clara Arboretum has a bit of a history. It was originally hand built in the 1980’s by Dr. Robert Shepherd. It was enjoyed for years, but eventually the wetlands became choked by an abundance of non-native Tamarisk.
Several projects have been undertaken since then to clean up the Arboretum. Unfortunately in 2004 a fire burned a large section of the Arboretum. Additionally, recent floods have changed the Arboretum area.
Despite these setbacks, effort is still being made to maintain the Arboretum. It is certainly worth a visit as the area is quite unique. Hiking paths will take you through the wetland area, and eventually to a unique black lava flow area.
As you wander your way through the lava flow (there are an assortment of trails, some dead end) you’ll come to a lovely area featuring gravel pathways that lead to a shaded area with two benches. There are also a variety of plants and cactus here with some species labeled.
After enjoying and exploring the lava flow area, return to where you parked via the main hiking trail.
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