The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden
Nature, wildlife, and history.
I recently visited the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden (The Arboretum). The Arboretum is a 127-acre public garden located in the city of Arcadia, about 13 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley, at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains.
The Arboretum is governed through a private/public collaboration between the Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation and the County of Los Angeles through the Parks and Recreation Department.
The land the Arboretum sits on was once owned by Arcadia’s founder and first mayor, Southern California Land Barron Elias Jackson “Lucky” Baldwin. Several historic structures remain on the property including Baldwin’s former guest house (1885), now known as the Queen Anne Cottage; the Carriage Barn; and the Don Perfecto Hugo Reid Adobe (circa 1840).
In 1947, the State of California and the County of Los Angeles jointly purchased the land to create an arboretum for public use.
The Arboretum has Biogeographical plant collections representing Africa, Australia, Madagascar, and the Canary Islands. You can view the garden map here.
The Arboretum is a wildlife sanctuary for many species of animals but most notably an extensive array of bird species. The peacock has been called the iconic symbol of the Arboretum. Lucky Baldwin imported three pairs from China around 1910. Today the population is around 250, including pea hens and babies in various stages of development.
In addition to the birds, squirrels, turtles, and the other more typical Arboretum animals, I saw a coyote when I was there. Coyotes are common throughout Los Angeles County. However, on a rare occasion, you might see a bear at the Arboretum. In November 2022 the Arboretum was evacuated due to the sighting of a mama bear and two cubs.
It was a hazy day when I was there, but there was still a decent view of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Dozens of movies and televisions programs have had scenes filmed at the Arboretum beginning in 1936 when Baldwin Lake and the surrounding landscape, which are now part of the Arboretum, became a stand-in for the African jungle in Tarzan Escapes, starring Johnny Weissmuller.
The Arboretum is large, with two miles of paved pathways and several unpaved pathways. I spent about 2 hours there and didn’t see everything. It is a lot of walking, but they have tram tours, if you don’t want to do that much walking.
Take a look at the video below if you would like to see more photos and video clips from my visit to the Arboretum.