South Arkansas Arboretum

El Dorado, Arkansas, United States

---

The South Arkansas Arboretum in El Dorado, Arkansas, was established in 1965 through the efforts of local educators and community leaders led by biology teacher James Riley, who secured federal grants to develop the site.

It is Arkansas’s only state park located within a city and features a 12-acre wooded area with over two miles of paved walking trails. The arboretum showcases plants native to Arkansas’s West Gulf Coastal Plain along with cultivated flowering azaleas and camellias. It offers interpretive signs identifying various trees and native plant species, providing educational opportunities in a peaceful natural setting.

Managed by South Arkansas Community College under an agreement with Arkansas State Parks, the arboretum hosts community events, conservation projects, and volunteers help maintain its facilities, preserving both botanical heritage and public enjoyment.