Wright Park Arboretum

About Us:

Wright Park’s 27-acre site includes a rich collection of native and exotic trees, many of which are over 100 years old.  The original plantings included trees from all over North America and Europe. Later plantings added trees from Asia and South America.  Currently, there are over 600 trees in Wright Park, of 155 different varieties. Many of the trees are labeled with their names and places of origin; a tree map is available in the Conservatory gift shop.

The early Park Board and superintendents took great care to make Wright Park a showpiece for the developing city of Tacoma, arranging a wide diversity of trees along pathways and in shady groves. Among the special trees are a Yoshino Cherry that was part of the original shipment from Japan to the Tidal Basin planting in Washington, DC, two different Hickories from the SE United States and a Monkey Puzzle tree from Chile. Twenty-eight of the original trees are now State Champions – the largest of their kind known to exist in Washington. Twelve of the Champions are labeled as such, and included in a self-guided tour which can be borrowed from the Conservatory.