The High Plains Arboretum is located at
8601 Hildreth Road, Cheyenne, WY 82009.
The Arboretum shares property with the National Cemetery and the USDA Research Center.
Please respect and follow all posted rules.
No pets are allowed on the property.
To schedule a talk or tour of the High Plains Arboretum, contact
Jessica Friis
State Historic Site Project
The 2,139 acres of the High Plains Grasslands Research Station’s land is owned by the City of Cheyenne but is under a 200-year lease to the USDA that was signed in 1928. In 2008 the USDA returned 62 acres containing the arboretum to the city. The state historic site project would bring the Wyoming State Parks Department in to help manage 877 acres of the site and help with the restoration of 4 historic houses no longer used by the USDA, the soils lab, greenhouse and lath house buildings. The site would also include the historic Roundtop Water Treatment Plant, and the adjacent park and reservoir.
A Brief History
The station is located five miles northwest of Cheyenne at an elevation of 6,200 feet. After the mid 1970s, the research station’s emphasis was changed to range land research which continues today. During the Great Depression, the station hosted many depression-era work programs, including two Civilian Conservation Corps camps. The men in these camps planted trees, improved roads, and built or improved many structures on the station that still exist today, including bridges, stone terraces, the lath house, an addition to the root cellar, and improvements to the greenhouse interior.
For more information:
The station is located five miles northwest of Cheyenne at an elevation of 6,200 feet. After the mid 1970s, the research station’s emphasis was changed to range land research which continues today. During the Great Depression, the station hosted many depression-era work programs, including two Civilian Conservation Corps camps. The men in these camps planted trees, improved roads, and built or improved many structures on the station that still exist today, including bridges, stone terraces, the lath house, an addition to the root cellar, and improvements to the greenhouse interior.
For more information:
Growing tough trees for Wyoming
We also encourage residents to take advantage of other organizations providing tough trees for our community.
Check out the links below for more information:
Tree Inventory of High Plains Arboretum Research Station
In 2024, the Laramie County Conservation District funded an inventory of all trees in the proposed state historic site boundaries. The inventory was conducted with help from the Wyoming State Forestry Division. This valuable information will aid in caring for the historic trees by helping us monitor their health over time, identify which trees are in need of pruning or pest control, and creating a record of over 6,000 historic trees on the property.
Please consider donating to the Arboretum by clicking the link below.
Enter “Arboretum” in the comments section.