I rediscovered Carefree Desert Gardens several years ago when I was pet-sitting a small dog for a friend of mine. It was August and the pavement around my condo was too hot for her paws, so every day we hopped into the car and drove to Carefree where we could comfortably stroll the shady spots of the gardens. During Covid, I have often returned there as it is a lovely place to get some outdoor exercise and still social distance.
Even the name of Carefree Desert Gardens sounds appealing, and it is an accurate description of this oasis of water and greenery in the heart of Carefree. The four-acre botanical gardens are open to the public free of charge except when they are being used for special events such as the Thunderbird Artists shows, the Enchanted Pumpkin Garden or Christmas in Carefree. On those occasions – which are great fun — there is a nominal admission fee.
Carefree Desert Gardens are bordered on one side by Easy Street. When you walk to the top end of the gardens, you are welcomed by a huge sundial – at this writing, the 3rd largest in the Western Hemisphere. The founders of Carefree, K.T. Palmer and Tom Darlington, were evidently looking for an enticement to encourage visitors to drive all the way from Phoenix, through miles of desert, to their newly established community. There were no freeways then and few paved roads near Carefree, so they decided that creating the “largest Sundial in the world” was just the thing.
Built by architect Joe Wong and solar engineer John Yellott, the sundial was erected in Sundial Circle Plaza in 1959. Its steel frame is covered with anodized copper and the entire sundial structure is 90 feet in diameter. The metal gnomon (pronounced “nomen” which means the part of a sundial which creates the shadow) is raised 35 feet above the plaza and extends forward 72 feet.
Beneath part of the gnomon is a bubbling pool, and the plaza is landscaped with saguaros and other desert plants. At the rear of the sundial is a miniature sundial which explains how the position of the sun tells time. There is also a plaque commemorating the purchase of the sundial property by the Carefree Kiwanis Club in 1976 in honor of Kiwanis member K.T. Palmer. They subsequently gifted it to the town of Carefree in 1988, but the Kiwanis continue to maintain Sundial Circle Plaza.
As you continue your stroll down the gardens, you will notice the Kiwanis splash park on the left side. On summer days, children enjoy the cool water and the antics of a scorpion named Kiwani who resides in the center and “comes to life” by sending up squirts of water unexpectedly.
The gardens are beautifully arranged. Walking away from the sundial, you pass another fountain with its own pool. In the distance, a man on horseback seems to be fleeing something behind him. The bronze statue by sculptor Arthur Norby is named “Stampede,” but fortunately he seems to have outrun the herd.
All along the length of the gardens there are places to sit and enjoy the scenery and a variety of desert plantings, some with signs identifying unusual specimens. Sculptures are also scattered here and there, so your eyes are delighted by both botanical and artistic beauty.
The next major space is the Sanderson Pavilion. When I first arrived in Cave Creek in 2002, it was known as the Carefree Amphitheater and hosted a wonderful winter concert series. In 2013, Sanderson Lincoln generously donated $250,000 for the Town Council to refurbish the area, adding shade sails, updating the lighting and adding a state-of-the-art sound system. On October 19, 2014, the amphitheater was officially reopened and renamed the Sanderson Lincoln Pavilion. Since then, it has been a venue for music and dance performances, craft and produce markets, and a variety of community activities.
Across the road, the gardens continue with a Children’s Playground on the left and a bubbling pool on the right. A Gila Monster slide gives its name to the play area. The pool offers several comfortable benches in the shade.
All of Carefree Desert Gardens is open to pets on leashes. Free plastic bags and waste disposal bins are set up at regular intervals so that the area stays clean.
At this end of the park, there are also welcoming seating areas for those who want to relax outside for a while. The path continues to wind around the park, over some small bridges and back the way you came. Everywhere there are more beautiful desert plantings and more “art in the garden.”
Each time of year brings its own beauty – spring and summer blooms, fall pumpkin carving, and winter Christmas lights.
And if you get tired of all this beauty, you are only steps from the shops and restaurants of Carefree – but that’s a story for another blog.