[1] The tree is located near milepost 254,[2] approximately 55 miles (89 km) north of downtown Phoenix, Arizona, between Sunset Point and Cordes Junction.

[6] Decorations include Christmas ornaments, tinsel and garland,[4] stuffed animals, bows, flags, and it is topped with a silver star.

[5] The tree is surrounded by four water storage barrels and plastic drip tubing to supplement the sparse natural rainfall in the area.

[7] In 2011, a former ADOT district engineer who retired in 2005 said he knew who decorates the tree but honors their request to remain anonymous.

Due to the danger of stopping on the highway, neither ADOT nor the Arizona Department of Public Safety formally condone the activity in the median.