Plan Your Visit
All parts of the Washington Park Arboretum, with the exception of the Japanese Garden maintained by Seattle City Parks and Recreation, are open to the public free of charge. The Graham Visitors Center has maps, restrooms, staff and Arboretum Foundation offices, a gift shop and meeting room. No matter what time of year you visit, you’ll find something of interest along the trails that wind through 230 acres of gardens, natural areas and wetlands.
At the Center for Urban Horticulture, you’ll find gardens, greenhouses and Union Bay Natural Area, plus UWBG’s headquarters, herbarium and horticultural lending library open to the public, all housed in a certified “green building.”
Dogs are more than welcome at both sites of the UWBG as long as they are on a leash and get picked up after.
Hours
The Washington Park Arboretum is free and open to the public daily from dawn to dusk.
- The Graham Visitors Center, gift shop and public restrooms are open 10:00 AM-4:00 PM daily, except UW holidays.
- The Japanese Garden is operated by Seattle City Parks and Recreation and has an admission fee. For information, call 206-684-4725 or visit their website.
The Center for Urban Horticulture gardens and grounds are free and open to the public daily from dawn to dusk.
- Merrill Hall and public restrooms are open Monday through Saturday 9:00 AM-5:00 PM, except UW holidays.
- The Elisabeth C. Miller Library welcomes the public Monday noon–8:00 PM, Tuesday through Friday 9:00 AM–5:00 PM and Saturday 9:00 AM–3:00 PM. Occasionally the libary is open additional evenings for special events. The library is closed UW holidays.
Directions and Maps
Audio Tour of the gardens
Virtual tours available at VR Seattle
Canoe rentals available from UW Waterfront Activity Center
Kayak rentals available from Aqua Verde Paddle Club. Guided Kayak tours in August.
The Arboretum does not have boat launching sites. Please land non-motorized vessels at designated locations.
Suggested Activities
If you have 15 minutes
- Arboretum, starting at the Graham Visitors Center:
- Tour the native woodland ferns, plants, and small trees around the Graham Visitors Center.
- In the fall, wander through the Arboretum’s oaks section, where squirrels and acorns abound. Cross Arboretum Drive East, go up the stairs, and follow the gravel trail.
- In the spring, enjoy the bloomsalong Azalea Way.
- Center for Urban Horticulture, at the Soest Garden, learn how to select plants appropriate to common soil and light conditions in Pacific Northwest urban gardens.
If you have 30 minutes or more
- Arboretum, starting at the Graham Visitors Center:
- Walk north along Arboretum Drive East, cross theroad, and follow the gravel trail along the shoreline. At the bridge, take a short loop trail or a longer,1/2 mile trail leading to a large wetland.
- Center for Urban Horticulture: Grab your binoculars and head to the Union Bay Natural Area. You never know what birds you’ll see on a lunch break or in an entire afternoon.
Getting hot outside?
- Head to one of the Arboretum’s popular reading spots:
- the Woodland Garden lawn between the two ponds
- the grove of giant sequoias on the west edge of North Pinetum
- under the crabapple trees in the meadow behind the apiary
- beneath majestic rhododendrons in Loderi Valley
When the weather’s not right for gardening
Relax in the Miller Library at CUH. Rainy days are a perfect time to browse the library’s collection and find inspiration for your future gardens.
Last modified:
Monday, 07-May-2012 09:18:43 PDT