Explore the Beautiful Gardens at Red Butte Garden

Botanical gardens are relaxing places to watch wildlife, stroll along the paths or relax on a bench. Red Butte Garden in Salt Lake City offers all of that and more. Ten different gardens capture the variety of flowers, shrubs, trees, herbs, plans and landscapes of Utah. It’s one of those places you can revisit every month to capture a different view of the beauty and colors of nature.

If you’re looking for a relaxing way to enjoy Utah, spend a few hours walking the paths of Red Butte Garden in eastern Salt Lake City. Here are a few tips to help you as you plan your visit. But first things first… don’t forget to take time to stop and smell the roses. Or any other plant in the garden.

Below is the suggested route through Red Butte Garden, but you can wander at your own leisure.

Free Days in the Park

Want to enjoy a free admission day to Red Butte Garden? Well, here are the days when you’ll want to visit.

• Arbor Day – The last Friday of April
• Pioneer Day – July 24
• Labor Day – The first Monday of September
• Zeke Dumke, Jr. Day – The first Monday of October

Getting Tickets and Finding Red Butte Garden

Tickets to Red Butte Garden can be purchased at the front desk upon arrival. There is no option to purchase tickets online in advance of your visit. However, the garden plays host to various events and concerts throughout the year, and tickets for those are available online. Admission tickets to the garden do not include access to special events. Ticket are half price during the winter months (Dec, Jan, Feb).

The garden hours vary throughout the year. Be sure and check their website for the garden hours for the day you plan to visit. If there is a concert in the amphitheater, the garden closes at 5 p.m.

Red Butte Garden is located on the University of Utah campus on Wakara Way. If you’re coming from I-15 and downtown Salt Lake City, take 400 S east up the hill (it becomes 500 South and eventually Foothill Drive). As the road curves south, take a left onto Wakara Way. The road comes to a dead end at Red Butte Garden. Foothill Drive continues south and connects to I-80 at Parleys Way (so that’s how you’d access the garden from the south).

When you arrive, park in the lot and make you’re way into the building. Purchase you tickets at the front desk and grab a map. Swing into the gift shop and pick up some wildflower seeds, wind chime or other gift. When you’re ready to visit the gardens, head up the stairs and out the doors.

Courtyard and Four Seasons Gardens

We grabbed a couple of drinks in the gift shop, along with a granola bar or two, and sat at a table in the Courtyard. It was a beautiful, overcast day. Not too hot and not too cold. All you needed was a light jacket (Yes, I did just make a reference to April 25th and the Miss Congeniality movie from 2000). We sat there for about 15 minutes and watched people come and go from the garden. At one point, a group in suits and fancy dresses headed out into the Four Seasons Garden for what looked like high school dance photos.

Red Butte Garden is a great place for a photoshoot. But before visiting the garden, review their photography policy so you can plan accordingly.

After enjoying the weather, head north up the path and keep to the left toward the Floral Walk.

Floral Walk to the Rose Garden

The flowers were definitely in bloom along the Floral Walk. The paved path isn’t the only path I recommend you follow. There are two dirt trails that venture off the main path and through the flowers. It’s okay to take those off-shoots, but I recommend staying on the path and not cutting through the forests – you don’t want to step on the flowers and ruin the beauty for others.

As you pass through the Pear Arbor, you’ll know you’re about halfway through the Floral Walk. As the path continues, you can take a shortcut on the right to a bench and overlook of the Rose Garden. You can also continue down the path and catch a glimpse of the amphitheater where summer concerts are performed.

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The Rose Garden features dozens of types of roses in a variety of colors. Our visit was a little early in the year to see any rose blossoms, but each bush had a name plaque so you could tell which type of rose it was. If they’re in bloom, take the time to smell the roses. Do different roses smell differently?

After spending some time in the Rose Garden, make your way east, but keep to the right so you can check out the next area – the Water Pavilion.

Water Pavilion Garden

The lake was like glass as we walked by. The reflection in the water was beautiful, and the photo above doesn’t do it justice. Follow the advice of the lade in purple on the other side of the lake – find a bench with a view and enjoy the beauty of nature. Just past the lake is a pavilion. As much as I wanted to explore it, there was a bouquet of roses sitting on the edge and a woman asking people to keep the area clear for an imminent proposal. So beyond being a great spot for a family photoshoot, it’s a great spot for a romantic proposal too.

Even though the pavilion was being reserved, the lake is large and there are flowers and plants all around it. If you want to put a water feature in your landscaping, this is a great area to get ideas on plants that would compliment it.

On the west and of the lake – back by the Rose Garden – is a waterfall worth checking out. It’s along the path you would take if you wanted to pass along the north side of the lake. The path is setup for you to take a long stroll around the lake if you’d like. Don’t rush… just enjoy.

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Then follow the path east until it makes a near 180-degree turn and heads back toward the other gardens. There are two areas – referred to as waysides – that are like a secluded pavilion in the trees. Yet another great spot to rest and enjoy nature. When you reach a large set of stairs on your left, head up them to the Water Conservation Garden.

Water Conservation Garden

Utah is the second driest state in the nation. Regardless, people think that having a yard that uses less water means it has to be filled with cactus and rocks. Well, that’s not true. Granted, the levels of this Water Conservation Garden does have cactus, yucca plants and other types of low-water-use plants. But there is still beauty in those layouts. Follow the paths and stairs up to the highest level… then enjoy the views into the Salt Lake valley below.

There’s another nice pavilion at the top, so get off your feet and enjoy the view up the canyon as well. When you’re done, follow the paths to the south and connect back into the main path that brings you down by the Sprout House and the next stop in the garden.. the Children’s Garden.

Let the Kids Play in the Children’s Garden

Little kids will enjoy climbing around on some of the things they have in the Children’s Garden. There’s a large botanical rattle snake the kids can walk or climb through. The head of the snake has some large fangs and a tongue that is part of a little water fountain. So yes, there are water spouts in the garden area, so if you’re going to allow your child to take full advantage of what’s there, you may want to bring a change of clothes and/or a towel.

Walk under the bridge to another waterfall and show your kids the backside of water. They’ll even find fish in the little pond – but keep in mind the pond is not for swimming.

Parents can find a bench in the children’s area so they can relax and enjoy the smiles of their kids playing. Or, they can kick off their shoes and play in the water spouts with their kids. The garden offers kids classes and even a summer camp for kids.

And if you’re looking for some boredom busters, Red Butte Garden has several activities and videos to keep kids entertained. They’re educational, too.

Fragrance, Medicinal and Herb Gardens

These last three gardens all wind together. We began our visit in the Fragrance Garden. The best part was finding a bench swing with my wife and enjoying a relaxing moment chatting about life. Like I’ve said, there are some great spots to just sit and enjoy nature and the colors of spring (or whatever time of year you plan to visit).

In the Medicinal Garden, there are signs that talk about the ways some of the plants are used in medicine. It was interesting to learn about the variety of plants and what they offer.

We found a little surprise int he Herb Garden. Not sure if it was something the garden staff put there, or a present a visitor left, but baby Groot (think Guardians of the Galaxy) was chilling in one of the hedges. Oh, and don’t worry if you get Simon and Garfunkle’s Scarburough Fair song stuck in your head as you walk through the Herb Garden. After all, you’re sure to find parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, right?

Once you complete your walk through the Herb Garden, you’ll be right back on the main path that leads down to the Courtyard and doors out of the garden. However, there’s also an exit to the parking area along the Floral Walk, so you can walk back down that way for a final look at the flowers before hopping in your car to head home.

The Details:

Address: 300 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108

Cost: Adults are $14 each. Seniors (65+), military and University of Utah faculty/staff are $12 each. Children (3-17) are $7, while children 2 and under are free. Current University of Utah students are free with ID, along with garden members.

Hours: Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. between May 1 and Aug 31. However, on nights when there’s a concert, the gardens close at 5 p.m. The garden hours vary by season as well. Check their website ahead of your visit so you know when it opens and closes, based on the season.

Website: https://redbuttegarden.org/

Phone: (801) 585-0556

Disclosure: I received two complimentary admission tickets to Red Butte Garden in Salt Lake City for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.

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