The University of Arizona’s beloved and iconic Old Main encapsulates the larger campus history of landscape evolution and innovation. Since the campus grounds have been used as a living laboratory, over time plant selection, design preferences, and landscape management practices have evolved increasingly toward a model of sustainability for urban deserts. As part of the 20th anniversary of Campus Arboretum service to the university, we invite you to learn about old and new ideas and envision the resilience possible in the next 20 years!
Tours and Events
An impressive combination of botanical and architectural expertise, the ENR2 building is unique. Designed to mimic the form of a slot canyon, it creates a set of microclimates that suit plants that otherwise would not survive here. This tour will help you learn more about the many plants that call this building home and the features of the building that make their growth possible.
Learn the history and the heritage of Arizona's oldest University. Follow our guides as they show you beautiful places and tell you fascinating facts about the growth and development of the University, and how it came out of the sands of the Sonoran Desert to become the jewel of Arizona!
When the University of Arizona was established, Dr. James Toumey, a botanist for the Agricultural Experiment Station, started a cactus display garden that, eventually became what we now know as the Joseph Wood Krutch (pronounced KROOCH) Garden. This tour features the Sonoran native plants in that garden and celebrates desert ecology and ethnobotanical wisdom.
For more than a century the campus landscape has served as testing grounds for arid-adapted trees, supplying the Campus Arboretum with a collection of unusual but delightful specimens. Trees around the World features some of these unique trees and describes their native uses and interesting folklore.
This tour originated as a brilliant idea of an (undoubtedly hungry) undergraduate student, and has been customized for the benefit of all locovores. Join us to learn the identities of trees and plants with edible products which grow well in our campus landscape. The tour features arid-adapted introduced species as well as Sonoran desert native plants.
Plants have been used for centuries to treat and remedy all sorts of ailments; on this tour you will learn about some of the Sonoran Native medicinal plants found here on campus and the current science confirming their therapeutic properties for human health.
This self-guided tour showcases all sponsored trees on campus featuring the inscription for each tribute plaque. Donor contributions provide sole support for Campus Arboretum educational and outreach programs, student training and research projects that promote awareness of sustainable land management and development. Donations also provide needed resources that support professional development and training of grounds personnel, provide for special preservation of existing trees, and expand tree collections and programs.
This tour showcases all donated benches on campus. Donor contributions provide sole support for Campus Arboretum educational and outreach programs, student training and research projects that promote awareness of sustainable land management and development. Donations also provide needed resources that support professional development and training of grounds personnel, provide for special preservation of existing trees, and expand tree collections and programs.
Join a guided tree tour!
Printable Spring 2023 Schedule
Print a 1/2 sheet tour schedule
Tours start at the University of Arizona Memorial Fountain, west of Old Main at 9:30 am and last 60-90 minutes. Campus visitor parking is available and free on most weekends.
For more information or to confirm your attendance (RSVP) email Hank Verbais, Campus Arboretum Tour Coordinator at infoarboretum@cals.arizona.edu
A campus map can be found at: https://map.arizona.edu/
Here are other ways to "visit", learn and be inspired.
Virtual Tours - We have provided virtual tree tours here. See photos and descriptions of plants from the comfort of your home! Learn more about the virtual tree tours here.
Blooming Tours - The campus provides plants that bloom throughout all of the Sonoran desert's five seasons. Experience and learn about plants in bloom through this virtual tour. Learn more about the plants in bloom here.
Mobile Tours - You may also wish to take a self-guided tour using your mobile device. Learn more about mobile tree tours here.
Other Self-Guided Tours - Self-guided tour booklets can be printed from the links found in many tour descriptions. Return to the main tree tour page to explore each by clicking here.
