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!
We offer many other opportunities for you to participate in this tour: request a special time for a group tour, check out a self-guided tour booklet from 101 Herring Hall, print a copy of the self-guided tour (pdf below) or try the mobile tour.
Tours and Events
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.
We offer many other opportunities for you to participate in this tour: request a special time for a group tour, check out a self-guided tour booklet from 101 Herring Hall, print a copy of the self-guided tour (pdf below) or try the mobile tour.
The brain-child of a hungry college students, created for the benefit of all locovores, this tour identifies trees with edible products growing in our campus landscape and features native plants to the Sonoran desert.
We offer many other opportunities for you to participate in this tour: request a special time for a group tour, check out a self-guided tour booklet from 101 Herring Hall, print a copy of the self-guided tour (pdf below) or try the mobile tour.
Plants have been used for centuries to treat and remedy all sorts of ailments; on this tour you will learn about some of the medicinal plants here on campus and their therapeutic properties for human health.
We offer many other opportunities for you to participate in this tour: request a special time for a group tour, check out a self-guided tour booklet from 101 Herring Hall, print a copy of the self-guided tour (pdf below) or try the mobile tour.
Discover trees from the Mediterranean region and learn the key to growing these plants in the Sonoran desert.
We offer many other opportunities for you to participate in this tour: request a special time for a group tour, check out a self-guided tour booklet from 101 Herring Hall, print a copy of the self-guided tour (pdf below) or try the mobile tour.
Don't have the time or the means to travel to a tropical destination? Visit campus to observe mature tropical trees. Enjoy the mesmerizing view of palm trees swaying in the wind while learning to distinguish the most common palms used in the southwest.
We offer many other opportunities for you to participate in this tour: request a special time for a group tour, check out a self-guided tour booklet from 101 Herring Hall, print a copy of the self-guided tour (pdf below) or try the mobile tour.
When the University of Arizona was established as a Land Grant Institute in 1891, Dr. James Toumey, a botanist for the Agricultural Experiment Station on campus, recognized the educational value of the native vegetation that evolved in the Sonoran Desert over tens of thousands of years. As such, he started a cactus display garden that, eventually became what we now know as the Joseph Wood Krutch (pronounced KROOCH) Garden. In the 120 years since the genesis of the University and its cactus garden, the University’s practices have advanced to reflect current and evolving understandings of and attitudes toward landscaping and the natural environment. Join the Campus Arboretum docents for this tour to learn more about the ecology and ethnobotany of many Sonoran native plants.
We offer many other opportunities for you to participate in this tour: request a special time for a group tour, check out a self-guided tour booklet from 101 Herring Hall, print a copy of the self-guided tour (pdf below) or try the mobile tour.
Since 1891, the trees on the UA campus grounds have served as a proving ground and living laboratory in the study of desert horticulture. From experience, we know that healthy, mature trees provide greatest benefits and we have gained insights into tree selection and landscape management practices that optimize tree health and longevity. For almost 125 years, our goal has been to test trees suitable for arid cities and to provide science-based recommendations guiding landscape management practices. To promote sustainable landscapes, we have created a tour to allow us to share our findings with the community.
We offer many other opportunities for you to participate in this tour: request a special time for a group tour, check out a self-guided tour booklet from 101 Herring Hall, print a copy of the self-guided tour (pdf below) or try the mobile tour.
This tour showcases all donated trees 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.
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.
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.
Interested in a guided tree tour with an expert?
With support from the Pima Co. Master Garderner Program, tours of the Campus Arboretum are offered throughout the year (Sept.-May).
Print the FALL 2017 OR SPRING 2018 TOUR SCHEDULE or view the calendar of events at the top of this page and plan to attend.
TO RSVP:
E-mail: infoarboretum@ag.arizona.edu
Indicate a name and contact #, the tour(s) and dates you would like to participate and your group size. We'll reply to confirm your reservation. With a minimum of two-weeks notice, we can accommodate a group tour. Contact us to make a request.
Want to see the campus at your own pace?
Alternatively, view a virtual tour or visit campus for a self-guided tour. Self-guided tour booklets can be printed from the links below or checked out from 101 Herring Hall on weekdays before 4pm. You may also wish to take a self-guided tour using your mobile device. Learn more about mobile tree tours here.
SELF-GUIDED OR VIRTUAL TOURS:
