University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum

Madison isn’t a big city by any stretch of the imagination, however it’s a city surrounded by suburbs nonetheless. The UW Arb is a pleasant sanctuary from the concrete of the Capitol Square and the suburban sprawl. Winter is my favorite time to visit the landscape can be striking and you’ll often have the trails to yourself!

I see a lot of potential for this place during the summer months. Unfortunately, we came in November so everything was gloomy and not as green. Even so, there was a lot of nice areas where we could sit and relax. Not to mention, there were so many wonderful paths for biking, running, and hiking. What a great park in a great city.

Really amazing outdoor space, but it’s basically out of commission from November to April (Madison winter). So you want to go on a clear day when you can see a lot of stuff. It gets me in the «zen» each time.

A great arboretum! Recommend a visit in May to see all the trees in bloom. The air smelled like lilacs and cherry blossoms and the tree flowers were beautiful. Lots of neat places to hike around in nature and look for birds and other creatures. Very nice visitor center. Free.

I’m a bit biased, because this was the site of my second ever date with my fiancée. But I can’t possibly help but give a ringing endorsement of the Arboretum.
Getting to the Arboretum can be a bit tricky if you don’t already know where you’re going. I was lucky enough to be introduced to the park at an early age, so its an easy enough trip for me but otherwise I’d definitely recommend getting detailed directions.
Once you’re in there is just a ton of stuff to see and do. There are lots of peaceful trails to walk or bike on, and they never seem to terribly busy.
The fall is, obviously, an especially good time to take in the sights, but at most any time of the year the trees are thick enough to provide ample shade for most of the walking trails. There are also examples of other types of ecosystems, including recreations of some of Wisconsin’s native plains.
The only drawback is that from most places in the arboretum you can still hear the roar of traffic on the Beltline, which is basically unavoidable. For as much of an urban oasis as the park is, it’s hard to forget that you’re in a built up area when you can still hear a multi-​lane highway nearby.

It’s a nice area, lots of trees, as you might expect. It’s very accessible from downtown Madison by car or bike, and it’s a great resource. We biked all through it, a couple of miles, on a combination of a path and the road. There are bike racks at appropriate points. There’s also canoe and kayak rental (and they have a couple of huge swan paddleboats!) for about $ 20/​hour. I haven’t been into the zoo, but it looks like a pretty small, local affair aimed mostly at very small children, as evidenced by the people we saw going in and out.

Be still, my heart.
The Arb is by far one of the most beautiful places in Madison to walk, run, bike, hike, photograph, bird (that’s a verb), ski, research or just chill. I’m working my way up to doing all of these and becoming an Arboretum Black Belt!
Last Sunday we biked through the Arboretum as part of Bike & Brunch and HOLY FALL COLORS. Fall is my favorite time to peep the enormous range of gorgeous trees in the area. The multitude of colors in this Southern Wisconsin forest is a sight to see! Do I sound like a tourism catalogue yet?
Be sure to check out the trails (
) and the Visitor Center for exhibits, cool research they’re doing (right now they’re researching wild turkey in the area), and tips on the best places to wander.

A gem. Trees and trails. A visitor’s center with guides, tours and gift shop (restrooms)
I thoroughly enjoyed the visits here and there was still plenty more to do/​see, three trips wasn’t enough.
The grounds were well maintained and labeled. It was kind of fun looking for the information tags on the bushes and trees. Natures treasure hunt. No dogs allowed, however, there were still traces of animal droppings, be careful where you step.
If you tread quietly and speak with your indoor voice, you make come across turkeys. We saw about 6 wild turkeys that were at least 15 pounders. That was a nice surprise. They minded their business and walked by us quickly. I would advise against trying to chase them, they are enjoying things just as much as you are… you wouldn’t want someone chasing you right?
I found walking around the grounds was not only educational but peaceful and relaxing. I would love to return for snowshoeing in the winter. (maybe I love the idea of it :))
As you drive down the driveway — go slow and be careful of the cyclists and pedestrians.
The University does a great job with this Arboretum and it is DEFINITELY worth the trip. I would not recommend going if there are severe thunderstorms looming not many places to hide and could be dangerous if you are caught in the open.
Bring a camera with lenses, binoculars and sunscreen and take it all in.

Beautiful nature preserve that’s excellent for hiking or biking. Very educational Visitors’ Center as well.

do you like walks?
do you like pretty scenery?
how about trees… do you like trees?
well then this is the place for you! go for a long, long, long walk surrounded by pretty, pretty, pretty scenery — and trees!