The Arizona Cactus Garden at Stanford University

I am in love with this place. There are so many types of cactus and succulents!
I don’t go to Stanford so I totally didn’t know this place existed at first. It’s kind of off to the side and you have to walk off road through a trail to get there. The atmosphere is very secluded and peaceful since it’s away from all the buildings and best of all, it’s open to the public! I think it would be a really peaceful place to take a stroll and enjoy the beauty of nature (or in my case, spaz around and geek out at all the succuli, heh.)
When I went, my friend and I were the only ones there so we spent a long time walking around admiring everything. Definitely a cool place to check out at Stanford!

Brings me back to my college days as a Sun Devil. Gorgeous garden although mostly covered in the winter (for obvious reasons). It’s a small skip from the mortuary and a small walk from the Cantor Museum.
If you’re visiting the campus and decide not to have lunch at the Cantor or you bring your own, this is a nice place to sit/​chat-​just be careful where you put your bum!

One of my favorite hidden gems in the Silicon Valley. My parents attended Stanford and I spent a lot of time around campus growing up. The Stanford Arboretum is absolutely phenomenal, but the Arizona Cactus Garden is a glimmering gem in the midst of it all. There are upwards of several hundred varieties of cactus and succulents in the Arizona Garden, and it’s open to the public year round. If you’re ever in the area, ch-​ch-​check it on out.

We were trying to go to the Rodin Garden, which turned out to be closed for a private event. We looked at google maps and saw that we were near this cactus garden, so we decided to stop by. It was not that clear how best to actually walk to it, and we ended up cutting across some grassy areas, but the garden itself was excellent! I was really impressed by the variety of cacti around — they were crazy! The layout was also really nice and pretty. I would have preferred if there were some kind of labels on the different plants, but overall I was really impressed.

A little piece of Arizona in not-​so-​sunny California. It’s a quiet place with very few visitors, and the parking is pretty close by. Some of the plants are huge, and the garden is very well kept and neat. You can also check out the mausoleum after you’re done here

The Arizona Cactus Garden at Stanford University is a great little quiet place to come and explore all of the different variety of plants!
My mom is in love with plats and succulents so while visiting Stanford, we just had to make a stop here once we found it! It is on the north side of Stanford’s campus.
We easily spent little over an hour here just browsing around looking at the various plants and succulents here. they had a nice variety of plants, succulents and other exotic plants.
It’s nice to take a stroll here and explore! Take the kids, walk the pets, just browse around! There’s benches around the garden to relax as well. Not to mention, it’s free too!

I am not really into plants, but needed to find a diversion for the kids and this place seemed intriguing. There is a huge variety of cacti and my kids were especially fascinated seeing these plants, having never seen them before.
Admission is free and there are all different sizes of cacti in various colors and shapes, Very neat indeed!

Very interesting place north of the campus, when I walked into it, it almost felt like I am in another lands in the desert. There has been careful maintainence of the garden, cactus are taken very good care of. A variety of different shaped cactus and others are such a scene!
As someone spending tons of time in campus how can I miss such an interesting stopby?
Also recommend ‘angel of grief’ just close by (5min walk ish), for those who are interested in Leland stanford junior and stanford history.

Didn’t discover this place until I saw it on Google Maps and decided to check it out. All sorts of cacti spread throughout a circular shaped garden. Nice, quiet area to walk around in and soak up the sun.

This phenomenal and historical garden is just a quick bike ride or easy walk from the Stanford campus or Palo Alto Caltrain. This place is astonishing firstly, due to the amount of varieties in cacti, succulents, and palm plants that are arranged in deliberate order. Many of the plant types have labels or dedication plates. There are historical markers that tell about the founding of the garden. It’s over 100 years old. So, the second thing that stands out to you will be the age and size of the plants, which can be very rare in the first place. Be careful about the cacti, especially with kids, as many have various prickle thorns which can brush off onto your clothes or skin that can be hard to remove. I’m sure they have the largest variety of these type of plants in all of Northern California. It’s definitely a delightful experience if you’re a plant lover.

I am surprised this place did not get more recognition. Well, it is a cactus garden located in the heart of Stanford University. However, you probably have to know this place exists or otherwise you would not be able to spot or locate it randomly because it is hidden in a quite secluded area.
The garden features different kinds of cactus and some are as tall as 10 – 12 feet. The garden is quite small but it took me more than 1.5 hours because there are so many interesting plants to see and I took my time to take pictures. You don’t see these giant cactus everyday and it was so refreshing to be surrounded by these plants in a quiet area. There are a few benches where you can sit and enjoy the sun, the plants and the serenity.
I definitely would come back again in spring time to see the blossoming flowers to get a different perspective of the garden…:)

I recently went to the cactus gardens & found them to be beautiful. Many flowers were blooming making it very colorful. Thanks to other reviews my hubby & I were able to find them easily as they are rather hidden.

«Hey Lillian, do you want to go to a place to meet people just like you?»
That’s how I ended up at the cactus garden– because everyone there is… «prickly.» just. like. me. (har har har)
But in all seriousness, the cactus garden is actually quite lovely. It’s hidden in a really random, hard to find, kind of really out of the way place on campus. Standing on either Quarry Rd or Campus Dr, you probably would not be able to see it through all the other vegetation in the area. You have to actually be looking for it (or the mausoleum) to find it.
With that being said, once you have actually managed to locate it, you’ll find that all your hard work was worth it. This is one area of campus that is rather secluded and serene, minus the new construction site at the med center across the street. There are rarely any other people around here, and there are a few benches that you can sit on to admire the cacti. The paths in the actual garden are paved and everything is very artistically laid out. For some reason, some of the cacti are wrapped up in plastic bags right now, but I’m not entirely sure what that is about.
I like to take walks to escape the stresses of lab, and since this place is «fairly» close to where I work, I think I will find myself amongst my cacti brethren quite soon. Maybe I’ll even pick up a side research project trying to figure out why, out of all the possible morphologies in the world, natural selection chose to give cacti pokey thingies.
tl;dr: If you can manage to locate it, perhaps a good place to pull a Thoreau and experience nature Walden Pond (Arizona Cactus Garden?) style.

I came here last year during summer. It was somewhat difficult to find but worth it.
Cacti are somewhat ugly looking plants but very interesting. Their prickly nature lends them that unique shape.
It’s an awesome place to just wander around. It took me back to my travels to NM ABQ. There are giant ones that dwarfed moi. Not that a simple tomato plant won’t be able to do :) But this one even more.
Some cacti are more pleasing to the eye than the rest. But it is truly a unique place to go and visit. It’s free and peaceful. When I was here I saw a person and that was it.
It was isolated enough that it offers you serenity that is a good match while you walk around undisturbed.
Although it’s not fenced in I can see taking kids here for a show and tell. It’s pretty cool really.

When you come here, it is like stepping into a primeval world of giant plants that dwarf you into stunned silence and reverent submission.
Or, you just feel like a bug in a garden. Either way, the Arizona cactus garden, located on the Stanford University campus just west of Palm Drive, is worth the adventure to find it. It’s one of the most relaxing and unique spots in all of Palo Alto for those who dig really cool plants and green spaces. There is nothing in the Bay Area to compare it with outside of conservatories and greenhouses. But this is open air. And it’s free admission!
This garden, comprised of more than 500 different types of cacti and sun-​tolerant succulent plants, was first designed for the Stanford family in 1880, but it lingered in neglect for over a century until the 1990s, when grounds staff at the university began to restore it to glory. And boy did they succeed! Some of the older specimens have been soaking in the sun and warm, dry conditions that prevail for much of year in the valley for over 100 years. And they are huge!
When these mega-​cacti flower, it is a feast to behold: bees buzz about in search of sweet nectar, the flowers open and close with the sun, the petals are delicate but robust, like those of a water lily (
). You can wander aimlessly around the grounds mesmerized by the spectacle — my preferred way of doing it. Or maybe walk your dog, read a book, catch up on email (it’s Stanford, after all, and wifi rules the day), or just soak up the pleasures of these venerable green beings. Some of which are older than the 2^nd growth redwoods in the nearby hills and mountains. Short of a trip into the desert or Joshua Tree National Forest, this is one suburban, Silicon Valley outing that will connect you with nature without ever leaving range of your smart phone. Now THAT’S peninsula living at its finest. And you can grab a snack or Roma-​quality macchiato at Tootsie’s when you’re finished!