The jewel of the University of Idaho’s lush, landscaped campus is the 63-acre UI Arboretum and Botanical Garden which fills the valley south of the President’s Residence on Nez Perce Drive — against a backdrop of the tilled, rolling Palouse hills.
Organized into geographical groupings of Asian, European, Eastern, and Western North American sections, and display plantings are hundreds of species and cultivars of North Temperate trees and shrubs and a xeriscape garden. In addition to native Idaho species, there are over 120 dedicated trees and groves, trails, water features, and 27 granite benches for viewing, study, contemplation, enjoying northern Idaho’s spectacular seasonal changes. Walking trails range from easy grades through steeper climbs to the most spectacular overview sites from which the Blue Mountains of Oregon can be seen.
