Gabis Arboretum at Purdue Northwest
Nearly 300 acres combine woody-plant collections, restored prairie, wetlands, woodland, trails, a children’s garden, and an intricate outdoor railway garden.
Artwork inspired by John Elwood Bundy
Gabis is part arboretum, part nature preserve, and part environmental education landscape. Cultivated woody collections help visitors compare tree form and adaptation; prairie, wetland, and woodland support broader ecological observation. The Railway Garden models regional rail history at miniature scale, offering a designed counterpoint to the larger living systems around it.
Use the visitor map to pair one named plant collection with one habitat trail. That keeps the visit from becoming either label-reading alone or an undifferentiated walk. Railway Garden operating periods, events, and staffed facilities vary seasonally. The site is large and exposed in places, so water, sun protection, and tick checks matter even though the entrance feels like a conventional garden.
- Area
- Nearly 300 acres
- Institution
- Purdue Northwest
- Feature
- Railway Garden
Quick guide
- Study one tree group
- Compare bark, buds, leaves, crown form, and site preference within a collection.
- Cross into restoration
- Notice how prairie and wetland management differ from specimen gardening.
How to combine collections and habitat
- Study one tree group
- Compare bark, buds, leaves, crown form, and site preference within a collection.
- Cross into restoration
- Notice how prairie and wetland management differ from specimen gardening.
- Scale the railway
- Read miniature landscapes as regional interpretation, not the arboretum’s ecological core.
- Plan the distance
- Choose loops by surface, shade, weather, and available time.
Good to know
Grounds follow daily seasonal hours and may use automated-gate entry. General admission or parking fees can apply, with separate event pricing. Free or included on-site parking is near the visitor center. Core garden areas have accessible routes, while longer prairie, wetland, and woodland trails vary by surface and weather.
Notice these
- Oak collections
- Restored prairie trails
- Outdoor railway garden