Red Butte Garden
Formal gardens, water-wise planting, natural-area trails, and a concert amphitheater climb the foothills above the University of Utah.
Artwork inspired by Anna Campbell Bliss
Red Butte is both a botanical collection and a transition into native foothill habitat. Themed gardens demonstrate fragrance, medicinal use, water-wise design, roses, and regional plants, while longer paths reveal how cultivated choices respond to slope, exposure, and limited water.
Choose one designed garden to study closely, then walk into the natural area and compare plant structure, irrigation, and season. Labels matter most when connected to form and growing conditions rather than collected as names.
- Setting
- Wasatch foothills
- Strength
- Water-wise regional plants
- Allow
- 2–3 hours
Quick guide
- Interpretive pair
- Water Conservation Garden ↔ Fragrance Garden
- Closing move
- Natural-area trails
Quick guide
- Begin
- Check what is flowering before choosing a route.
- Compare
- Pair a formal collection with native foothill vegetation.
- Look for
- Notice water delivery, shade, and soil strategy.
- Plan around
- Concerts can change parking and closing patterns.
Good to know
Concert and special-event days can close ordinary garden access early. Groups of 15 or more should reserve, and every visitor should check the event calendar before planning a late-afternoon garden visit.
Notice these
- Water Conservation Garden
- Fragrance Garden
- Natural-area trails