What Is Red Butte Garden?

Red Butte Garden is a botanical garden and natural area in Salt Lake City, Utah, located at 300 Wakara Way. It combines 100 acres of themed gardens and natural areas with a collection of roughly 3,000 species of plants and trees, set against a foothills landscape. It suits visitors looking for a self-paced garden walk, a quiet place to relax, or a source of inspiration for their own planting—and it also runs classes, workshops, and seasonal events for those who want structured programming.

Where It Is and What You'll Find

The garden sits in the foothills above Salt Lake City, which shapes both the terrain and the views. The grounds are divided between cultivated, themed gardens and less formal natural areas, so a visit can range from a short stroll through designed plantings to a longer walk on natural terrain.

At a glance:

What You Can Do There

The garden frames itself around four activities: learn, grow, relax, and get inspired. In practice that means:

• Walk the themed gardens to see how different plantings are composed and how they perform in a foothills climate.
• Explore the natural areas for a less structured visit.
• Check what's blooming before you go. The garden documents week-by-week changes with plant portraits and curator insights, which is useful if you want to time a visit around a specific season rather than guess.
• Attend events and workshops. Examples from the calendar include a Fall Bonsai Show with the Bonsai Club of Utah, a Bulb Forcing Workshop, and a Sunday yoga and sound bath series running October through April.
• Take a class. Adult education offerings include classes and workshops, plus online classes and virtual resources.

Planning Your Visit

Start with the Plan Your Visit section of the site, which links to General Info, Garden Tours, and admission rates. Because hours, admission, and event schedules change seasonally, confirm the current details on those pages before you travel rather than relying on a general description.

Two practical points worth building into your plan:

1. Check the weather and the bloom report together. The site publishes today's weather alongside what's currently blooming, and in a foothills garden those two things strongly affect what a visit actually looks like.
2. Decide whether you want a tour or a self-guided walk. Garden Tours are listed separately from general admission, so if you want interpretation, look there first.

Who It's For

Red Butte Garden works well if you want a half-day outdoor visit with both designed gardens and natural terrain, or if you're specifically interested in plants that suit the region. It's also a reasonable choice if you want ongoing programming—classes, workshops, and a recurring event calendar—rather than a one-time walk. If you only want a quick, flat, purely ornamental garden stroll, note that the foothills setting and 100-acre scale mean more ground and more elevation change than a small urban garden.