Red Butte Garden
Salt Lake City, Utah · Botanical Garden · Accessibility score 4.5/5
Address: 300 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108
Phone: (801) 585-0556
About
Red Butte Garden and Arboretum is a botanical garden operated by the University of Utah, set in the foothills on the east side of Salt Lake City. The site holds a series of themed garden rooms, including the Sprout House and Rose House, plant collections, the Orangerie, a Visitor Center, and natural areas that back up against the hillside above campus.
A visit typically means walking the main garden paths through the themed rooms, stopping at the Visitor Center and Orangerie, and, in warmer months, checking the schedule for the garden's outdoor concert series in the Amphitheatre. Ticket holders enter the Amphitheatre through several gates, including a Donor Gate route used for accessible entry. From May through September, volunteer docents lead complimentary tram tours through the grounds. Seeing most of the developed garden in one visit takes two to three hours; a shorter loop through the main paths and Visitor Center takes less.
Some of the older sections, including the Four Seasons and Waysides paths, have steeper grades than the newer areas, and the Natural Area hiking trails beyond the cultivated garden are unpaved dirt paths rather than wheelchair routes. Garden paths can also be affected by weather, so conditions vary by season. Because grades and surface conditions change from one part of the garden to another, calling the front desk before a visit helps confirm which routes will work best that day.
The garden sits a short drive from downtown Salt Lake City, next to the University of Utah campus and the Natural History Museum of Utah, which shares the same hillside and can be paired with a garden visit. Free parking is available on site, and the university runs a campus shuttle and an on-demand shuttle from the Medical TRAX station for visitors who would rather not drive.
Accessibility
Red Butte Garden is wheelchair accessible in its main developed areas, though some older paths and all natural-area trails are not.
Free parking is available on site, and ramps run along both sides of the Visitor Center parking lot up to the entrance, where the doors have push-to-open buttons. Two elevators inside the Visitor Center reach the second floor and the entrance to the outdoor garden.
Inside the garden, the main paths, the Sprout House, Rose House, Orangerie, and Amphitheatre are wheelchair and stroller accessible. Some older sections, including the Four Seasons and Waysides paths, have steeper inclines, and the Natural Area hiking trails are unpaved dirt and not wheelchair accessible. Path conditions can change with weather.
Accessible restrooms are in the Visitor Center and the Orangerie, and there are two private family restrooms on the second floor of the Visitor Center. Four complimentary wheelchairs are available at the front desk on a first-come, first-served basis, and the free tram tours running May through September include a wheelchair-accessible cart with a ramp. Service animals are welcome under Utah law and the ADA and must stay under the handler's control.
At the outdoor Amphitheatre, an accessible gate near the Donor Gate lets a ticket holder with a mobility impairment bring one other adult and any minor children through together, and wheelchair-accessible viewing areas sit along the paved path near the soundboard. Call the front desk at (801) 585-0556 ahead of a visit to ask about wheelchair availability or other accommodations, or reach the university's accessibility office at 801-581-8365.
Checked by Accessible America, August 2026. Report a change
How we checked this
We checked these details against official information from the venue and public agencies:
- redbuttegarden.org (10 details, checked 2026-08-27)
More accessible places in Utah
- Natural History Museum of Utah (Salt Lake City)
- Clark Planetarium (Salt Lake City)
- Utah Museum of Fine Arts (Salt Lake City)
- This Is The Place Heritage Park (Salt Lake City)
- Hogle Zoo (Salt Lake City)
- Solitude Mountain Resort (Salt Lake City)
