Three-Mile Walk

Three-Mile Walk provides an excellent overview of the Arboretum grounds, allowing visitors to hike to the Arboretum’s highest point and experience woods, wetlands and prairie as it meanders through a variety of the Arboretum’s gardens and collections. It features a beautiful new paved trail, the Gail and Bob Buuck Walkway, which provides sweeping views of the Red Barn. Walkers will travel mainly on paved paths and brick walkways, as well as short distances on gravel paths. Taken at a leisurely pace, the walk could take about an hour and a half to walk the 2.25 miles (3 miles if visitors walk directly from the gatehouse).

Directions

From the gatehouse, proceed up to the first stop sign. Go straight.
Follow the road just past the Oswald Visitor Center. Take your first left.
At the stop sign, take a left. Follow the road straight up the hill.
Go down the hill until you see a small parking lot on the right hand side in front of the Sensory Garden. Park here.
Three-Mile Walk begins just to the right of the Sensory Garden. Look for signs that say Three-Mile Walk.

Download the PDF map or use our digital map for easy navigation

Visit these Gardens

Sensory Garden
Dayton Wildflower Garden
Pillsbury Shade Tree Exhibit (Find a fun play area here.)
Prairie Garden (This was the first restored prairie land in Minnesota.)
Frerichs Garden for Wildlife
Crabapple Tree Collection (Don’t miss the blooms in mid- to late-May, and look for the beautiful fruit in late-summer/fall.)
Harrison Sculpture Garden (The top of the hill is the high point of the Arboretum—on a clear day you might spot the downtown Minneapolis skyline.)
Shrub Walk
Maple Collection
Shrub Rose Garden
Pine Tree Collection (Walk through a tree trunk, and find Minnesota’s state tree.)
Azalea Garden (This research garden typically blooms in late-May/early-June.)
Maze Garden (This is a great destination for children who want to play.)
Oak & Nut Collection
Rhododendron Garden (Since Rhododendron’s bloom so early, they’re a great food source for bees.)
Bog (Look for the Lady Slipper nook near the spot where the asphalt path and bog boardwalk meet. Lady Slippers typically bloom in June.)

Picture Perfect Spots

While there are plenty of photo-worthy views along the walk, these are great places for a selfie or a snapshot.

Little houses in the Shade Tree exhibit.
Crabapple Tree Collection during its spring bloom.
Top of the hill in the sculpture garden. This is the highest point at the Arb!
A tree house near the ornamental grasses.
Inside the tree along the Pine Walk.
The platform overlooking the Maze Garden.
A distant view of the iconic Red Barn on the new paved trail after the Maze Garden.