Take a Walk or Drive on the West Side

The West Side of The Morton Arboretum—the land beyond Route 53—is full of natural beauty. Many visitors are more familiar with the East Side’s central area Visitor Center, Children’s Garden, The Grand Garden, and paved paths such as the Meadow Lake Trail and the Conifer Walk. But if you’re ready to see something new or your favorite East Side drive is temporarily inaccessible, the West Side awaits.

To reach the West Side, follow the signs to drive or walk through the underpass just west of the Visitor Center. As on the East Side, the West Side Main Route is a one-way road loop (with a couple of shortcuts). There are multiple places to park and connect with a network of walking trails.

Accessible restrooms and drinking water are available at the Thornhill Picnic Shelter at parking lot P-21. There are also accessible portable toilets at the Prairie Visitor Station at parking lot P-25. However, there is no place to buy refreshments on the West Side, so stop by the Ginkgo Restaurant and Café in the Visitor Center before you head through the underpass.

East Branch of the DuPage River

This small river at the heart of The Morton Arboretum flows between banks lush with native plants. Although the once-winding river was straightened for agricultural purposes in the 1920s, a major restoration project a century later has greatly improved it as a habitat for a wide range of plants and wildlife. To walk along the river, cross the bridge over the river and park in parking lot P-19, then walk along the road a short distance back to West Side Main Trail Loop 1, near the bridge for a walk along the river.

Sunfish Pond Wetland

Stroll from parking lot P-21 toward the Thornhill Education Center to enjoy two special delights. One is the Fragrance Garden, a small, fully accessible jewel box of plants chosen for their scents as well as their good looks. Then go a little farther to find Joy Path, which was Joy Morton’s favorite place to walk. It follows a small creek through flower gardens and shady trees, many of them decades old. Joy Path has a significant slope, but it is paved and there are plenty of nice benches to take a rest. The path also connects to West Side Main Trail Loop 1.

Alternate Route

Stop at the Prairie Visitor Station at parking lot P-25 and take a walk through one of the nation’s oldest and most successful prairie restorations. This was a farm field in 1962 when Arboretum curator Ray Schulenberg, with staff and volunteers, began replanting an acre of ground with native plant seeds collected from cemeteries, railroad rights-of-way, and other out-of-the-way places. Now there are more than 100 acres of thriving prairie, full of bees, butterflies, birds, and other wildlife. Flowers are abundant beginning in July, and toward the end of August, when the grasses turn golden, the prairie is especially lovely. Unpaved trails wind through the prairie, and a short paved loop leads from the parking lot up to a prairie vista.

Lake Marmo

If you follow the Alternate Route, it will wind downhill amid old oaks and spring wildflowers to Lake Marmo. Joy Morton created this lake in the 1920s by damming Willoway Brook, and named it for his wife, Margaret Morton. In spring, the reflection of blooming pink redbuds in the water is a classic Arboretum sight. Stop at parking lot P-27 to take a trail that loops around the lake. Watch for turtles. Just north of Lake Marmo is Witch-Hazel Dell, where you may find small trees with cheery little blooms in October or as early as February (depending on the weather). Keep walking north through the dell to connect with West Side Main Trail Loop 2.

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