Even on blustery cold days, you can enjoy the serene natural beauty of The Morton Arboretum’s tree-filled landscapes from your car along its scenic and well-maintained roads.

Just 25 miles west of Chicago, The Morton Arboretum offers views of lovely woods, prairies, and wetlands from its nine miles of well-maintained driving roads. The one-way road loops are easy to navigate—no GPS apps needed!

If you’d like to pause and explore more on foot, each of the 33 parking lots along the roads connects to the Arboretum’s 16 miles of hiking trails for a short or long walk. Downloadable maps of the grounds are available online. The Arboretum also offers endless opportunities for walking, biking, and—if there’s enough snow—cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

Below is a sample of what you might see in a drive that takes about 20 minutes. The Arboretum is divided by Illinois Route 53 into two sections—the East and West Sides—but you can seamlessly drive between the two.

A Driving Tour of Lakes and Woods

Sweeping vistas, woodlands, lakes, and outdoor art await you along the East Side’s Main Route.

1. Start at parking lot P-1, which serves the welcoming Visitor Center. Inside the building, you’ll find accessible restrooms, information, and refreshments for the road. Quick tip: Stop by the Ginkgo Café in the Visitor Center for a snack and a hot beverage before hitting the road!
2. From parking lot P-1, the East Side Main Route will take you past Meadow Lake, a tranquil body of water surrounded by native plantings.
3. The drive will take you past two of the colorful Vivid Creatures sculptures that are positioned by Meadow Lake: Cadence, a giant sandhill crane, and Nimbly, a dragonfly. (Two more sculptures, Generosity, a huge deer, and Scamp, a squirrel, can be seen on a short walk from the Visitor Center.)
4. The road then heads up to the aptly named Frost Hill (parking lot P-3), 745 feet above sea level. These hills were shaped by glaciers thousands of years ago. The Arboretum’s first appointed director, Clarence Godshalk, explained how the hill got its name: “Every time I send men up there, we seem to be in the coldest weather in winter, and they christened it ‘Frost Hill.’ ” Pause at the hilltop to take in a beautiful view of the DuPage River valley and the adjacent Conifer Collection of evergreen trees and shrubs, which are especially lovely when highlighted by snow.
5. As you drive on, you’ll pass through a collection of fruit trees (bare in winter but a joy of bloom in April and May). On your right will be Crabapple Lake (parking lot P-5), and on your left will be Crowley Marsh, a restored wetland.
6. As you enter the sprawling East Woods at parking lot P-8you will feel enveloped by trees. These 400 acres of woods, dominated by native oaks and sugar maples, make up the largest natural feature on the Arboretum’s East Side. Among the resident wildlife are deer, coyotes, owls, woodpeckers, squirrels and many other animals.
7. At parking lot P-12, you’ll pass the enchanting Spruce Plot on your left. A favorite spot for photographers and Instagrammers, this grove of Norway spruces was planted as an agricultural experiment in the 1920s at the orders of Arboretum founder Joy Morton. Their tall, bare trunks and the shafts of sunlight that slant between them create magical effects. To enjoy the full experience, you may want to park and take a brief walk.
8. As the road goes on, it will take you past the Big Rock Visitor Station at parking lot P-13, where there is a short, accessible paved path, if you’re ready for a little outing. Then the road will go on through collections of trees and other plants from Appalachia and Asia. At parking lot P-16, another short, paved, accessible path leads to a scenic overlook.
9. The road then takes you back to parking lot P-1 and the Visitor Center.
10. If you’re ready for more, drive past parking lot P-1 to the West Side Main Route. This one-way road loop will take you beneath Route 53, across the East Branch of the DuPage River and through more woods to the Thornhill Shelter, where you will find an accessible restroom (parking lot P-21). As the road continues, just past the parking lot, there will be a fork. The Main Route road straight ahead will go through more woods, and past the restored Schulenberg Prairie (with another short, paved path). Or, choose the Alternate Route to the left, which leads past scenic Lake Marmo (parking lot P-27) and Hemlock Hill before leading back to the Visitor Center or the exit.

A driving tour of The Morton Arboretum’s woodlands, gardens, and landscapes introduces many new areas to explore. Throughout the year, each area mentioned in this tour undergoes its own seasonal transformations and reveals more beauty and wonder than can be seen by the road.

Visit The Morton Arboretum by purchasing general admission tickets online to enjoy and explore the entire 1,700-acre grounds, or become a member to visit throughout the year without purchasing general admission tickets, and save on events and educational programs year round.