This is beautiful little spot on Stanford Campus. A true gem of cacti of all kinds. I've been here about 3-4xs times now, and it's always lovely to just walk around. It's definitely a beautiful greenery backdrop for photos as I did a photoshoot for a client here a few months ago. We took a bunch of photos here, and then we walked over to the Quad for an outfit change and a change of scenery. We saw *the* Robert Downey Jr. at the Quad that day! That was awesome! :D I usually come here on a Saturday or Sunday and just park at the medical clinic, which is basically right next to this spot. read more

Arizona Garden - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Stanford, California

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This review is long overdue from 2020; I for visited this spot in 2016 or so and loved it so I brought my husband here during the Covid shut down in 2020 and we took a nice walk, it was awesome to check it out, explore the vacations cacti and spend some time in nature. Parking can be difficult. Overall a great and well kept garden e read more

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A hidden gem on campus! The Arizona Garden is peaceful, colorful, and full of fascinating cacti and succulents--some dating back to the late 1800s. It's never crowded, which makes it perfect for a quiet stroll or quick escape from the busy parts of Stanford. Free, easy to explore, and especially pretty in the late afternoon light. Definitely worth a visit if you're nearby. Was wonderful to see so many volunteers tending to the garden. read more

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Located near the Stanford campus. It's like a little oasis - well cared cacti garden. Great place for picturques memories with friends and family. Beyond the garden there are hiking trails nearby. Parking is a bit tricky. You can park closer to the campus but the only parking lot next to the garden is permit required. read more

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We were lucky and got the last open spot in the parking lot. The Arizona Garden is also known as the Cactus Garden. It's not big, but we took a nice stroll here. We spotted several lizards, birds including a hummingbird, and a squirrel. It was a nice way to start the day and best of all it's free. read more

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Wow, this is a charming little oasis just a 5 minute walk from some of the free art galleries on the Stanford campus. A lovely cactus garden made up of so many species of cacti, and surrounded by trees and greenery in a parklike setting (designed to look more like a desert when standing inside). It's definitely small, but worth walking through the dirt pathways to explore the various plants up close. It's very peaceful as well, with just the sounds of the birds chirping in the trees and squirrels scampering around throughout the garden. It's free to visit, and the closest parking lots I know on campus are those at Lomita and Museum Way. read more

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Absolutely beautiful! Hummingbirds and all kinds of wildlife. Hospital near by, a good place to take a breather.

Succulent succulents. A cacutus feast for the eyes! This has to be my favorite cool secret place for cactuses. There is even a thorny silk floss tree with the most brilliant blossoms at certain times of the year. You will need to park and take a walk to get there if you go by car. It is super easy to get to on bike from the Caltrain station. You can drive too, but I don't like to do that because it is not as fun as exploring the campus on bike. If you are on a bicycle, the Rodin Sculpture Garden is maybe less than a 5 minute ride from the succulent garden. Also, really worth a visit along with the two on-campus museums that are right next to the sculpture garden: 1) the Cantor Arts Center and 2) the Anderson Collection. read more

Arizona Garden - My favorite cactus miracle - the blossoms! - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Stanford, California

Nice place for adults to take photos. If you have a family and small kids, this may not be the best due to so many cacti with needles. They are sharp needles and can do some damage, so be careful. It's a small park so there aren't too many angles and if you time it wrong you will be competing with other parties. If it doesn't work out for you, just minutes away is the beautiful Stanford campus. Lots more options for photos there. read more

Came here on a Monday with my friend. Barely anyone around. Looks like there weren't any public parking around. Spent more time looking for parking than actually admiring the garden. We just ended up paying at the nearby parking lot. There's a website where you can enter your parking space number and choose how long you want to park there. The garden didn't look as big as the map, but still a nice little area to stroll around. 06.07.2021 | Monday @ 2:45pm read more

Arizona Garden - Cactus's - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Stanford, California

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A slice of Arizona in California. A beautiful cactus garden on the Stanford University campus. The only drawback for me was there were no signs directing to it, which was just surprising because of the amount of signage on campus in general. I ended up parking over by the Rodin Sculpture Garden and walking, which was nice because you got to enjoy the sculpture Garden and the art installation in front of the museum as well read more

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Nice garden. It's where my current profile pic was shot. Close to shopping as well. Stanford. read more

The Arizona Garden is so beautiful! It's located at the Stanford University. It was my first time here, and I arrived on one of the hotter days of the week! I felt like I was in the desert. This garden is filled with many different cacti and succulents. I expected the garden to be bigger but it's a small garden. I parked at the mall and walked a couple blocks since the garden was pretty close. The garden is free for anyone to explore and take pictures. read more

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Beautiful little garden with all kinds of cactuses nice picnic area call me, serene Park

Cute little area to walk around near Stanford and take pics. As a guy from Phoenix AZ, it was nice to see some of my home fauna out in the Bay Area :) Only downside is it's a bit small and not super near anything else read more

Came here for a little photoshoot and absolutely loved all of the greenery here in the Garden. So many beautiful cacti and succulents! The cactus garden is a part of the Stanford campus and is located near the Stanford mausoleum (where I think members of the Stanford family are actually buried). read more

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"Anger was simple, self-sustaining as a cactus. You couldn't look too closely at it, lest the spines get you in the eye."―Rebecca Scherm, Unbecoming Amazing patch of the Arizona desert that's located inside the Stanford University Campus and totally free to visit―well, almost free to visit. The garden itself is technically free, but if you visit during the week (i.e., Mon-Fri) then expect to have to pay for parking. The current rate ($4.50/hr w/ a max of 4hrs@$18) expires on Aug 31st, 2020. So expect a price increase after that date. But, if you visit on weekends then parking is free! So def worthy of a quick visit if you're on campus. FYI, it's only about a 1/4-mile from the Cantor Arts Center. read more

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Best place to get away from.. nice calm and peaceful. Landscape is well taken care of . Pet friendly, photo shoot amazing cactus feels like Arizona read more

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Beautiful Cactus Garden on the campus of Stanford University in Palo Alto... When my friend, Stan, found out that I was going to Stanford University to look around, he made me a list of places to visit. One of the items on his list was The Arizona Cactus Garden. I had never heard of it - especially since this is Nortjern California! Anyway, my friend knew how to get to the Cactus Garden. I just followed her. It was a sunny, warm day. The path was a bit dusty since it wasn't paved, but it made the experience more memorable! Because I'm from a tropical climate (Hawaii), cacti seem more exotic to me. I enjoyed looking at the different shapes and colors! Thanks to Stan for pointing out this Landmark! read more

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such a beautiful visit especially if you've never been to arizona! so many trails i didn't even finish them before i got hot n ready to leave lol. they have water fountains and bathrooms all around and the trail was clean read more

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I came here a few times already. It is a pretty nice garden to bring people and take pictures. It is not very big, but it has a lot of different kind of cactus and succulents. It is free and open to everyone. For parking, you might have to park somewhere around the mall and walk to the garden. read more

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Really nice small patch of land dedicated to succulents. So many varieties of cacti and a great location for pictures and a quick stroll. Conveniently connected to other walking paths on Stanford's property that will take you through a grove of old trees and is located very close to the Stanford Mausoleum. Great area for morning walks. read more

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This place is a hidden gem! It's tucked away across the Stanford shopping mall (near Nordstrom). You could still see some bloomed flowers. I thought the cactus garden would be small but it's huge with cactus all around and some pathways for you to walk around. read more

Arizona Garden - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Stanford, California

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Great place to come check out and take pictures! It's a little hidden depending on which way you come from. If you're coming from the Northwest side, you'll have to make your way through all of that construction that is currently going on as of 9/30/18. If you go on the weekends, there's free parking. Lots of different cacti. It's kind of sad seeing the cactus' that look kind of deadish when it should be prospering. If you're lucky you might find a lizard, but they're kind of hard to spot because they blend with the gravel Just be sure you're careful, don't hurt yourself trying to take some nice angle shots! read more

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We found this place because we were going to take family pictures. My photographer recommended it. It's kind of tricky to find it because it's in the middle of buildings. You have to park at a hospital parking lot and it's about a two minute walk. It's a cactus garden. It is definitely a hidden gem.pictures come out great. There's nowhere to sit so it's either a picture place or if you just want a nice relaxing walk. read more

Arizona Garden - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Stanford, California

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Great place to get bitten , pricked or scratched by something !! I love coming here w my boss for long walks. He is disabled and this location gives him a chance to get out in nature easily ( it's flat and had a parking lot ) read more

One could spend days roaming the Stanford Campus and yet not even scratch the surface. Aside from the actual museums, there are quality art installations and other oddities all over its vast campus. While the campus itself is ideally toured by bike due to its size, you can also set up decent walking tours if you are so inclined. The Cactus Garden is one such oddity. Its basically a rather large circular garden filled with all manner of desert flora. From barrel cactus, Iconic Saguaros, to what I think is the worlds biggest Joshua Tree (along with 30-40 other I have no idea what to call) it covers the whole spectrum. The garden has multiple paths through and you can meander back and forth to your hearts content. Off the normal beaten path, its seldom crowded. Its within walking distance of the Cantor Art Museum, and for the curious, the Stanford Family Tomb is close at hand. The garden is more of a stop then a destination so if you pair it with say the Cantor and perhaps lunch at the shopping center you could make for decent outing. read more

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I LOVE SUCCULENTS! So when I found this existed I had to take my family photos here! It's such a cute little place to walk around and enjoy some outdoors while looking at cool plants. Highly recommend coming here for a stroll or to take some highly aesthetic pictures read more

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First time visiting . We had such a good time walking around this garden on a rainy day. read more

Arizona Garden - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Stanford, California

You'd think you're in Palm Springs but this is the Arizona Garden at Stanford. Free parking, free admission and no crowds (at least when we were there a couple weeks ago)! Doesn't get much better than that! It's not a huge garden but you could definitely spend about 30 min hear. There's also surrounding areas you can walk around. Definitely miss traveling, but glad that there seems to be no shortage of hidden gems in and around the Bay Area! read more

Arizona Garden - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Stanford, California

Great location for Family and elopement sessions. Golden hour is beautiful here! Cactus vibes all they way through

Pet friendly . Nice for taking pictures and local . After that we walked around the school read more

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After hearing about this place from a close friend, I decided to check it out myself. It was kind of hard me to find because of the lack of free parking at Stanford University but well worth the time. Had to park on El Camino just to get here. If you park on El Camino near the Town and Country Village, it's a good workout to the Garden. I must declare this place is real quiet and will surly make you happy. It's a good place to go on a date with a significant other or meet someone new if you are single. It's a trip to Tempe and Tucson Arizona without the hassle of booking airfare and the fear of traveling out of state. This garden is actually really gorgeous too. It's a rarity to find a place to go for free during this time. You cannot find this in Houston or Portland. Note: In order to find the Garden you must look for these lion statues that give you a view of the mausoleum. There is only one bench the view is not that good. read more

Really cool spot! There's no official entrance. No admissions fee. Just put it into google maps haha we came on a rainy day, it was still pretty - but would recommend coming on a sunny day. There were many different types of plants - and to seeing it grow so well from the ground was pretty amazing. Feel like succulents have become a hipster trend - sold at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's in little pots, but here it's growing in nature! And this garden is super close to the art museums, so would recommend stopping there too! read more

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​We love Arizona so much. We have spent two of our Christmases there. One of the reasons we love Arizona is because of the cactuses. So if you love cactuses and you want to get a small taste of Arizona then you want to visit this garden. The great thing is that you can explore this garden free of charge.  After all the technology and all the walking we did in one day we needed a place to unwind at. What can be more relaxing than a place of higher learning so we went to Sandford University. Located on the campus is an extremely beautiful and old cactus garden that is over 130 years. This garden was designed between 1881 and 1883. It is like a real oasis where you can relax and enjoy the cactus blossoms. Here you can see three varieties of Aloe and Yucca, Prickly Pear, Ponytail Palm, Columnar Cacti, and many more. read more

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The Arizona Garden is a peaceful little alcove on the Stanford campus! It's located kind of near the hospitals. Free to get in which is nice - perfect activity for a sunny day. Saw a few groups/families taking professional pics here which was cute. A bit small but I don't think it's too small! It's fun to see the variety of cactus plants. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area. And you can always walk around more of the beautiful Stanford campus once you're there. The only downside was that we had to pay for parking, even on the weekend. read more

Arizona Garden - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Stanford, California

I came here last year during summer. It was somewhat difficult to find but worth it. Cacti are somewhat ugly looking plants but very interesting. Their prickly nature lends them that unique shape. It's an awesome place to just wander around. It took me back to my travels to NM ABQ. There are giant ones that dwarfed moi. Not that a simple tomato plant won't be able to do :) But this one even more. Some cacti are more pleasing to the eye than the rest. But it is truly a unique place to go and visit. It's free and peaceful. When I was here I saw a person and that was it. It was isolated enough that it offers you serenity that is a good match while you walk around undisturbed. Although it's not fenced in I can see taking kids here for a show and tell.It's pretty cool really. read more

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Impossible to find parking. Awful directions of parking. Unless you want to spend time roaming in far, I won't recommend this place.

This medium-sized cactus garden is, as other's have stated, a hidden gem. Located within the Standford University arboretum, very near the Standford family mausoleum, it's wise to look it up on a map before you set out to visit because there is no signage from the roads and current construction blocks any view and requires rerouting. (Eventually we parked at the shopping center and walked into the arboretum.) A lovely garden packed with familiar succulents and lesser known cactus of all sizes--some small or short, while others are towering or sci-fi-like. We enjoyed observing both old and new growth for so many varietals. Plus many were flowering. However there are no signs to identify what you're looking at so you won't be adding to your cactus knowledge. There are also park benches for relaxing while you take in the sights. If able, I recommend walking around the entire perimeter before exploring the inside paths of the garden. Each angle allows you to see different features. read more

Stanford campus is beautiful, and this Cactus Garden (originally planted by the Stanford family themselves in the late 1800s) is one of the many reasons why. I had heard it's a bit of a hidden gem, but there were a few other peeps when we stopped by Sunday night. Still, a great spot to walk around and take pics. Yup it's totes instagrammable, yo! We found free parking nearby and walked over, maybe a five minute walk tops, and then there it was, a cactus pocket smack-dab in the middle of a wooded area. Super random but so cool. Check it out, y'all. Take a pic amongst the cacti and caption it 'can't touch this' or 'i'll never desert you.' Or something like that. K peace. read more