RBG to Open Arboretum in Next Phase of Re-opening

Royal Botanical Gardens will be opening its Arboretum to the public beginning Wednesday, May 27. We welcome our community to experience the beauty of Royal Botanical Gardens in a safe and respectful manner as we continue our phased opening. To celebrate the reopening of our signature attraction, we will be offering discounted admission through June 4th.

Admission includes access to the Arboretum and select looped trails. To reduce crowding, access to North Shore Cootes Paradise trails will be restricted through admission to the Arboretum.

• The Arboretum is located at 16 Old Guelph Road, Hamilton ON. Please search this address specifically if looking for directions. RBG Centre remains closed (at 680 Plains Road W., the address that appears when searching Royal Botanical Gardens).
• Admission to the Arboretum will be available on a first come, first served basis with limited parking capacity. As the Arboretum is a popular attraction during this time of year, we appreciate our visitors’ patience and understanding as we may not be able to accommodate all arrivals during peak hours due to limited capacity and lineups.
• Entry begins at 10 a.m., with last admission at 4 p.m., The garden area will close at 5 p.m.
• Visitors are encouraged to limit their visit to a one-hour maximum in order to give others the opportunity to experience the beauty of Royal Botanical Gardens.
• Admission at entry is limited to debit and credit transactions. General admission tickets are available online at www.rbg.ca but no priority access will be given to a pre-purchased ticket.
• Please continue to respect the property and fellow visitors: keep a distance of at least 6 feet between yourself and other groups, do not feed the wildlife, keep pets leashed at all times, pack out any waste (or use provided receptacles), and obey RBG trail user etiquette.
• The safety of our staff, volunteers and visitors is our top priority. RBG staff and volunteers will be following safety protocols and wearing PPE and recommend that our visitors do the same. For health and safety of our visitors, portable washrooms and hand sanitizing stations will be available on site.

Admission Rates

• Adult: $15
• Senior / Student: $13
• Child (age 4-12): $8
• Family rate (2 adults and 2 children under age of 18): $40
• RBG Members FREE

Prices include HST. Royal Botanical Gardens is the largest botanical garden in Canada, a National Historic Site, and a registered charitable organization dedicated to connecting people, plants and place. General admission fees support our efforts in areas like plant science, conservation, horticulture and education. To learn more and to contribute further, visit the donations page.

To Our Members

Entrance to the Arboretum at this time will be included in your RBG membership. To enhance ingress and prevent crowding, RBG will be providing an additional line for member access. RBG Memberships will continue to be extended until further notice. We will be updating all members with specifics once normal operations have resumed. Should your membership have expired during this time, please use your current card for access.

RBG’s Phased Re-Opening Approach

We recognize the importance of nature areas as indispensable to community healing, offering much-needed places for respite and connection with nature, however the safety of all guests, staff and volunteers remains RBG’s top priority and the gradual opening of its trail system and select garden areas are the first steps in a phased reopening process. RBG’s other garden areas (Hendrie Park, Rock Garden, RBG Centre, Laking Garden) remain closed at this time. RBG will be monitoring the situation as this phased re-opening progresses and making adjustments accordingly before expanding access into other areas of the property. Visitors can check rbg.ca/announcements to keep informed about further developments in the reopening process. 

Safety in the Gardens and on the Trails

All visitors to Royal Botanical Gardens trails must follow Provincial measures and guidelines to allow them to remain open safely.

Such measures include:

• Practice physical distancing by staying at least 2 metres (6 feet) apart from other trail users.
• Step aside to allow others to pass.
• Do not gather or arrange to meet friends or other groups.
• Pets must be leashed at all times.
• Please refrain from feeding wildlife.
• Pack out what you pack in.
• Bring your own water, sanitizer and PPE (personal protective equipment)

More RBG Trails

Select trails in other RBG Nature Sanctuaries are open to the public. See the announcement for more information.