Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
Mon, May 5, 2025, 9:30am
3675 Arboretum Drive
Chaska, MN 55318
We are so fortunate that Peter Moe, retired Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director and UMRA member, will be leading a hiking tour of the Arboretum again this year. This was our most popular hike last year with 28 hikers attending. Let’s top that number this year!
We will meet on the welcoming terrace in front of the Oswald Visitor Center at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, May 5, to start our hike.
We will travel through the Arboretum's display gardens to the beginning of the Three-Mile Walk, which starts near the Sensory Garden and continues through the woodland Wildflower Garden and the Shade Tree Exhibit. We will leave the Three-Mile Walk and take a loop around the perimeter of the Tall Grass Prairie and then return to the Three-Mile Walk to visit the Harrison Sculpture Garden and many other plant collections.
Every spring is different
At the Rhododendron Garden we will head up to the Farm at the Arb to see the 1920 Red Barn and Tashjian Bee & Pollinator Discovery Center. We will return to the Three-Mile Walk for a short distance, and then cut across the Sphagnum Bog on the boardwalk to the Green Heron Trail and back to the Display Gardens and Oswald Visitor Center. The total of all segments is approximately 4.5 miles. There will be options to head back to the visitor center early for those who want a shorter hike.
Every spring is different in Minnesota but on this date last year, the amazing tulip display was at its peak, and we will undoubtedly enjoy seeing many spring-blooming trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and perennials.
Peter will arrange for group tickets at a discounted cost of $17 per person for non-members of the Arboretum. Plan to pay Peter your entrance fee in cash at the event. Hikers who are Arboretum members need to reserve their entrance to the Arboretum for that day (at no additional charge).
Plan to stay for lunch together (optional) after the hike at the Rootstock café on the second floor of the Oswald Visitor Center. It’s a lovely place to gather.
Please sign up for this hike (required). Your completed form will be used to buy tickets, and to be sure everyone who signs up has arrived before the start of the hike. Registrations will be accepted up to 24 hours before the hike.
—Bev Moe and Michael Luxenberg, UMRA Hiking Club co-leaders
Upcoming Events
Jane Kirtley, JD, will be the guest speaker for UMRA’s luncheon forum on Tuesday, November 18. She will discuss challenges to preserving academic freedom and independent speech during the Trump Administration, and how institutions should respond to the unprecedented attacks on their independence.
Cathy Lee Gierke will present photos and talk about her cruise on the Rhine river, Italian Switzerland, Lake Como and Iceland -- and the history, culture and geology along the way.
Librarian Naomi Skulan and Associate Professor Kevin Whalen will present research on the Sacred Heart School for Indians and Morris Industrial School for Indians.
Book Club I will discuss An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Please join Michael Luxenberg on Monday, December 1, for a hike that is approximately 5 miles in length at an average pace of roughly 18–20 minutes per mile for our second hike this fall in the beautiful Hyland Lake Park Reserve in Bloomington.
Everyone's tax situation is different. Consult with a tax professional to come up with a financial plan well before year end.
There are a few fun events coming up at the Campus Club that are open to everyone. See these events on the Campus Club Facebook and Instagram.
The customary November 4th Friday is the Thanksgiving weekend. Unless otherwise noted, we will meet Friday, December 5th.
The Campus Club in Minneapolis is inviting UMRA members to participate in focus group discussions this fall, to provide insight on the U of M retiree experience and generate ideas about how the Campus Club can serve our retiree community.
When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut.
Hey UMRA Gopher fans! Here’s a great opportunity to join your UMRA friends to cheer for the Gopher Women’s Hockey team when they face off against the St. Thomas Tommies in Ridder Arena.
The theme for December is historical family photos.
There are a few fun events coming up at the Campus Club that are open to everyone. See these events on the Campus Club Facebook and Instagram.
Meeting to plan books for next year.
The theme for January is great MN views.
When you are of Icelandic descent you can trace your ancestors back to around 1200 and sometimes further.
Bleak House by Charles Dickens.
Here’s another great opportunity to buy discounted tickets and join your UMRA friends to cheer for the Gophers when the Women’s Basketball team hosts the Purdue Boilermakers at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on February 1.
UMRA’s special event for this winter will again be a celebration of brighter days and the approaching end of winter. We’ll have food, fellowship, and music provided by Urban Sound, one of the University’s premier student a cappella ensembles.