Kingston Nature Trail
The Kingston Nature Trail at the Nannen Arboretum is a quarter mile asphalt path starting at the entrance. This 8-acre area is dedicated to providing an experience to assist you in designing your home landscape. If you follow the path, it will bring you back to the entrance where you began. Several kiosks appear along the path providing a self-guided tour.
Crabapple Collection
In this area you will find the beautiful spring flowering crabapple trees. Pay attention to the many distinctive sizes and shapes. If you are considering a crabapple, be sure to select a variety whose mature size fits your space.
Conifer Collection
Surrounding you are conifers, needled trees with cones, ranging from majestic giants to weeping forms to the aptly named Snake Branch Spruce. Varieties of needled trees include Hemlock, White Spruce and Eastern White Pine.
Lowe Herb Garden
This beautiful, diverse garden was designed and planted by Carolyn Lowe in the early 1980’s. Visit the many themed gardens that illustrate how herbs are used. Since its creation, the surrounding trees have matured shading the garden. Therefore, many of the original plantings have not survived or thrived.
Northrup Memorial Nature Hall
The design of the Northrup Memorial Nature Hall was inspired by a wooded memorial in New Hampshire honoring one of the chaplains who went down with the USS Dorchester in World War II. The nature hall is in memory of a local dentist, Dr. Wilbur Northrup. The serene setting is now used for weddings, meetings and outdoor entertainment.
Al Cox Garden
The Ellicottville Ski Club donated and installed the Al Cox Memorial Garden. It is a display of perennials that provides changing blooms unique to each season.
Chapman Nature Sanctuary
The Chapman Nature Sanctuary, with a formal planting of Kentucky Coffee trees and comfortable benches, is a unique setting for educational events and weddings. The Celebration Walk leading to the Sanctuary is the perfect way to commemorate events and honor loved ones.
Lake Nipponica
The Soil and Water Conservation Service created the pond in 1965 to demonstrate good pond construction. The pond was renamed Lake Nipponica to fit the Japanese theme.
Amano Hashidate Bridge
Built in 1981, the bridge illustrates the Japanese influence within the arboretum. Its name means ‘bridge to heaven’. The view across Lake Nipponica highlights the area’s ski slopes and is truly heavenly.
Japanese Stone Garden
This garden is based on a meditative stone garden created by Zen priests in Kyoto, Japan over 800 years ago. Granite grit is raked to resemble ripples on the water around the rocks. You are invited to rest here and contemplate your arboretum experience.