Gardens and Paths

Experience the Bastyr Gardens

The Bastyr University Medicinal Herb Garden plays a central role in the education of our students. Botanical medicine students study and cultivate a variety of medicinal plants throughout their life cycle. Many of these plants are harvested at their seasonal peak for creating medicinal tinctures and salves. Nutrition classes use the cultivated culinary herbs and organic vegetables in the University's whole-food kitchen lab.

The garden is designed, cultivated and managed by students and volunteers under the guidance of the garden manager and assistant garden manager with a combined total over 30 years of experience.

Sacred Seeds Ethnobotanical Trail

In spring 2012, Bastyr University unveiled the Sacred Seeds Ethnobotanical Trail, part of an international project that aims to help communities stay connected to native plants. The living “classroom” will be used to teach visitors about identification, seed saving and cultivation of native plants, while the Sacred Seeds Virtual Education Portal offers online ethnobotany resources including take-home curriculums and virtual field trips designed for K-12 students.

The Sacred Seeds Trail will preserve ethnobotanical knowledge of how native plants have been used in the past for food, medicine and ceremonies. Bunchberry The mile-long trail connects a series of native plant meadows and gardens to the nearby forest and wetland, advancing the University’s landscape as an educational resource for the entire community, including:

Local native tribes of the Peoples of Cascadia
K-12 faculty and students
Herbalists
Horticultural societies
Bicycle associations
Other colleges and university student populations
Garden clubs
All Bastyr University visiting neighbors and friends

Please support our work. Make a donation that will help us finish building and maintain the trail.

Walk Bastyr's Reflexology Foot Path

A flower in the foreground of a view of the reflexology path. Adjacent to the garden is the Bastyr reflexology path, the first public reflexology path in North America. Based on wisdom from ancient Egypt, India and China, reflexology paths massage and stimulate acupressure points in the soles of the feet connected to various energy meridians of the body.

The pressure of stones under bare feet combines with gravity to provide a therapeutic exercise that stimulates health. Bastyr's 65-foot path features smooth native Northwest river rock artistically embedded in cement. A handrail provides stability and improves accessibility, particularly for older walkers.

Tour Our Gardens

Many public visitors enjoy the Bastyr Medicinal Herb Garden and the Sacred Seeds Ethnobotanical Trail, and both are always open to the public for self-guided tours.

One-hour tours led by knowledgeable guides are also available for groups, with a focus either on the campus, the medicinal herb garden, the Sacred Seeds Ethnobotanical Trail, or a combination. Please be aware that tours involve a significant amount of walking.

Sign Up for Tour

Tour Details and Sign-up Information

NOTE: Due to health and safety reasons, we have temporarily closed garden tours.

Tours are scheduled Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., from spring to fall and are based on availability of a guide. Tours are not available during holidays.
A tour donation of $10 per person is suggested, payable in cash or check and made out to Bastyr University. Tour donations support garden improvements and upkeep.
Tours should be scheduled at least one month in advance.
Minimum number of guided tour guests is 10, maximum is 25.
Visitor parking is available by visitor's permit; carpooling is advised. Buses and large vans require special parking arrangements.
For more information, call (425) 602-3195 or email Gardens@bastyr.edu