LSU Hilltop Arboretum Master Plan

Hilltop Arboretum is sited on the upland edge of the Mississippi River’s original floodplain in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Remnant drainage patterns still visible on the site reveal it’s agricultural past. The master plan embraces the site’s cultural legacy by repurposing the once modest homestead into an open-to-public preserve. Accessible paths follow vegetated swales through the upland meadows and wind along the heavily planted ridges of the lower ravines. Predominately native vegetation throughout the meadows and ravines provide ecologically focused learning opportunities to visitors of the arboretum. Additionally, the creation of several large-scale gathering spaces used as outdoor classrooms such as the Cathedral Glade, Amphitheater, and Horticulture Court contribute to Hilltop’s enduring mission of public engagement and education of natural systems.