Garchen Buddhist Institute

Note: Please plan to arrive before 5 p.m if you are not familiar with the layout of the center.

FROM PHOENIX, drive north on I-17 (toward Flagstaff), take the Cordes Junction exit and drive west on Highway 69 toward Prescott. You will pass through Prescott Valley and then, just before downtown Prescott, stay in the far right lane and take the turnoff (to the right or north) to Highway 89 to Chino Valley.

Drive north on Highway 89 about 15 miles to Chino Valley, and stay in the right lane. Continue on Highway 89 through the stop light by a large Safeway store. After Safeway, the next street will be E. Perkinsville Road. There is a very small used car lot on the corner called “Morrison Motors.” Turn right onto E. Perkinsville Road.

Watch your odometer, and drive exactly 9.5 miles on E. Perkinsville Road. The road is paved for about the first 3 miles, and the rest is unpaved. Drive carefully and slowly (do not exceed the speed limit on either the paved or unpaved sections as the speed limit on the unpaved section is not posted, but it is 35 mph as town police regularly patrol this road). Watch for free roaming cattle, antelope, rabbits, and birds that sometimes cross the road or rest on it. At about 9.25 miles you will see a farm house with a windmill on your right. Keep driving about another quarter mile and you will see our gate on your right. Our gate is green metal and has a red and yellow sign saying “Garchen Buddhist Institute.” The sign on the gate is hard to read at night, but it has a red reflective-tape border that glows bright red at night, making it easy to locate after sundown. Turn right into our unpaved driveway and follow it about 1/2 mile to the visitors’ parking lot. You will pass a house on your left before going up the hill to the parking lot. From the parking lot walk up the path to the temple and office. For handicapped access or deliveries, drive through the parking lot and take the first right, which leads to handicapped parking and to the temple, stupa, office, bookstore, and kitchen/dining room. FROM I 40 (coming from Flagstaff or Los Angeles), take the Highway 89 South/Prescott/Chino Valley exit and travel south on Highway 89 about 35 miles to Chino Valley. You will pass a turnoff for the town of Perkinsville several miles before you get to Chino Valley. DO NOT TURN THERE. You are looking for E. Perkinsville Road, not the town of Perkinsville. You will know you have reached the town of Chino Valley when you come to the first stoplight on Highway 89. Not long after that stoplight, you will come to E. Perkinsville Road where you will turn left. There is a very small used car lot on the corner called “Morrison Motors.” Please see the third paragraph above under “FROM PHOENIX” that starts with “Watch your odometer . . .” for the remaining directions.