Tulips in Skagit Valley Washington

One of the highlights of spring here in the Pacific Northwest is the daffodil and tulip blooms in Skagit Valley. Skagit Valley is a fertile delta of the Skagit River which is located about 60 miles north of Seattle. Mt Vernon is the main city in the region but there are many lovely small towns to explore. Our favorite town is La Conner. It is situated along the banks of the Swinomish Canal, it has a vibrant art community. Historic buildings line the main street – now with shops and museums. We also just discovered Edison which is north of La Conner and is a hot-bed of local artisan food. There are even wineries!

The spring has been cold and we could tell everything would be late when we made our first trip to the Skagit late in March. Usually the daffodils are in bloom by the last week of March but nothing was in bloom. It was cold and windy.

We finally got a chance to return last Monday – the last week in April. It was a gorgeous day; sunny although the clouds were obscuring the Cascade foothills. Everyone wants to go when Mt. Baker is visible for classic shots of tulips with Mt Baker in the background. It was not to be.

But the colors were gorgeous. The sun was out and color of the tulips just popped! The area has become tremendously popular when the tulips are in bloom. Fortunately they have created parking areas; unfortunately you have to pay $3-$4 for each time.

We found a lovely field in bloom that was a bit away from the main crowd. The center of the frenzy is always Roozengaarde, the headquarters of Washington Bulb Company. Washington state is one of the world’s largest producers of flower bulbs. Roozengaarde is the display gardens for the company.

The plus of paying for parking is you can walk in the bulb fields. You have ample opportunities and angles for photos. I think we spent over an hour just meandering along the path between the different colored fields.

After getting our fill of color, we headed for lunch. Our normal lunch spot, La Conner Brewery had a long wait so we went up to Anacortes instead. After lunch, we drove around the area between Edison and Samish Island. Many of the businesses were closed since it Monday but everything looked great. Along with the artisan food stops, there are great places to bird both at Padilla Bay and on the way to Samish Island. I actually went out to check for rentals since it looks like a great place for a getaway.

Okay.. enough on the area – here are the photos.

Workers in the fields picking out rogue tulips before harvesting

Getting ready to top off the blooms before harvesting

Fields of red

Ready for harvest

Fields go to infinity

A prism rainbow of tulips

The Rogue

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