Every spring in Washington’s Skagit Valley, the hills come alive…with the sound of tourists. These are happy sounds, mind you–giggling, laughing, and general merriment.
Why do these tourists flock to this region of northwestern Washington every year, and why are they so damn happy, you ask?
The real question is, how could one not be happy at a massive festival dedicated to tulips??
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival (Skagit is a noun referring to a member of the Salish tribe that’s pronounced with an ‘a’ as in cat and ‘g’ as in gin) is truly a sight to behold, and it was only this year that I got my very first eyeful despite having lived most of my life in the state.
The festival takes place every year during the entire month of April primarily in the town of Mount Vernon, which sits against a backdrop of the imposing Cascade Mountain Range. The tulips bloom at their own pace, however, which is one of the reasons it can be tricky to attend if you are coming from far away. It can require a little bit of advanced planning (and you still run the risk of missing the bloom) or as it happened in our case, a little bit of luck.
This year, the tulips bloomed early due to unseasonably warm weather at the start of the month (dare I say global warming?), and my mom and I had just so happened to plan a trip to see family in the area that weekend.
When the family fun came to an end and we were on our way back to our side of the mountains, I convinced my mom to brave the tourist crowds with me for this once-in-who-knows-how-long opportunity to see these incredible tulip fields in full bloom.
The traffic turned out to be horrendous, but we soldiered on anyway, and I think we were both glad we did. There are several tulip fields to choose from, but the most popular are Tulip Town and RoozenGaarde. We chose the more Dutch-sounding of the two and were even greeted by a cheerful windmill upon passing through the entrance gate.
The fee for our afternoon of fun: $5 per person (2017 Update: Admission to RoozenGaarde is now $7 for one adult). A small price to pay for the 4 acres of gorgeous tulips and many smaller gardens we had the pleasure of meandering through that day.
There were also plenty of cut flowers to buy, as well as delicious snacks, refreshments, and a souvenir shop. The smell of kettle corn was overwhelming and tempting, but the queue to buy food and drink looked unbearably long, so we went without.
The crowds really were thick–I’ve never quite seen anything like it in Washington! And it must have just rained because there were a few muddy patches here and there that made the paths slightly hazardous; I was actually quite relieved that I’d put boots on that morning instead of sandals.
Nonetheless, we managed a good number of tourist-free photos. My mom and I carried our matching cameras and both had fun shooting amongst the seemingly endless fields. I really enjoy watching her budding as a photographer! She took this wicked jump shot of me, and several other shareworthy shots.
We also had a kind stranger snap a lovely one of the two of us, probably my favorite of the day. She’s a bit camera shy, though, so I will show her some mercy this time and refrain from posting the others I took of her.
Once we finally concluded the loop through the color-blocked rows of tulips, we stumbled upon another beautiful stopping point, a garden full of exotic-looking tulips we’d never seen before. I would have taken a photo of every single variety if I’d had the chance, but they were seemingly endless and we still had a number of hours’ driving ahead of us, so I tried not to dawdle. Here are a few of my favorites! This little fiery red guy was named “Fabio.” 
Finally, we passed through a few more carefully manicured, colorful gardens on our way toward the exit. The sight of so many thousands of flowers had left us feeling pretty uplifted, which we needed as we prepared to brave the heavy traffic on the way out of Mount Vernon.
Tips for Visiting the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Mount Vernon, Washington
- Avoid going on the weekends if possible. The crowds will be much smaller during the weekdays!
- If you must visit the tulip fields on a weekend, go early in the day rather than in the afternoon.
- Bring cash if you want to make any purchases like flowers or souvenirs; you will also get in more quickly in the cash-only line at the entrance.
- Keep and eye on RoozenGaarde’s online Bloom Map” to see which fields are blooming and when.
- The traffic in Mount Vernon does get very heavy during April, so you’ll need a good number of hours to get in and out of the festival as well as ample time to walk around all of the fields.
- Be respectful and don’t walk between the rows of flowers! I saw way too many people doing this despite signs posted everywhere asking visitors explicitly not to.
- Be prepared for any kind of weather–it is spring after all, so rain and sun are both likely. I recommend wearing layers and closed-toed shoes.
- For more information on the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, follow this link.
Have you ever attended a tulip festival? This was my first, but it won’t be the last!
