It's tulip time in Skagit Valley

It's time to tiptoe through the tulips at the annual Skagit Valley festival.

Well, walk through them. Or at least drive through them on the roads between the fields.

The flowers stretch into the distance in places, offering a splash of color for the eyes each April.

There are reds, yellows, oranges, pinks and purples.

On a clear day snow capped Mount Baker and the Cascades loom over the scene, which also features rustic barns and sheds as well as stately trees.

Three fourths of the commercial tulips in the United States are grown in the Skagit Valley, which has some 1,000 acres dedicated to tulips and daffodils.

Most are in a 15-mile triangle bordered by Highway 20, the Skagit River and the Swinomish River Channel.

Mount Vernon serves as the headquarters and turning point off Interstate 5 and it is located 60 miles north of Seattle.

Two farms are open for the public to tour for a price in RoozenGaarde and Tulip Town, with tickets in advance online including parking.

RoozenGaarde features 25 acres of tulips and 20 acres of daffodils, plus a five acre display garden.

Tulip Town has three acres of flowers plus a kite flying field, a trolley to ride included in the price of admission (if weather permits) and a cafe.

The price of admission at RoozenGaarde is $15.00 per person with children age 2 and under admitted for free.

Tulip Town costs $16.29 per person age 12 and over, but it is only $7.60 for ages 6-11 and free for ages 5 and under.

There is now no mask mandate at either location.  Pets and drones are not permitted.

The daffodils have been out for some time, while the tulips are starting to bloom already and should reach their peak in the middle of April.

How to get there:

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival runs an office in Mount Vernon open 9-5 daily in April.  It is located at 311 W. Kincaid Street, Mount Vernon, WA 98273 with a phone number of (360) 428-5959.

RoozenGaarde is located at 15867 Beaver Marsh Road in Mount Vernon and Tulip Town also has a Mount Vernon address of 15002 Bradshaw Road.

Or you can take Mount Vernon exit 225 or 226 and follow the Tulip Festival signs out to the roads among the fields to the west of town.

Text and top photo by Tim Clinton, bottom photo by Jeff Clinton.