Tulip Festival : Skagit Valley

(Last Updated On: May 22, 2023)

Spring has sprung and there are tons of flower fields along the Pacific Coast you can visit to get a glimpse of the blooms…and my favorite among them all is the Tulip festival at Skagit Valley. Rows and rows of tulips blooming all at once and painting the valley with vivid colors like the eyes have never seen before..It’s like paradise come alive.

The Tulip fields at the Skagit Valley has been on my list, for quite a while now and I was glad we could finally plan a trip to catch the super bloom this spring. After spending a day at the fields, taking in all the beautiful views and what seems like more than a million photos… I can officially say that this was my best spring experience ever and I’m sure you’ll feel the same when you visit.

Read along this blog post, to plan your visit to these magical fields in Washington.

What is the Tulip Festival?

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is the official celebration of the blooming of Skagit Valley tulips each year. The festival spans from April 1st to April 30th every year with over 3 major farms growing rows of tulips to handle thousands of visitors. You can also find roses and daffodils in the fields.

The town of Mount Vernon, WA is the epicenter of horticultural fun and home to some of the best tulip fields in Washington! Here are some tips on how you can attend the Tulip Festival, see Skagit Valley tulips (and other flowers, too!), and have a great time.

When to visit?

The tulip festival starts on April 1st but the blooms start to peak from Mid April through the end of the month. Some fields open as early as March 30th and stay open as late as May 6th, depending on the weather and blooms. But based on previous trends, 3rd to 4th week of April would be the perfect time to get the best of the festival.

If you love daffodils, you might consider visiting the Skagit Valley in end-March or mid-April. You can get both the daffodil and tulip blooms together.

I would recommend to book your tickets in advance since this year, most of the popular fields that participate in the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival(Tulip Town, the Roozengarde, and Garden Rosalyn) all let you purchase tickets for a specific day and 3-hour time frame. You can book a time that is most convenient for you and avoid the crowd.

If you’re uncertain when to book a ticket during the day, here are some tips:

Sunrise and sunset is the most popular time for photographers, due to the beautiful golden light.
Visiting midday means you’ll get a bright,super colorful view of the blooms.
Weekends are more packed than weekdays— especially on those rare sunny April days, so be prepared for that.

Where to stay?

There are many options to stay close to the fields at the Skagit Valley:

The Heron Inn and Day Spa – A Bed & Breakfast
La Conner Channel Lodge – Affordable Lakefront lodging
The Skagit Casino Resort

If you are willing to stay outside of Skagit Valley and drive in you can stay in:

Seattle – 60 minutes drive and has tons of accommodation choices.
Anacortes – 30 minutes drive with limited hotel stay – Majestic Inn & Spa or the Cap Sante Inn (budget friendly)

How to get there?

If you decide to stay outside of the Skagit Valley, you can rent a car and drive down to the valley(which is what we did).

Most of the fields have onsite parking lots available to handle most of the traffic. But it can get a little hard to find a spot when you visit during the busy hours(11am – 4pm/Weekend) and you may have to loop around to find a good spot. Be mindful to not park along the side of the road where you may damage any of the fields.

After finding parking, take the designated walking route to the fields. Each place & owner have their own route you can take through their field; Follow the signs where you can walk and please be respectful of the flowers.

What to wear/pack?

Wear comfortable boots(rain boots if you have them) as the fields may get muddy after rains.
Pack a water bottle, a pair of sunnies, hat and a light jacket
Cash – Some of the fields charge for parking and/or admission so its always better to bring some cash with you.
Wear Pastel flowy dresses and pair with a scarf/hat. The fields are super vibrant and a light colored dress will work great for photos.

Best fields to visit

The next big question is which farm to visit. There are three major ones, Tulip Town, Roozengaarde and Garden Rosalyn and they’re not too far from each other. The main difference is the Roozengaarde’s fields are a lot bigger and Tulip Town has a lot more color variety. Here’s a few information which will help you make your decision:

Tulip Town

Address: 15002 Bradshaw Rd, Mount Vernon, WA 98273
Smaller fields with a wide color variety and 10,000 sq ft of indoor displays.
Admission: $10/person, kids 6-11 $5, kids under 5 free
Hours: 8am-7pm 7/days a week
Free parking onsite
The field has a floral swing and an iconic Dutch windmill- great photo op
Attractions: Old-school trolley treks through the tulips, flower stand for bouquets and potted flowers, a farm-to-fork bistro, Tulip Town Beer and Wine Garden

Roozengaarde

Address: 15867 Beaver Marsh Rd, Mount Vernon, WA 98273
5 plus acre display garden + over 50 acres of tulips and daffodils in the field
Admission: $15/person, kids under 2 free
Hours: 8am-7pm 7 days a week
Free parking onsite with lots of
Highlight: A 5 acre display garden featuring 1 million blooms, breathtaking rainbow of blooms and an authentic Dutch windmill
Attractions: onsite flower stand, greenhouses, picnic areas and food stall servicing icecreams, popcorn and coffee.

Garden Rosalyn

Address: 16648 Jungquist Rd, Mount Vernon, WA 98273
Tulip fields set against an impressive view of the Cascade Mountains.
Admission: $13/person, kids under 2 free
Hours: 7am-8pm 7 days a week
Highlight: These fields feature tulips in April and dahlias in May.
Free onsite parking
Attraction: Features a pond with ducks and geese that will make your visit a fun experience.

How to get the best insta worthy photo?

Plan to visit the fields early in the morning or late evening – We drove in right after the fields opened and it was super convenient to find parking. Thin crowd and soft sunlight in the morning is perfect to get some photos without a lot of people in the background. The fields get really crowded past 11am, so I recommend getting in early.
Choose a spot at the end of the field, instead of the middle to get a more colorful and expansive views of the tulips in the field.
Work with angles – shoot from lower angles to avoid people in the background and get a more full look in your shots. Try closeups and perspective photography – will give you the best results.
Don’t worry you’ll get all of the picture-perfect Instagram pictures you want no matter what time you visit… but remember to be respectful of the blooms. There are signs everywhere to not walk down the rows and they say you can step 1-2 feet into them to get your photos, but any further than that you risk stepping on other bulbs and damaging future crops. So please be mindful and also don’t pick the flowers. If you visit with children or pets, please keep an eye on them too.

Visiting the Skagit Valley Tulip festival was such a dream come true. Twirling in the fields beaming with vibrant tulips, watching the sunrise in a valley filled with rows and rows of colorful blooms and smelling the sweet daffodils; that’s what I call a perfect Spring.

Thank you for reading along and hope you will enjoy these fields just as much as I did. If you have any other questions about attending the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival this year, let me know in the comments!