Every year thousands of people visit the Seattle tulip festival to see the rows upon rows of colorful tulip fields dotting Washington state’s quaint farmland. It’s just you, the farms, tulips, backroads…and those thousands of other people.
I’ve lived in Seattle for over a decade, but it took me a while to make the trip north to see the dreamy Skagit Valley tulip fields. I was concerned it wouldn’t be worth it, but I caved and went a few years ago.
That trip and repeated ones after helped me finally formulate an opinion on the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. I’ll lay out what to expect, whether it’s worth it, and how to make sure you successfully avoid as many people as possible.
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About the Seattle Tulip Festival
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival runs every April 1-30. People call it the “Seattle Tulip Festival”, but it’s actually in an area of Washington state about an hour and 15 minutes north of Seattle.
The Seattle tulip festival runs for a month technically, but really it’s dictated by when the tulips want to actually bloom.
That means it’s not a designated area where there’s a bunch of happenings over a few days. Rather, there’s a lot of different events planned throughout the month-long Seattle Tulip Festival. You can see the full list on the festival’s official website, but examples include craft/art fairs, food and drink events, and tours.
In terms of the Skagit Valley tulip fields, there are quite a few, but most of them are owned by two companies: RoozenGaarde and Tulip Town. Both farms have a “headquarters”, for lack of a better word, which is essentially their main farm with parking and display gardens.
The rest of the fields are scattered throughout the Skagit Valley area, all within a short drive or bike ride from each other. Their location changes every year because tulips need to be rotated to make sure the fields stay fertile and the flowers thrive, so you’ll want to pay close attention to the Skagit Valley bloom map each year.
What to expect at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
Make sure to factor these learnings in before your trip!
You’re only allowed to visit a few fields
Technically you aren’t supposed to stop along the road to visit all the tulip fields, and most don’t have parking lots. You’ll see signs that consistently say “don’t stop” or “private property”.
This took me by surprise because the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival advertises a “self-guided tour” and makes it sound like you can stop at all the fields on their bloom map. However, there are only a handful fields you can technically visit.
The five main fields you can visit include:
Traditionally you could only go to behemoths RoozenGaarde and Tulip Town, but the others are newer, smaller farms you can now visit. You can sometimes find smaller farms to stop at, but these four are the main ones that allow visitors.
There’s an admission fee to visit the main fields
You can purchase advanced tickets for all the farms (Tulip Town and Tulip Valley Farms require you to choose the date you plan to visit when you book in advance). Tickets are about $15-$25 per adult and there are options for cheaper kids’ tickets or more expensive photographer passes. You can get discounts for seniors, kids, and military at Tulip Town and Tulip Valley Farms.
All farms have tickets available at the door, but it’ll depend on if there is enough space for that time slot. Plus, some charge more at the door. To be safe, especially on weekends, book in advance.
Crowds and traffic
Like I mentioned, thousands of people attend the festival every year because it’s one of the most popular things to do during spring break in Seattle. The Skagit Valley service roads were not built to withstand congestion from tourists, so there is typically a lot of backup and bottle necks, especially on the weekends.
Daffodils
The tulips get all the love, but there are also daffodil fields at the Seattle Tulip Festival! These pretty ladies tend to bloom first starting in March, so if you go at the beginning of April and are expecting tulips, you might be disappointed to only see daffodils. However, they’re beautiful and worth seeing.
Rain and mud
Spring in Washington is still wet as hell. When they advertise the Seattle Tulip Festival, you see the colorful blooms in sunny weather. Well, the reality is it will probably be raining and you’ll be thinking more about how to not get your camera or phone wet. But the plus side is that this weather tends to make for some really dreamy and moody photos!
Some dog-friendly fields
Tulip Town and Tulip Valley Farms allow dogs on the field. However, the others don’t.
Limited u-pick options
While all of the farms sell pre-picked bouquets you can take home, Tulip Valley Farms is the only one that offers u-pick.
Tips for visiting the tulip fields
Here’s how to make the most of your trip.
Check the bloom map before you go
The Skagit Valley bloom map shows you which fields are in bloom. Make sure things are in bloom before you go! This map is from the official festival website. It updates automatically during the festival in April.
Wear rain boots
There will be mud…lots of it. Wear good rain boots you can hose down later. What does this have to do with crowd control? Others may not do this and therefore will likely avoid muddier areas. This is how you may be able to find the pockets of tulip rows without people to snap a pic.
I also advise bringing an extra pair of shoes and plastic bags so you can keep your car protected from the muddy boots.
Consider visiting on Tuesday – thursday
I haven’t been able to carve out time on a weekday to visit the Seattle Tulip Festival, but then again, most people can’t. Take advantage of that if you can so you’re not fighting the weekend throngs. The official Skagit Valley Tulip Festival website says Mondays and Fridays are still pretty crowded when it’s sunny.
Stay the night before
I recommend staying at least the night before you plan to visit the Seattle tulip festival. Sure, you can get up super early and drive to the Skagit Valley tulip fields from Seattle. That’s what most people do. And because of that, the traffic going north can be horrendous if you get a late start.
We were invited to stay at one of Petite Retreats’ destinations one year. As soon as I saw they offered cabins at Thousand Trails in Bow, WA, I knew I was going to plan a trip to the Seattle Tulip Festival so I could beat the crowds.
The yurts and cabins in Bow, WA are located in Thousand Trails, a RV camp near the Skagit Valley casino. I didn’t know what to expect, as I’m not the biggest camper and I was a bit concerned about what it’d be like. I was so pleased to realize the cabin was basically a tiny home from HGTV. It was fully functional, with a full-sized bed, super clean, fully-functioning bathroom, a TV, and a kitchenette with everything you’d need.
Thousand Trails also had a lot of really awesome amenities that we wished we had more time to take advantage of. There was a big pool, trails, mini golf, shuffleboard, and fire pits for s’more making. This would be an amazing place to spend with little ones, and it’s great as a cozy romantic getaway just for two.
You can also check out my guide to romantic Airbnbs in Washington for more ideas of places to stay in the area.
I highly recommend booking a stay that’s north of the fields so you’re not fighting the traffic. This will make sure you’re coming the opposite direction of all the people traveling north from Seattle to see the fields.
Plan to start at 8 am or 3 PM
This is especially important if you’re going to the Seattle Tulip Festival on the weekend. I read everywhere that you should arrive before 9 am or after 3 pm. I was really concerned that it wasn’t going to be valid information, since everyone else was probably also reading these articles.
One year we ended up getting to RoozenGaarde at 9 am and it was already crowded. But nowhere near as crowded as it was later on. So do yourself a favor and get exploring early…I’d say 8 am even.
Or alternatively the late afternoons toward sunset is a good bet for thinner crowds. I’ve been able to get to the fields around 4 PM or later and the crowds are significantly less dense.
Find Fields off the beaten path
So I mentioned I’ve been to RoozenGaarde. Well, I’ve never been past the main gate. That’s because every time I’ve gone, I decided to turn around thanks to the throngs of people already taking selfies in the field.
I’m all for supporting farms, but it’s often raining and I stress about my camera getting soaked. I struggle to justify paying for a few minutes of fighting people to get a good shot.
Since I haven’t gone in, I can’t say for sure if RoozenGaarde is worth it. We always drive by Tulip Town to see if it’s different and end up turning around there, too.
Instead we try to stop at off-the-beaten-path tulip farms with parking lots.
Remember the fields change every year, but we often find less crowded ones near McClean & Best Road. One year we saw a field with a few people parked in the barn’s parking lot. What happened next was kind of hilarious.
As I got out of the car, I saw some guy walking toward us, looking at me, wearing a f*cking full face mask. Like a bandana with just his eyes showing. I totally panicked and thought, “Welp, we’re getting murdered.”
He ended up getting into the car parked right next to us, which made me laugh. I guess I’ve seen way too many Friday the 13th movies growing up, so obviously my first thought is “murder” whenever there’s people in face masks in desolate areas.
I felt especially silly when we walked toward the farm and saw a bunch of people dressed similarly walking to their cars. Then it hit me, these were the tulip farm workers!
They were all staring at us as we walked past them in the direction of the fields. When we arrive at the fields, we saw no one in sight, so we were like, “Uh…should we not be here?” Later I realized you aren’t supposed to stop at this farm.
Now I’m not necessarily saying I condone breaking rules…
But we broke the rules. We ended up going into the fields (as daintily as possible and not too far in! We mostly stayed on the tractor road.) to get a few photos and to take in the views. It was unbelievable to find a pocket of fields with no people. It let us really appreciate the wonder of the tulip fields without feeling like we were being herded like cattle.
So, my recommendation is to do drive-bys of all the fields in bloom. You might find some that are empty and have natural places to park so you don’t hold up traffic (don’t be that ass hole who stops on the road). And if you do decide to go into the fields, please be respectful of the fields. Walk daintily on any provided paths and don’t go too far into the fields, as you can damage the bulbs.
Consider biking if weather permits
I’ve never done this because it always seems to rain when I visit the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. However, if you have bikes or know the weather will be nice and want to rent some, consider biking!
The Skagit Valley area isn’t unbearably big, so you can easily bike between tulip fields on the relatively flat land. Bikes will let you stop to take views of all the fields without holding up traffic. Tulip Country Bike Tours and Skagit Cycle are two options for rentals.
Definitely plan to do other things around the area
At the end of the day, there’s only so much time you can spend standing in tulip fields, especially if it’s raining. You’ll likely feel like the trip wasn’t worth it if you came to stare at tulip fields and that’s it.
I’d be happy to plan you a custom trip
I’m a licensed travel planner and would love to build you a custom itinerary. Or check out my guide of fun things to do in Skagit County for ideas of what to do between tulip field visits. There are a ton of quaint towns with cute shops, farm stands, breweries, and pretty viewpoints.
And don’t miss my guide to the best Skagit County restaurants! Skagit Valley is a surprising foodie area.
More to do near Skagit Valley
Looking for more ideas of what to do around Skagit Valley? Here are some suggestions.
- Visit Nearby Whidbey Island
- Check Out the Hip Town of Bellingham
- Stop by Camano Island on the Way to Skagit County
- Escape to One of These Unique Washington Accommodations
- Explore Remote Lummi Island
