Dates of Skagit Valley Tulip Festival extended through May 3rd

April 28, 7:07 PMSeattle North American Travel ExaminerStephanie Jolly

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Dates of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival have been extended through May 3, 2009. 
Here, yellow tulips bloom in the RoozeGaarde fields near Memorial Hwy.  Photo: Stephanie Jolly

If you thought you missed your chance to walk through one of the country's most beautiful flower fields, think again!  After a delayed bloom season left many visitors to the region's largest tulip festival gazing out over fields of green, organizers have decided to extend the event through May 3rd giving Seattleites an extra week to tip-toe through the tulips of Skagit Valley.  Festival activities affected by the extention include opening of five area wineries, helicopter tours and the staffing of the festival office. The event usually runs through the month of April.

I was there last weekend and the flower fields were absolutely georgeous.  RoozenGaarde, the area's largest family owned bulb company, grows over 500 acres of tulips, daffodils and irises each year and allows festival-goers to walk through the fields of flowers daily. 

RoozenGaarde and Washington Bulb Company flowers in full bloom

This year, four tulip fields are accessible to the public.  Roozegaarde practices crop rotation and fallows fields for up to five years in-between bulb harvests, meaning that fields in bloom this year will not be painted in color again until 2014.  Walking the tulip fields is free, but drivers will need to pay $4 to park their car at one of several Roozegaarde parking lots outside Mount Vernon.  The parking pass received at the first lot will grant parking rights at any of the other Roozengaarde lots as well.  Street parking and parking on private roads is not recommended, and police and traffic officers were out enforcing those laws last weekend to alleviate road congestion.  Maps of the fields are available at tulip sales booth as well as online.

In addition to the tulip fields, the RoozenGaarde Display Garden and Skagit Valley Bulb Farm Tulip Town offer manicured tulip gardens, bulb purchases and tulip sales. Admission to the display gardens are $3 and $5 per person, respectively.  Both will be open on Mother's Day on May 10th

Tips for planning a visit to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

Visitors to Skagit Valley will want to get an early start to avoid crowds and avoid the traffic congestion that arrives in the after mid-day.  Plan on leaving the Seattle area by 8am for the best viewing conditions.  Crowds begin to pick up around 12 noon and continue throughout the afternoon.  Individuals with a bike rack may opt to park their car at one of the designated parking areas and ride through-out the five mile area between tulip fields.