The Tulip Festival, held each April across the Skagit Valley, is one of Washington's most visited annual events. The bloom typically peaks in the first two weeks of April, when the fields of Roozengaarde and Tulip Town — the two main flower farms open to the public — are accessible for walking and photography.
Come on a weekday if you possibly can; weekends during peak bloom bring gridlock on the back roads and packed parking lots. The fields stretch south and east of Burlington toward Mount Vernon — having a bicycle makes navigating the flat farm roads far more pleasant than sitting in a car queue. Outside the festival period, the farms remain working agricultural operations and are not open for wandering.