Walking through a rainbow at RoozenGaarde in the Skagit Valley

RoozenGaarde

April 21, 2025

Euri, my daughter Caitlin and I spent a Monday morning at RoozenGaarde, the Roozen family's display garden and tulip fields outside Mount Vernon. The tulips are beautiful. The fields are planted in long stripes of solid color that run all the way out to the foothills, and the whole place is an almost other-worldly patchwork. I felt like I was walking through a rainbow.

Euri, Jereme and Caitlin smiling in front of a bed of white tulips at RoozenGaarde, with red and pink tulips and the mountains behind them

Getting there without sitting in traffic

The traffic can be bad when the tulips are in bloom. I've lived in Washington most of my life, and my dad lives up the road in Anacortes, so I knew what we were in for. We went early on a Monday and the drive was smooth. If you can swing it, go on a weekday and get there early. RoozenGaarde's festival page (opens in a new tab) says the same thing: weekdays are less busy, and sunny weekends at full bloom bring way more visitors than any other day.

RoozenGaarde is at 15867 Beaver Marsh Road in Mount Vernon. Its directions page (opens in a new tab) says to take the Kincaid Street exit (226) off I-5, and to look for the garden and the windmill.

The display garden

Admission gets you into the display garden as well as the fields. RoozenGaarde says the garden is redesigned and replanted by hand every year, so it won't look exactly like this when you go.

Rows of yellow, orange, pink and white tulips in the RoozenGaarde display garden, with tall evergreens and puffy clouds behind them

Jereme and Caitlin standing in front of a curved bed of mixed tulips under a big leafy tree

The beds are packed with blocks of color, and some of them are planted in waves with blue grape hyacinths running between the tulips.

A bed of red and white streaked tulips next to solid white tulips and deep red tulips

Waves of red tulips with white edges, white tulips and dark red tulips, with a band of blue grape hyacinths behind them

Some of the tulips had frilly, fringed edges, and some were ruffled parrot tulips.

Pink and white fringed tulips with frilly, feathery edges

Ruffled magenta parrot tulips in the display garden

Hot pink and white tulips with pointed petals that flare outward

A close-up looking into the center of a pink and white tulip, with orange stamens around a pale pistil

The fields

Past the garden are the fields, which RoozenGaarde says cover over 50 acres of tulips and daffodils. This is the part that looks like a rainbow. Each variety is planted in its own wide band, so you get stripes of red, pink, purple, white and yellow stacked one behind the other.

A field of white and yellow daffodils in front of pink and red tulip rows, with people walking in the distance and snowy mountains beyond

Caitlin, seen from behind, looking out over rows of red tulips and pink tulips toward a forested hill

Euri and Caitlin smiling in front of rows of pink, red and purple tulips under a blue sky

A dense field of pink and white tulips filling the whole frame

Stripes of pink, red and purple tulips stretching across a flat field toward farm buildings and mountains

A little history

The Roozen family has been growing tulips for a long time. According to RoozenGaarde (opens in a new tab), the family grew tulips in Holland starting in the early 1700s. William Roozen moved from Holland to the Skagit Valley in 1947, and five years later he had saved enough to buy five acres and start his own farm. The family says it now grows the vast majority of the tulips planted in the valley. "Roozen" means rose in Dutch.

Tickets and practical tips

We bought our tickets at the gate. For the 2026 season, RoozenGaarde charged $19 per person online for Monday through Thursday and $23 for Friday through Sunday, with walk-up tickets $2 more. Kids 2 and under are free, and parking is included (prices checked November 2026). Online tickets get an expedited entry lane.

A few more things worth knowing before you go, all from RoozenGaarde's festival page:

Pets aren't allowed during the bloom, including emotional support and therapy animals.
Drones are prohibited over the garden and the fields.
There's no re-entry, so dress for the weather before you go in.
The paths are gravel, grass and sand, and they recommend boots.
Restrooms are port-a-potties.
There are food vendors on site.
You can buy fresh-cut tulips for $8 a bunch of 10 stems. We bought some, and we also poked around the gift shop and the windmill.

FAQ

When is the best time to see the tulips?

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival runs April 1 to 30, but the flowers don't follow the calendar. RoozenGaarde says some years they start blooming in mid-March and other years they last into May. We went on April 21 and the fields were in full color. RoozenGaarde posts bloom updates on its festival page (opens in a new tab), so check it before you drive up.

Do I need to buy tickets in advance?

No. Walk-up tickets cost $2 more, but they're available. Tickets aren't timed, and one ticket is good for a single entry on any day in its weekday or weekend group.

Can I bring my dog?

Not to RoozenGaarde during the bloom.

Is RoozenGaarde open when the tulips aren't blooming?

Yes. Admission is only charged during the spring bloom, and the garden is free to visit the rest of the year.

Is it worth it?

Yes. The tulips are beautiful, and walking through the fields really did feel like walking through a rainbow. Just go early, and go on a weekday if you can. If you're already up in Skagit County, Rockport State Park is east on Highway 20 if you want some old growth too. Head west instead and Anacortes has the ferry Euri and I took for our San Juan Island day trip.