Northwest

Northwest Washington covers Skagit and Whatcom counties — the corner of the state north of Seattle and west of the Cascade crest, running from Puget Sound across tulip-and-tractor flats to the granite peaks of the North Cascades. Bellingham anchors the northern half as Whatcom’s college town and Alaska Marine Highway terminus; Mount Vernon and Burlington hold the Skagit Valley flats; Anacortes is the Washington State Ferries hub for the San Juans; Sedro-Woolley sits at the foot of the North Cascades Highway. Geography drives most travel here. The Skagit and Nooksack rivers run flat agricultural valleys to the Sound; State Route 20 climbs east through Marblemount and Newhalem into North Cascades National Park’s high country; Mount Baker rises above Bellingham at 10,781 feet; the Chuckanut Drive scenic route hugs the saltwater shore between Bellingham and Burlington. Trips here split between coast and mountain. April brings the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival; summer brings the North Cascades Highway and Mount Baker drives; fall is quiet and clear. Bellingham handles most of the lodging, and Anacortes is the staging point for any San Juan crossing.