Getting to know Snohomish County? Here are 19 scenic drives

EVERETT — We love this county.

And we’re fortunate that our jobs get us out and about to the nearest and farthest reaches.

Recently, a new reporter joined our staff, and some of us put together a list of recommended drives to better learn Snohomish County. The idea got some traction on social media, as well.

Some of the suggestions are a bit personal for me: I joined the staff in 2010, moving from Eastern Washington. I remember thinking there were a lot of houses and cars everywhere here, and that the Bothell-Everett Highway was intimidating.

A view of the Cascades from Lowell Larimer Road near Snohomish Sunday afternoon on March 3, 2019. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Everett area

• Cruise Colby Avenue on a Sunday morning. It’s sleepy — until you get close to Funko.

• Lowell Larimer Road and Lowell Snohomish River Road.

• Homeacres Road. See homes on stilts but also some detour options when there are issues with the U.S. 2 trestle.

• Mukilteo Boulevard past Forest Park and into Old Town Mukilteo.

Lake Stevens/Marysville/Tulalip

• Sunnyside Boulevard. There are some neat homes with a sense of rural privacy.

• Highway 529, and then State Avenue until it turns into Smokey Point Boulevard and ends at Highway 530. A broad sweep with a lot of shops.

• Marine Drive through Tulalip, past Kayak Point and Warm Beach and into Stanwood.

Trumpeter swans take advantage of fallow fields along the Pioneer Highway near Stanwood.

Farther north

• Pioneer Highway from Island Crossing (I-5) to Stanwood (and maybe on to Conway). You’re almost guaranteed a picturesque scene involving hype birds and someone in waders. (My editors asked me to define hype. It means cool, snazzy, groovy, the bee’s knees to us Millennials.)

• Stanwood-Bryant Road (with snacks at the Bryant General Store).

• Arlington to Darrington, and perhaps Rockport.

• Highway 532 to Camano Island, which has beautiful state parks.

Bikers trek the scenic hills and turns of Jordan Road outside Arlington Sunday afternoon on March 3, 2019. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

East of the U.S. 2 trestle

• Jordan Road. Stop and see River Meadows Park and the Jordan Bridge.

• Machias Road. Toodle around.

• The Mountain Loop Highway — but be warned the road can be rough. But those trees! Just plan ahead for your vehicle type and where you can turn around.

• Old Snohomish Monroe Road.

• Sultan Basin Road and check out Spada Lake (but check for closures, especially in winter).

To the south

• Ferry ride out of Edmonds or Mukilteo.

• Olympic View Drive. Perfect for dreaming of post-lottery days.

• Go to Maltby. Take in the historic barns, ice cream shop and the famous cafe.

Too obvs:

Some readers noticed we didn’t mention the lengths of I-5, U.S. 2, Highway 9 and Highway 99. We thought it might be a little on-the-nose. And yes, there were some jokes about being stuck somewhere for eternity at 4:30 p.m. on a weekday. We got it.

That oughta cover it.

But … some more suggestions from the newsroom, Herald alums and readers:

Dubuque Road and on to Lake Roesiger, Fire Trail Road (which has multiple names), Robe Menzel/Menzel Lake roads (where I once saw a dog dyed in Seahawks colors) and Woods Creek Road.

Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @rikkiking.