Jesse Miller and his daughter Roselyn Hunt, 6, browse the banks of the South Fork Stillaguamish River off Jordan Road outside Arlington for gems and other precious medals. Miller, an amateur prospector, says, “There’s gold in dem dar hills.” Sunday afternoon on March 3, 2019. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Jesse Miller and his daughter Roselyn Hunt, 6, browse the banks of the South Fork Stillaguamish River off Jordan Road outside Arlington for gems and other precious medals. Miller, an amateur prospector, says, “There’s gold in dem dar hills.” Sunday afternoon on March 3, 2019. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Getting to know Snohomish County? Here are 19 scenic drives

There’s a lot beyond that worn-out stretch of I-5. We compiled this list of essential routes.

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)

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.

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)

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.

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