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.
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