Where and When to See Stunning Flowers and Wildflowers Near Seattle
In this post: 20+ places to see beautiful flowers and wildflowers near Seattle, ranging from botanical gardens to alpine hikes, plus tips for when to visit and how to hike responsibly.
Updated February 28, 2023
It’s hard to beat spring and summer in the Pacific Northwest. The days get longer, the rain slows down, and there are tons of gorgeous flowers and wildflowers to enjoy. Whether it’s close to Seattle or out on a mountainous hike, we love seeking out all of the best flower-viewing spots. Below you’ll find some of our favorite locations, including a range of difficulties and many different types of flowers, plus guidance on when to visit.
When is the Best Time to See Flowers and Wildflowers Near Seattle?
That depends on the type of flower and the location! Elevation and the climate make a big difference in terms of when things bloom. But that’s great, because it means you can hop around and enjoy flowers all the way from March through August!
We’ve included the timing of our past visits below to serve as a guide, but know that this can vary by a few weeks from year to year. You can easily check trip reports on WTA.org and other online resources to find the most up-to-date information before you head out.
Wildflower Hiking Etiquette
When you see such a gorgeous field of wildflowers, it’s normal to want to capture that perfect photo. You’re just one person, right? Wrong! Remember that these locations are visited by thousands and thousands of people every season, and every action (no matter how small) adds up. Do your absolute best to leave no trace and preserve these gorgeous flowers for others to enjoy for years to come.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Do not park illegally at trailheads – consider visiting at an off time to avoid crowds when possible
- Do not pick the flowers
- Always stay on trail
- Do not walk, sit, lay, or stand in the wildflowers
- Do not set up camp on meadows or wildflowers – use established campsites only
- Pack out all of your trash, and pick up any trash you find from others if you’re able
Our Favorite Types of Wildflowers Found in Washington
There are a ton of different wildflower varieties you can enjoy in Washington state, and what you see will depends on the location and time of year. It’s been fun trying to learn the names of what we see while we’re out hiking. Below are a few of our favorite wildflower types with a photo to help you keep an eye out for them too! You’ll hear us mention these names in some of the location descriptions below.
Avalanche lily
Indian paintbrush
Western pasqueflower (aka Dr. Seuss-looking flower!)
Bear-grass
Arrowleaf balsamroot
Lupine
Where to See Flowers and Wildflowers Near Seattle
Volunteer Park Conservatory (year-round)
Distance from Seattle: Located in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood
Difficulty: easy
If you just can’t wait for spring, consider taking a visit to Volunteer Park Conservatory for some warmth and vibrancy even in the dead of winter. Explore a wide variety of plants within five tropical environments. Check their website for the most up-to-date hours and admission info.
University of Washington Cherry Blossoms (mid March – early April)
Distance from Seattle: 10 minutes from downtown
Difficulty: easy
There are tons of beautiful cherry blossom trees all around the quad at the University of Washington. It can get extremely crowded, so consider an early morning or weekday visit for a more peaceful experience. You can follow the UW cherry blossom twitter account for updates on the bloom timing.
Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden (mid March – May)
Distance from Seattle: 30 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Take a walk through an enchanting Pacific Northwest forest bursting with colorful, rare, and interesting plants, including the largest collection of Rhododendron species in the world! Allow yourself plenty of time to explore the 22-acre woodland garden and conservatory. Check out the garden’s website for detailed information on what blooms when, as well as their operating days and hours. Admission is $8 and well worth it! This is a place we’d like to visit time and time again, as no two visits will be the same with new things blooming every day.
Skagit Valley Daffodils and Tulips (late March – late April)
Distance from Seattle: 1 hour 15 minutes
Difficulty: easy
This is one of our favorite springtime traditions! The daffodils bloom in the Skagit Valley first and provide a less crowded time to visit in late March / early April. The tulip festival runs throughout April. You can read all of our advice for planning a visit here, including tips for avoiding the crowds and how to know when the flowers are blooming.
Columbia River Gorge (mid April)
Distance from Seattle: 4 hours
Difficulty: varies depending on hike choice
The Columbia River Gorge is an absolutely gorgeous spring destination with more sunshine than you’ll typically find in the Seattle area this time of year. The hillsides are bursting with bright and cheery balsamroot flowers and you have many different hike options to choose from, ranging from easy to more difficult. You can read all about planning a trip to the Columbia River Gorge and the fun Hood River area here.
Wenatchee Wildflowers (early May)
Distance from Seattle: 2.5 hours
Difficulty: varies depending on hike choice
Wenatchee is an awesome destination with the same balsamroot and lupine flowers found in the Columbia River Gorge, but a little closer to Seattle. We really enjoyed eating, drinking, and hiking our way around the area, and wrote all about our experience here.
Washington Park Arboretum Azaleas (mid May)
Distance from Seattle: 15 minutes from downtown
Difficulty: easy
If you want to be totally blown away by the most incredible display of azaleas, look no further than the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle! We were shocked how tall and dense the flowers were. We visited on May 11 when they were in peak bloom, but there are many types of flowers to be enjoyed at the Arboretum all throughout the spring and summer. Highly recommend coming back in the fall for some gorgeous color as well.
Bellevue Botanical Garden (starting in May)
Distance from Seattle: 15 minutes
Difficulty: easy
The Bellevue Botanical Garden is another great spot for a wide variety of flowers all summer long. The best part? It’s free to visit, unlike many other botanical gardens!
Van Lierop Park in Puyallup (mid May-June)
Distance from Seattle: 40 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Although you really can’t classify this as a hike, Van Lierop Park in Puyallup takes the prize for the largest area and concentration of Lupine we’ve ever seen! Stroll along a paved path and enjoy the sea of purple that seems to stretch on forever. This is a great accessible option for folks who aren’t able to get out on more challenging terrain.
Evans Creek Preserve in Redmond (late May)
Distance from Seattle: 30 minutes
Difficulty: easy
This has to be one of the best kept secrets for viewing wildflowers near Seattle. This unassuming park in Redmond has a field of lupine flowers that are absolutely beautiful! We visited on a drizzly morning and had the field all to ourselves.
Chelan Lakeshore Trail (early June)
Distance from Seattle: 3-3.5 hours from Seattle plus a ferry ride
Difficulty: difficult day hike, moderate backpack
The Chelan Lakeshore Trail is an awesome early-season backpack for anyone who’s willing to do a little advanced planning for an incredible adventure. Board a ferry in Chelan or Field’s Point, disembark at Prince Creek, and then hike 17 miles one-way into the remote town of Stehekin (we backpacked and stayed overnight at Moore Point about halfway through). All along the way you’ll enjoy lush Lupine if you time your visit right, plus stunning views of the lake and surrounding peaks.
Discovery Park (June)
Distance from Seattle: Located in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood
Difficulty: easy
Discovery Park is the largest park in Seattle at 534 acres with multiple hiking trails and beautiful views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains on a clear day. While you won’t find as high concentration of wildflowers here as you will on some of the other trails, it’s worth mentioning simply because it’s right in Seattle and thus very convenient if you’d like to see Lupine! Plus, we were pleasantly surprised to find pink and white varieties in addition to the much more common purple colored Lupine.
Tubal Cain Mine to Buckhorn Lake (early July)
Distance from Seattle: 3-3.5 hours
Difficulty: moderate
We did the Tubal Cain Mine to Buckhorn Lake trail in early July as a backpack and loved the uniqueness of being surrounded by rhododendrons for the first few miles. Plus, you’ll get to enjoy a beautiful turquoise lake and can even take a side trip to check out the remnants of an old plane crash.
Ebey’s Landing – Whidbey Island (July)
Distance from Seattle: 1 hour 45 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
Ebey’s Landing is a gorgeous hike on Whidbey Island that you can enjoy any time of year, but visit in July and you’ll have the added bonus of flowers galore. The full hike is 5.6 miles, but you’ll see the flowers much earlier than that and can turn around at any time. You can easily make your visit a full-day outing by checking out some of the island’s cute towns and wineries.
Thorp Mountain Lookout (July)
Distance from Seattle: 2 hours
Difficulty: moderate
Hike to a lookout in the Salmon la Sac region east of the Cascade Mountains and enjoy wildflowers all along the way. You can do this hike starting from two different places — via Knox Creek or via Thorp Creek. The Knox Creek option is shorter and steeper, but typically less busy.
Kelly Butte (July)
Distance from Seattle: 2 hours
Difficulty: moderate
Kelly Butte is a short but relatively steep hike up to a lookout tower northeast of Mount Rainier National Park. It clocks in at 3.4 miles roundtrip and 1,100 feet of elevation gain, but the dense sections of bear-grass will help distract you as you make your way to the top!
Granite Mountain (mid July)
Distance from Seattle: 45 minutes
Difficulty: difficult
Granite Mountain is a thigh-burner located in the Snoqualmie Pass area just 45 minutes east of Seattle. As you make your way to the lookout tower, you’ll find a lot of bear-grass flowers to help distract from the difficulty of the hike!
Johnston Ridge Observatory (mid July)
Distance from Seattle: 3 hours
Difficulty: varies depending on hike choice
Johnston Ridge Observatory is worth a visit with or without wildflowers, but if you can time your visit to enjoy some added beauty – why not?! The observatory offers incredible views of Mount St. Helens and interpretive information about the mountain and its most recent eruption. You can take a short and easy stroll right around the observatory and see plenty of flowers, or check out one of the more extensive hiking trails in the area.
Pelindaba Lavender Farm – San Juan Island (July – August)
Distance from Seattle: 3.5 hours (ferry ride required)
Difficulty: easy
Pelindaba Lavender Farm is a fun, free, and unique way to enjoy a gorgeous field of flowers. Getting to San Juan Island requires a bit of a longer journey, including a ferry ride, so we suggest making a weekend of your visit. You can learn more about visiting the lavender farm here.
Mount Rainier National Park (late July – August)
Distance from Seattle: 2.5 hours
Difficulty: varies depending on hike choice
There aren’t enough words to describe the magic of Mount Rainier National Park in the summer. We’re fortunate to live close enough for a day trip, but you could easily stay for a week or more! If you want to camp, be sure to lock down your reservations plenty early. You can learn more about wildflowers here from Visit Rainier, including their top 10 suggested wildflower hikes. Some of our favorite wildflower hikes in the Mount Rainier area so far include Summit Lake, Skyline Trail Loop at Paradise, and Sheep and Crystal Lakes.
Skyline Divide – Mount Baker Area (August)
Distance from Seattle: 2.5 hours
Difficulty: moderate
Skyline Divide in the Mount Baker Area of the North Cascades may just take the cake for our favorite wildflower hike ever. We did this one as an overnight backpacking trip, which allowed us to enjoy a long, relaxing afternoon followed by an incredible sunset. Although WTA lists 9 miles roundtrip, you can drop off your pack and set up camp after only about 2 miles and continue on as a day hike from there with a lighter load. This hike is very popular and gets quite busy, so we highly recommend starting as early as possible. And remember, don’t ever set up camp on meadows or flowers, even if you see other people doing it. Only use established campsites to preserve this fragile ecosystem.
Snowgrass Flats and Goat Lake Loop – Goat Rocks Wilderness (late August)
Distance from Seattle: 3 hours
Difficulty: challenging
Despite some extremely windy conditions on our first day, we enjoyed some gorgeous wildflowers and views of Mt. Adams on our overnight backpack trip to Snowgrass Flats and Goat Lake. You can hike a few different routes in this area, but we enjoyed the loop for changing scenery all throughout both days.
What are your favorite places to see flowers and wildflowers near Seattle? Let us know in the comments! And we’d love to hear from you if you plan a visit inspired by this post! Connect with us on Instagram.
