Little Mountain Park, Mount Vernon

Length: Several miles.

Level of difficulty: Flat-to-moderately steep dirt/gravel trails (paved path at main parking lot to toilet and roofed overlook).

Setting: Mount Vernon has a lot to offer apart from tulip season, including its very own little mountain just to the southeast of town. The 1.5-mile road through the park climbs more than 900 feet amid a forest of fir and cedar to reach a picnic area and overlook. Views from the top are stupendous, offering vistas to the south and west of the Olympic Mountains, Puget Sound and Whidbey and the San Juan Islands. Trailheads are located at turnouts along the road to the top, which offer a few parking spots. At the top there's a large parking lot, and you can access numerous trails behind the cell-tower compound.

Highlights: The blooming tulip fields (in April, usually) only increase the splendor of this view, with rectangles of vivid color pieced together with the brown of dormant farmland to create a natural patchwork quilt. From the 480-acre park's lofty viewpoint, I-5 is reduced to a tiny faraway ribbon, its noise a distant sound, and the Skagit River snakes through the scene on its way southwest to the Sound. Bring a picnic — you'll want to sit and stare at the scenery for a while after working up an appetite on the trails.

Facilities: Accessible vault toilet at viewpoint.

Restrictions: Leash and scoop laws in effect. Trails are marked for use by hikers or mountain bikes. Watch the kids near the few dropoffs on the mountaintop trails.

Directions: From Interstate 5, take Exit 225, and at the end of the exit ramp, head east on Anderson Road. Immediately take the first left onto Cedarvale Road (this access road parallels the east side of I-5). Turn right on Blackburn Road, and in just over a mile, turn right on Little Mountain Road, and then take the next right into the park.

For more information: 360-336-6215 or www.ci.mount-vernon.wa.us

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