The Highs and Lows of Snohomish County

By Perry Mack

It seems like Snohomish County, WA was designed with active RVers in mind. The landscape covers everything from saltwater beaches to rolling hills to alpine wilderness and of course the gorgeous Cascade Mountains in the eastern part of the county. There’s a plethora of RV parks to choose from and unique attractions and outdoor activities to keep you busy.

Washington State has an extensive aviation history so it’s no wonder that aviation attractions abound. They’re all located at Paine Field near Everett, WA.  On Saturday “Fly Days,” many of the vintage aircraft from Flying Heritage and Historic Flight take to the skies to delight visitors in a free air show! The Future of Flight Aviation Center has interactive displays & hands-on exhibits which demystify the marvel of commercial jet aviation. Make sure you take the Boeing Tour, which is the only tour of a commercial jet assembly plant in North America. Here you can see the famous 787 Dreamliners being built.

The  Flying Heritage Collection is the rare collection of Paul G. Allen planes including the historic 1935-1945 combat aircraft from the U.S., Britain, Germany, Russia and Japan. It’s the “Home of Flying Warbirds” in which all the aircraft have been authentically restored, many to flying condition! In the Historic Flight Restoration Center you’ll see the rare collection of John T. Sessions including the most important aircraft produced from 1927 – 1957, all fully restored to flying condition. Finally there’s the Museum of Flight Restoration Center

where you can witness the restoration of vintage aircraft in progress, including a 1933 Boeing 247D, the world’s first modern passenger airliner, and de Havilland Comet, the world’s first passenger jet.

And once you’re done being inside its time to explore the great outdoors.  Stop at Jetty Island and enjoy the sandy beaches, shallow warm water, walking trails, excellent bird-watching and kite-boarding; take the free ferry shuttle from the Port of Everett marina to the Tulalip Resort Casino and see if Lady Luck is on your side.

After all those aviation attractions, you’ll no doubt have the urge to take to the skies yourself!  There are hot air ballooning, skydiving, glider, plane and helicopter rides at Harvey Airfield, Snohomish. Or travel the opposite direction by scuba diving in Puget Sound, especially at the Edmonds Underwater Park created in 1970 with sunken vessels.

But if these two ‘extremes’ are too extreme then there’s always kayaking, canoeing and boating in Puget Sound and Snohomish River Estuary (“Everett Everglades”) or river rafting and float trips on the Skykomish, Snohomish, Sauk, and Stillaguamish Rivers.

For the land lovers there’s awe inspiring hiking, mountain climbing, and rock climbing in the Cascade Mountains with waterfall viewing at 21 photogenic locations.

For active RVers, Snohomish County is a ‘must visit’ destination where everyone in your group will indulge their passions. Fasten your seatbelts, put your seat and tray table in the upright position, and take off to enjoy the highs and lows of Snohomish County.