
Snohomish Tree Tour

Trees matter
People have always needed trees. We need trees for shelter, for fire, for shade. We need trees to breathe and be fed. We always will need trees.

Trees teach us
Trees teach us about our own human condition; about birth and death and rebirth. Trees are miracles of engineering, chemistry and faith.

We love trees
We picnic by trees. We walk along streets with trees. We plant trees in our parks and on our properties. We take photos of trees. Kids climb trees. We simply love trees. And we hope that you love trees too.
2022 Snohomish Fall Tree Tour Details
Celebrate glorious autumn with a guided walking tour featuring our beautiful Snohomish heritage trees. The maximum group size will be 12 people, so space is limited. FIRST COME FIRST SERVED. We plan to have three guides with participants of up to 12 each per tour start time.
When
Saturday, October 15, 2022
First tour at 11 am
Second tour at 1 pm
Tours start promptly!
Where
105 Cedar Ave
Snohomish, WA 98290-2930,
We will meet in front of the newly renovated Carnegie Building.
Details
There is no charge to participate, though a $5 donation is appreciated (brochure printing). Stroll through our lovely historic district with a knowledgeable guide leading the way. The walking tour takes about two hours and is suitable for reasonable fitness levels.
For more information, contact Don Dillinger at (425) 422 1306. don.dillinger@comcast.net.
City of Snohomish
The Snohomish Tree Tour takes place in the small city of Snohomish Washington, known for its collection of antique shops and historic homes.
Celebrate Autumn with a guided walking tour of our beautiful City of Snohomish heritage trees through the Historic District!
There is no charge to participate, though a $5 donation is appreciated which will go towards the cost of brochures.
The Tour takes about two hours. Brochures are available in case you want to take the tour on your own, later. Slower walkers can be accommodated, suitable for all fitness levels.
Snohomish is about 45 minutes north of downtown Seattle Washington.
Tree Tour route
Download the Walking Guide
We would like to recognize the following individuals for their
contribution to the Trees of Historic Snohomish Walking Guide:
- Gary Ferguson
- John First
- Ann Stanton
- Lya Badgley
- Diane Brooks
“The wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
A brief history of Snohomish

Learn more about Pilchuck Julia
Long before Europeans arrived, Native American tribes — the Snohomish, Stillaguamish, Snoqualm- ie, Skykomish, and Pilchuck — inhabited this area.
The native peoples lived in family groups in cedar long houses, and moved up and down the rivers from ocean to mountains in hand-hewn dugout canoes. They had a highly developed culture based on fishing for salmon and foraging for other foods found naturally in the densely forested land.
This great natural wealth also attracted the first Europeans. In 1855, entrepreneur E.C. Ferguson persuaded three of his friends — E.T. Cady, E.H. Tucker and H. Barne — to lay claim to property along the river.
Their reasoning was to take advantage of a proposed military road, to run from Steilacoom to Bellingham. The road never materialized, but the town of Snohomish was born.
Tree Tour Videos
Introduction # 1
Meet your guide, John First, and learn about the Snohomish Tree Tour.
Stop # 2 – Carnegie Library
Learn about the three towering trees planted near the recently restored Snohomish Carnegie Library, at the corner of 1st and Cedar streets.
Stop # 3 – Pin Oak
Travel to the Snohomish City Hall, 116 Union Ave, and hear about the two large Pin Oaks nearby.
Stop # 4 – Deodar Cedar
Up at the top of the hill in Snohomish, at 220 Union Ave, learn about the magnificent true cedar, the Deodar Cedar tree.
Stop # 5 – Cherry
On the west side of the yard behind a white picket fence. A magnificent large, twisted trunk on this cherry tree.
Stop # 8 – Camperdown Elm
Contorted branches and weeping canopy. Best viewed in winter, when its leaves don’t obscure the branches.
Stop # 9 – Sassafras tree
Varying leaf shapes, with an excellent orange-to-scarlet fall color. Bark of the roots is sometimes used to make tea.
Stop # 10 – Japanese Walnut
“Champion Trees of Washington State” by Robert Van Pelt, which documents the largest known examples of species, credits this tree for featuring the “largest crown”.
Stop # 11 – Chinese Chestnut
This outstanding chestnut also is included in “Champion Trees of Washington State”. Large edible nuts are enclosed in a prickly burr. Mr. Hendrie, one of the town’s first druggists, brought the tree here as a seedling from this native New England.
Stop # 13 – Shagbark Hickory
Mature Shagbarks feature a trademark shaggy bark. They can reach 90 feet in height and live up to 200 years. Shagbarks bear leaves up to two-feet long and edible nuts with an excellent flavor.
Stop # 14 & # 15 – American Elm and Common Horse Chestnut
There are several large examples of American Elms at this stop. The Horse Chestnut trees have large masses of white flowers with pink markings.
Stop # 19 – California Bay / Oregon Myrtle
An unusually large specimen with powerful aromatic leaves which, when crushed, may be used as a more potent substitute for bay leaves in cooking.
Stop # 22 – Saucer Magnolia
This lovely shaped Magnolia tree has white and purple tulip-like flowers in April.
Stop # 23 – London Plane Tree
This large tree has peeling, cream colored bark is a noticeable characteristic of plane trees.
Stop # 24 – Sourwood Tree
Featuring unbelievably brilliant, scarlet fall color, Sourwoods and a native under-story tree in pine forests of the southeastern United States.
Stop # 25 – Japanese Maple
This is a beautiful, mature example of the popular Japanese Maple tree.
Stop # 26 – 1314 3rd Street
Franklin Tree – This oddly-shaped specimen of the rare Franklin produces large, white, fragrant camellia-like flowers, and in the fall features beautiful scarlet and orange foliage.
Monkey Puzzle Tree – The Monkey Puzzle Tree, an arboreal oddity, is native to Chile.
Kousa Dogwood – Has white flowers in spring, followed by bright red fruit that hang from branches like strawberries; striking exfoliating bark; yellow to scarlet fall color.
Stop # 27 – Gingko Tree
Gingkos survived to present day only in China, but they once had a wide range. Petrified gingko forests are found in eastern Washington.
Stop # 28 – Sugar Maple
This maple was planted in the early 1900s by Robert Hazeltine, the town’s first mailman. It came from a tree in the Hazeltines’ hometown in Whitehall, Mich., and served as a memory of their roots.
Stop # 29 – Big Leaf Maple
This is a wonderful example of Washington State’s large, native maple.