Entry No. 56 — the Seattle file — filed under: history

Northern State Recreation Area (former asylum grounds)

This sprawling recreation area sits on the grounds of the old Northern State Hospital, a mental institution that operated from 1912 until 1973 and once ran as a self-sufficient farm colony. Wide pastoral trails wind past still-standing dairy barns and silos from that era (no entering the structures), and a separate path leads to a cemetery where an estimated 1,500 patients lie buried, the vast majority in unmarked graves with only a scattered few bearing a number and initials. The campus was laid out by the famed Olmsted Brothers, so the haunting decay is wrapped in oddly graceful landscaping.

The move: Walk the pasture trails to the old farm buildings, then visit the patient cemetery for a quietly haunting afternoon.

📍 Before you go Some buildings are still in active use and off-limits; stick to the public trails and recreation grounds.

• 📍 Sedro-Woolley, WA
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: Helmick Rd, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284

Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-24