Everett has more public shoreline than any other city in Snohomish County, and most of it is park. That is why families drive in from Lake Stevens, Marysville and Mill Creek for their photos: along one short stretch of waterfront you get a forested bluff with a view of Hat Island, a driftwood beach, a steel pedestrian bridge, a working marina full of masts and, for a few weeks each summer, a real sand beach on Jetty Island. Add Forest Park for deep evergreen shade and you can match a location to the season, the forecast and the ages in your family without leaving the city.
We keep coming back to the same seven places. Below is what each one is like to photograph: where the light falls, which season suits it, where to park, and what to know if you are bringing a stroller, a grandparent or a toddler who has just learned to run. Every location is a City of Everett or Port of Everett property with published hours and rules, so we checked those too. If you are choosing a spot for a family session, start here.
Howarth Park and Harborview Park
Howarth Park (1127 Olympic Blvd) is the Everett location we would keep if we could keep only one. It is a forested bluff above Possession Sound with a viewpoint out to Hat Island and a beach below, which means three backdrops in one park: evergreens and ferns on the upper trails, open water from the bluff, and driftwood and sand at the bottom. The beach is reached at the north end by a footbridge over the railroad tracks and then a staircase, so it is not a stroller route. The north beach is also an unfenced off-leash dog area. For families with small children we use the south beach, where dogs stay on leash, and we head down early so nobody is hurrying on the stairs at sunset.
Light: the beach faces west, so from May through September the last hour before sunset lights the water and the faces at the same time. The upper trails are shaded all day and work in any weather, which makes Howarth our rain-plan park as well. Season: any, with October color on the upper trails as a bonus. Parking: three separate lots with their own entrances; the lower lot is the one for the beach bridge. Hours: 6 a.m. to dusk, and the city notes that paths may close for maintenance.
Harborview Park (1621 Mukilteo Blvd), a short drive south, is the calm alternative. It is eight acres of lawn on the bluff with picnic tables, short trails and a viewpoint, and the whole park faces north across Possession Sound. There is no beach to climb down to, which is exactly the point: a family of five with a two-year-old can get out of the car and be in the frame within a minute. Light: the lawn faces north, so a summer sunset drops to your left over the water and the light stays soft and side-lit. Season: summer evenings, and clear winter afternoons when the mountains show. Parking: a small lot at the park itself, so arrive a few minutes early on a warm evening. Hours: 6 a.m. to dusk.
Grand Avenue Park and the Grand Avenue Park Bridge
Grand Avenue Park (1800 Grand Ave) is a five-acre strip of bluff in north Everett with a landscaped, paved trail, benches and a sweeping view of Port Gardner and the port below. On its own it is an easy location: flat, paved, stroller and wheelchair friendly, with water behind every frame. What makes it special is the Grand Avenue Park Bridge at the north end near 16th Street: a long steel pedestrian bridge that carries you over the railroad tracks and Marine View Drive down to the waterfront, open to foot and bike traffic and ADA accessible. The bridge deck is a completely different look, all steel, rivets and long lines with the harbor behind, and at the bottom you are on the marina side with the boats.
Light: the bluff faces west, so this is a sunset location from spring through fall. The bridge is open on all sides and gets lovely low side light in the last half hour; at midday it is harsh. Season: year-round, and the winter view with snow on the Olympics is the best of the year. Parking: on-street along Grand Avenue, a residential street, so park considerately and leave driveways clear. Hours: 6 a.m. to dusk for the park.
Forest Park
Forest Park (802 E. Mukilteo Blvd) is what the city calls Everett's sprawling wooded wonderland, and it is the location we suggest when the forecast says bright sun at 4 p.m., or when a family wants trees rather than water. Tall evergreens, a network of trails, a playground, a picnic shelter and Floral Hall are all inside the park, and the canopy acts as a giant diffuser, so the light under the trees is even all afternoon.
Light: overcast days and bright midday both work under the trees; the open lawn near the halls is the spot for the last hour of sun. Season: spring for fresh green, October for color along the trails. The water playground runs from late May to mid-September and draws a crowd around it at midday, so on summer days we stay on the trails. Parking: lots inside the park off Mukilteo Boulevard. Hours: 6 a.m. to dusk.
Legion Memorial Park and the Evergreen Arboretum
Legion Memorial Park (145 Alverson Blvd) sits on the bluff at the north end of the city beside the golf course, and the view from the top is the full panorama: the working waterfront, Hat Island, Whidbey and Camano. The beach below was once Hibulb Village, the Snohomish people's primary winter home, a history the city notes on its own page. For photos, the park offers three things: a wide lawn under mature trees, the bluff viewpoint, and the Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens, a planted garden with a gazebo and beds that bloom from spring into fall.
Light: the bluff faces west, so sunset again; the arboretum is best in late afternoon when the beds are lit from the side, or on a soft overcast day. Season: spring and early summer for the garden, October for color, any clear evening for the view. Parking: the city describes parking at the arboretum as limited and encourages carpooling, so weekday evenings are easier than Saturday afternoons. Two notes: the arboretum stays open to the public even when a private event has reserved it, and the city warns that stray golf balls can clear the fence, so we keep families away from the golf course edge. Hours: 6 a.m. to dusk.
The Everett Waterfront and Marina
The Port of Everett's Waterfront Place is the urban entry on this list: the marina esplanade, Boxcar Park with the historic Weyerhaeuser building, Pacific Rim Plaza and the walkways along the docks. Masts, ropes, weathered pilings and the mountains behind. It is where we send families with teenagers who would rather not stand in a meadow, and it pairs naturally with the Grand Avenue bridge, since the bridge lands on port property.
Light: the marina faces west across Port Gardner toward Whidbey Island, so the last hour before sunset is the reason to come. It also works on grey winter afternoons, when the water turns silver and the boats supply the color. Season: year-round; bring a layer in any month. Parking: the port manages visitor parking in the waterfront lots and posts the current rules on its website. It also hosts more than 75 events a year, so we check the port calendar before booking a summer weekend down there.
Jetty Island (Summer Only)
Jetty Island is the one Everett location with a real sand beach, warm shallow water and dune grass, and it is reached only by the Port of Everett's passenger ferry from Jetty Landing at 10th Street and West Marine View Drive. The 2026 ferry season ran July 8 through September 6, Wednesday through Sunday, with reservations required, and the last boats return before sunset. A Jetty session is therefore a late-afternoon session, and that works: the beach is wide open, the light bounces off sand and water, and in July the sun is still warm at 4 p.m.
Light: late afternoon, sun over the water to the west. Season: high summer only; check the port's page for next year's dates and reserve the ferry as soon as bookings open. Practical: no pets, strollers and other wheeled items are limited to five per crossing, and there is no shade, so bring hats and water. Parking: at Jetty Landing, booked together with the ferry reservation.
Park Hours, Permits and the Best Time of Day
Every City of Everett park on this list is open from 6 a.m. to dusk. In practice that means a summer sunset session ends right as the park does, and a winter session at Howarth needs to be off the beach stairs well before 5 p.m.
The city's film and photography permit page says a permit is required for filming or photography in a City of Everett park beyond personal use, and it describes a roving permit for small productions: five or fewer people on site, one camera, outdoors only, no lights, cables or generators, and no interruption to other park users or public parking. A family session with us is one photographer, one camera and nothing set up on the ground, which is the footprint that permit describes. Ask us when you book and we will sort out any paperwork with the city before your date.
Time of day: from May through September we schedule waterfront sessions for the last 60 to 90 minutes before sunset. From November through March, the soft overcast light at 2 or 3 p.m. often beats the short winter sunset, and the parks are empty. Book portrait sessions 4 to 6 weeks ahead; fall weekends go first. Galleries are delivered within 3 weeks, with a sneak peek within 48 hours.
Ready to Plan Your Session
Family sessions start at $450 for the Private Hour, with Classic at $550 and Signature at $650; every price is on our pricing page. Torn between two spots? Tell us the ages in your family and the month, and we will pick for you. For more on how we work in the city, see our Everett photographer page. North of the river, our Marysville family photo locations guide covers Jennings Memorial Park and Ebey Waterfront, and the Lake Stevens guide has the lakeside spots. For outfits, earth tones and muted blues suit the water, and deeper greens and cream suit the trees at Forest Park; our what to wear guide goes season by season.
Ready to book? Check your date, text (708) 677-7136 or email sunny@sunnytproductions.com. We reply within the hour, 7 days a week.