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When you live in Washington, you take a thousand photos of the surrounding beauty. The mountains! The sunsets! The cherry blossoms! But when we sat down to make our bucket list for the state—including what you must see, learn, and eat—we realized that there are a few iconic photographs that must be captured.
Skagit Valley Tulips
Mount Vernon
Thanks to a farm built by Dutch immigrant William Roozen, a valley north of Seattle has become synonymous with the tulip, and its annual April festival. Classic shots catch tidy rows of colorful flowers, best taken from the muddy nooks the farmers carve into their crop.
Rialto Beach and Hole-in-the-Wall
Forks
This natural arch formed by waves is almost two miles up an Olympic National Park beach, framing the signature sea stacks of the northern Washington coast. The arch is best captured at low tide, when tide pool puddles form around the rock.
Downtown from Kerry Park
Seattle
It’s the classic: Space Needle, Climate Pledge roof, and Elliott Bay, all in one tidy horizontal photo from a paved viewpoint on Queen Anne Hill. The lumber magnate it’s named for lived nearby on Highland Drive, with similarly great views.
Columbia River Gorge Arrowleaf Balsamroot
Maryhill
In spring, the yellow flowers carpet the grasslands of Washington like mini sunflowers (and in fact the wildflower is related). Columbia Hills State Park in the Gorge is particularly famed for its big swaths of gold.
Deception Pass Bridge
Oak Harbor
The draw is two bridgespans, actually, finished in 1935 to link Whidbey Island to the mainland. Though open to pedestrians (don’t look down), it’s best shot from below: The vantage from North Beach in Deception Pass State Park catches the steel arches from sea level.
Rainier from an Airplane Window
The Air
Squashing one’s face and phone up to the scratched surface of a 737 window is a rite of passage, even if few of the resulting photos are frame-worthy. Nothing beats a view of Mount Rainier’s summit crater from above.
