5 Photogenic Places in Seattle NorthCountry
When you go somewhere new you want to show off where you’ve been and how rad it was.
When you visit Seattle NorthCountry you’re in luck – there's no shortage of eye-catching features for the would-be photographer. We have everything from coniferous forests to sunsets splashed across mountain peaks; from boats bobbing in the marina to urban cityscapes filled with diverse peoples.
It’s best to take only photos, anyways. In this neck of the woods we tread lighttly and make every effort to leave no trace. What follows are five failproof, relatively easy to access locations for getting the snaps that will get the likes on social media.
A word about geotagging. Before you “check in” on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, make sure that the spot you’re in isn’t sensitive. Is it a designated hiking trail or have you gone into the woods? Please consider the moral implications of “blowing up” nature – sometimes it’s just better to give the land a rest, you know? If geotag you must, consider using a vague tag like “Snohomish County” or “Washington State” to protect the innocent, so to speak.
Thanks for helping to keep our beautiful places beautiful.
![](https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Mukilteo-Lighthouse-1920-x-1080.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=a43fd8492f91d918ff32f35b13e3bd5c 320w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Mukilteo-Lighthouse-1920-x-1080.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=6f90c352204b51ef6c45564d70a25f30 540w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Mukilteo-Lighthouse-1920-x-1080.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=a82b70df01fc2a0f7e588e1c827b8a49 768w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Mukilteo-Lighthouse-1920-x-1080.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=62f7881e1f599e57ffb1d1054d83920e 1024w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Mukilteo-Lighthouse-1920-x-1080.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=1685c56bde377b063c91680c4acbcbd2 1200w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Mukilteo-Lighthouse-1920-x-1080.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=4b52fce7be6f5175302e15e046b85891 1440w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Mukilteo-Lighthouse-1920-x-1080.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=7d7f49b1fe566be2298619a7d96ddbf1 1920w)
Mukilteo Lighthouse Beach
The photos practically take themselves here, yet you’d be remiss to not slip into a shot or two for the ideal PNW selfie. What’s in store at this public access beach? Washington State ferries pass by, crossing Puget Sound to islands beyond. A historic lighthouse commands the park. Seagrasses and driftwood frame an eastward view, making this a popular destination for folks looking to photograph a brilliantly colored sunset. Additional bonus – you can occasionally see and photograph pods of orcas travelling through their hunting grounds offshore.
![](https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Mountain-Loop-Big-Four.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=7aed0d426fd3f06c228e762aba5c40a3 320w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Mountain-Loop-Big-Four.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=86869fae7b86322e5139760eae88582e 540w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Mountain-Loop-Big-Four.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=ddda5ad27da99c8924328e03d44f72a8 768w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Mountain-Loop-Big-Four.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=8aa168d7f9611a235879680fff7bb641 1024w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Mountain-Loop-Big-Four.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=b8f554c265ee3ca7801b3de4822fb03d 1200w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Mountain-Loop-Big-Four.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=d896ecb3ce466d32e83adec6a6f590b9 1440w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Mountain-Loop-Big-Four.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=76c34e8ac6d35a1a6b26924b1093062b 1920w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Mountain-Loop-Big-Four.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=2560&s=78a15860b1c4182f8ab297a088f4e501 2560w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Mountain-Loop-Big-Four.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=3840&s=3ff019288f00f0fa54dcbbedca92ee9f 3840w)
The Mountain Loop Highway
Ok, the actual highway is pretty much hemmed in by towering conifers (c’mon, we’re called the Evergreen State) but pull of the road most anywhere and hike a mile or two and you’ll come upon vistas that are ridiculously beautiful. Think about the classic PNW landscape with rolling tree-covered foothills and the Cascade Mountains, the foreground filled with waterfalls and heather blowing in the wind. You get the idea.
Special note while photographing in the backwoods -- be smart. Every year local search and rescue has to rescue a hapless recreator who has unwittingly fallen down scree or tumbled into a ravine. Before you pop your eye into the camera’s viewfinder and get absorbed in framing the ideal shot, please double check your surroundings for potential hazards.
![](https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/201029_Seattle_NorthCountry_9806-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=f6b3032abe7d62825b757beb5747d1d3 320w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/201029_Seattle_NorthCountry_9806-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=c05e1af37fa4c6eab9cc2b3fb0f10e9d 540w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/201029_Seattle_NorthCountry_9806-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=8fc4006ce050722c3d501ffd0255b88f 768w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/201029_Seattle_NorthCountry_9806-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=4dfb928f064012a7e27b6d4a89e54a99 1024w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/201029_Seattle_NorthCountry_9806-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=8c068e5fa472ca83e9ae3ad1b009e27d 1200w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/201029_Seattle_NorthCountry_9806-medium.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=8e4a993596ae974b48ae8c2611494f25 1280w)
The Snohomish River Valley - seasonal
The Snohomish River Valley in fall burns orange with the changing of the leaves. It rustles with corn stalks in the golden autumn light. Pumpkin fields and sunflower rows make for excellent backdrops to a portrait, or can even stand on their own as a testament to the agricultural excellence of this river valley. If you want a good seasonal family picture or a smalltown, semirural Americana vibe, the working farms of Snohomish offer wholesome photo ops galore. A simple Google search will pull up several farms ripe for the picture-taking. Enjoy!
![](https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Everett-Mural-Trio-1-1920-x-1080.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=9a5ce528f412aa0a7d64ead95d38eddf 320w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Everett-Mural-Trio-1-1920-x-1080.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=805111ebadbd17ae49a6f256c2cc9bbd 540w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Everett-Mural-Trio-1-1920-x-1080.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=be05d56df264e7c73d7a0d0550e912a9 768w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Everett-Mural-Trio-1-1920-x-1080.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=ff01db192d4599b998cfd779064c06fd 1024w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Everett-Mural-Trio-1-1920-x-1080.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=ea223c489b580e171ffc736db33312e4 1200w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Everett-Mural-Trio-1-1920-x-1080.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=d6414757da50da36980931d052e73c2a 1440w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Everett-Mural-Trio-1-1920-x-1080.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=14bccb1a8ab99e7969192046c1687604 1920w)
Murals of Downtown Everett
Downtown Everett underwent a colorful renaissance during the coronavirus pandemic. Artists gathered to spruce up blank walls with brilliant colors and larger-than-life murals. Visitors won’t find it hard to discover artistic graffiti popping up in the side streets, alleys, and the exteriors of vintage buildings in this former mill town. With such colorful shapes and images readily available, just simply hoist your camera and go on a treasure hunt. Can you find them all?
![](https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Washington_credit-Seattle-NorthCountry_Gold-Bar_Wallace-Falls-State-Park_landscape.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=c2c67d8dfaad1628795394c6ef0a9e8d 320w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Washington_credit-Seattle-NorthCountry_Gold-Bar_Wallace-Falls-State-Park_landscape.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=b97c3afa4a6885a04db488bf904c2f57 540w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Washington_credit-Seattle-NorthCountry_Gold-Bar_Wallace-Falls-State-Park_landscape.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=968ee670c154c1ac644f3e6e0ecb335e 768w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Washington_credit-Seattle-NorthCountry_Gold-Bar_Wallace-Falls-State-Park_landscape.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=993ec2508a083b9bfff9f4286c572d24 1024w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Washington_credit-Seattle-NorthCountry_Gold-Bar_Wallace-Falls-State-Park_landscape.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=fdab6df83fde6063ce079240a8749bb6 1200w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Washington_credit-Seattle-NorthCountry_Gold-Bar_Wallace-Falls-State-Park_landscape.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=679b75bd9b25b191293f6e708308eb92 1440w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Washington_credit-Seattle-NorthCountry_Gold-Bar_Wallace-Falls-State-Park_landscape.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=2d797cd3f17c0b39843559ee17697292 1920w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Washington_credit-Seattle-NorthCountry_Gold-Bar_Wallace-Falls-State-Park_landscape.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=2560&s=f90561d60d0b31a0e7effde85ef0d537 2560w, https://snohomish.imgix.net/images/archive/Washington_credit-Seattle-NorthCountry_Gold-Bar_Wallace-Falls-State-Park_landscape.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=3840&s=5b7f22719a2345138ed0bff43c092c4c 3840w)
Wallace Falls
While there are countless hiking paths to choose from in Snohomish County, we recommend Wallace Falls, because it’s one of the easiest and easiest to access hikes. Also, there are several stunning views of the eponymous waterfalls, making this quite the selfie spot. Or an “us-ie” if you have a hiking buddy along for the trek.