Things to Photograph in Washington Before You Die (or Leave)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.