PNWSights

Photogenic Places in Seattle

6 places · Ranked by scenic score

All (46)Tacoma (3)Port Angeles (3)Leavenworth (3)Seattle (6)Astoria (3)
A glowing red-and-blue neon sign for Maximilien Restaurant hangs under Pike Place Market’s covered ceiling, with warm pendant lights, market menus, and a butcher shop sign clustered in the dim interior. The composition feels like an intimate early-morning street scene, emphasizing the market’s layered signage and old-world character.
Photogenic
56

Seattle, WA

Pike Place Market

One of the oldest continuously operated public farmers' markets in the United States, established in 1907 on Seattle's downtown waterfront. The market spans nine acres and houses over 200 year-round vendors, including fishmongers, flower sellers, and craftspeople. The iconic clock and neon sign at the corner of Pike Street and First Avenue are among the most recognized landmarks in the Pacific Northwest.

morningspring · summer
Seattle’s skyline glows at dusk from Kerry Park, with the Space Needle centered above the city lights and Elliott Bay stretching to the right. Mount Rainier appears faintly in the distance under a clear blue-to-purple evening sky.
Photogenic
52

Seattle, WA

Kerry Park

A small hilltop park on Queen Anne Hill offering an iconic panoramic view of the Seattle skyline, Mount Rainier, and Elliott Bay. The park is one of the most photographed viewpoints in the city. A sculpture called "Changing Form" by Doris Totten Chase occupies the west end of the park.

golden hourspring · summer
Gas Works Park’s rusted industrial towers and pipes sit behind a broad grassy hill, with Lake Union filling the foreground under a cloudy sky. Tiny people walking along the shoreline add scale to the wide waterfront view.
Photogenic
52

Seattle, WA

Gas Works Park

A 19.1-acre public park on the north shore of Lake Union built on the site of the former Seattle Gas Light Company gasification plant. The preserved industrial machinery creates a distinctive backdrop against the Seattle skyline. The hilltop sundial provides an elevated 360-degree viewpoint.

golden hourspring · summer
Seattle’s skyline glows across dark Puget Sound at night, with the Space Needle and clusters of downtown lights stretching low along the horizon. The ferry rail in the foreground and the black water below emphasize the wide, distant city view.
Photogenic
52

Seattle, WA

Seattle-Bainbridge Island Ferry

The 35-minute Washington State Ferries crossing between Seattle's Coleman Dock and Bainbridge Island offers moving panoramic views of the Seattle skyline, Mount Rainier, and the Olympic Mountains. The 202-foot Jumbo Mark II class ferries carry over 2,500 passengers and 202 vehicles. The route is one of the busiest ferry crossings in the United States.

golden hourspring · summer
From the rocky ledge, a turquoise lake fills the foreground below forested ridges and a broad green valley, with Mount Si-like peaks stretching across the horizon. High, rippled morning clouds spread over the scene, while rough tan rock frames the lower edge of the view.
Photogenic
52

Seattle, WA

Rattlesnake Ledge

A popular 4-mile round-trip hiking trail east of North Bend leading to a rocky ledge 1,160 feet above Rattlesnake Lake. The viewpoint offers panoramic views of the upper Snoqualmie Valley, Mount Si, and Chester Morse Lake. The trail gains approximately 1,160 feet through second-growth forest on a well-maintained path.

morningspring · summer
Inside a gallery, a large black-and-white photograph shows a person standing beside the curved glasshouse façade, with arched steel ribs and tall window panels filling the frame. To the right, a dark wall plaque titled “Glasshouse and Glasshouse Sculpture” presents exhibit text in white lettering.
Photogenic
44

Seattle, WA

Chihuly Garden and Glass

An exhibition at Seattle Center showcasing the glass artwork of Tacoma-born artist Dale Chihuly in interior galleries and an outdoor garden. The Glasshouse, a 40-foot-tall steel-and-glass structure, houses a 100-foot-long suspended sculpture. The outdoor garden displays integrate glass sculptures with native Pacific Northwest plantings.

afternoonspring · summer