Juanita Bay Park for Family Photo Sessions - Kirkland Family Photographer
If you live east of Seattle and you haven’t had the opportunity to visit Juanita Bay Park in Kirkland yet, you are missing out! This is one of my favorite parks on the Eastside for multiple reasons: it is beautiful, it has a lot of scene changes in one place, and it’s easily walkable for young children and adults. This park doesn’t require many special accommodations because it’s handicap friendly and very accessible. So if you are looking for a romantic, beautiful park for your next family session, Juanita Bay is an amazing choice!
Juanita bay is a beautiful park.
Situated on beautiful Lake Washington, this Kirkland park is full of lush plants and wildlife. The park has well maintained, paved walkways that meander throughout the grounds. Within the park, you will find a robust weeping willow that acts as a fun backdrop for all types of poses. There are two main boardwalks that go out onto the protected Forbes Creek estuary, as well as grassy fields. The park contains several flowering trees including cherry blossoms and magnolia trees that bloom from late April to the middle of May. In the summer, the sun moves with the trees, leading to beautiful golden pockets of light and golden skies. In the fall, the giant maples turn hues of yellow, orange, and red around the second or third week of October.
There are lot of scene changes in a small, recreational area.
What do I mean by scene changes? I mean that within this single park, there is a large, grassy field; pockets of trees for a “forest” look; an enormous weeping willow; romantic, leaf covered bridges and boardwalks; and Lake Washington. It’s hard to get bored when you’re playing in an open field, watching the water for turtles and blue herons, playing Ring Around the Rosy under the umbrella of a large tree, or playing hide and seek amongst the pockets of paper birch trees. There is something for every taste at Juanita Bay.
It’s an easily walkable park.
One of the most important things to consider when choosing a location is how much walking is involved, especially for younger children or elderly family members. Walking too much puts a strain on little feet or parent arms. If the journey takes too long, sometimes children’s attention and focus is spent long before the session should be over. My favorite part about this park is it packs in a variety of backdrops in a small area. The park is only 110 acres, compare that to our bigger local area parks like Discovery, which is over 500 acres, and it’s easy to see how easy it is to navigate around the park without tuckering out loved ones. Paved walkways make it easy to wear any shoes that are comfortable to you and your family, so if you want to wear heels, boots, or go barefoot, the world is your oyster!
For these three reasons and many more…
Juanita Bay Park in Kirkland, WA is one of my favorite parks on the Eastside for family photo sessions. Some things to consider, children can get wet and muddy if the weather has been rainy. Consider bringing a change of clothes if your session is in the winter or spring months that coordinates with your attire. High-heeled shoes can get stuck in the grassy or field areas. Consider wearing wedges or stacked heels instead. This park is pretty open with some shady areas. In the summer months, make sure that everyone is sunscreened properly so that nobody gets a sunburn. If you want more information for how to prepare for your family session, check out this post. If you would like advice on what to wear for your family session, check out my style guide blog post or sign up for my newsletter to get my freebie PDF Style Guide for Mom. For more information about preparing for your family session, check out this recent blog post. I can’t wait to see you in Kirkland for your next family photo session!
I cannot wait to show you how beautiful your family is at one of my favorite parks in the Seattle-metro area. So what are you waiting for? I cannot wait to see you in front of my lens.
xoxo, Katie