Seattle Day Trip to Jetty Island

Yesterday my friend Carol and I escaped the sultry 90+ degree heat in Seattle and sat on the beach at Jetty Island in Everett.  This was an adventure of sorts, since neither of us had ever been there before.  Jetty Island is a manmade jetty, just three minutes by a little passenger ferry across the channel from the Port of Everett.  In the summer, the port runs a free 60-passenger ferry to the island.  Everett residents can make advance reservations to secure a place on the boat, but since we were not able to make reservations, Carol and I arrived early and got seats on the first crossing of the day.

The 2-mile long jetty offers plenty of sandy beach, and yesterday’s mid-day low tide exposed even more sand.  Kids and families in neon-colored bathing suits toted equally colorful shovels and buckets for a day of play on the beach.  Running was the order of the day — kids scampered from place to place — it was rare to see a child walking.  The cool breeze and salty air were refreshing antidotes to the heat of the city.

It’s no wonder that Jetty Island was the winner of the 2013 Red Tricycle Totally Awesome Award for Best Family Escape and Getaway.  Visiting Jetty Island had long been on my Summer To-Do List, and we picked a perfect day to discover this unusual place.