Family Christmas Photos in the Snow

I read that it doesn’t snow often in Seattle, but once I realized we were a short drive from the snow, I knew that I wanted to get our first Christmas pictures as a family of four done with a snowy background. We’ve always had pictures taken on the beach or in some kind of sunny setting. So, I posted on a local mom group asking for photographer recommendations and Jacelyne from Wild Aperture Arts responded with her photography and videography company. After messaging back and forth, she told me that they had recently moved up here from Florida just a few months ago. It was a little tricky getting the littles to cooperate, especially K because she gets shy around strangers, but I love the pictures we got. And they even made a short video for us from the shoot too!

The closest snow we could find was in Snoqualmie Pass, which was about an hour away from where we are staying, but there’s a few other locations with snow around this time too, they’re just closer to 1.5-2 hours away. We weren’t in the snow long, nor were we all dressed appropriately to be playing in it, but we had fun and can’t wait to take a little family trip up there to go sledding or tubing soon. There were a few little ski resorts with slopes nearby, so we will definitely be going back sometime soon.

The Floridian in me was super excited to see snow! It was only my second time really, but I could definitely see how annoying it would be to actually live in it, especially for several months. So, I’m very glad that we (hopefully) won’t have to deal with that where we are.

Where to see snow near Seattle

I’m sure locals have no issue finding snow, but if you’re new to the area like we are, and you’re looking for some early-season snow near Seattle, here are a few locations that we considered:

Snoqualmie Pass/Franklin Falls
Steven’s Pass
Mount Ranier
Denny Creek
Leavenworth

And remember to check the weather online before you go! We finalized our location in the afternoon the day before, based on the weather a few days prior and checking the live webcams to make sure the snow was sticking. It looks like the Washington State Department of Transportation has several live cameras in the mountain passes, so that’s a great resource to find snow nearby… and to make sure the driving conditions are safe enough to go too!

I think these are my favorite Christmas card pictures yet. Where is your favorite location to take family pics??