Tygart Media

Category: Everett Outdoor Recreation

Jetty Island, Forest Park, kayaking, trails

  • Memorial Day in Everett: Jetty Countdown, Centennial Trail, and Why Outdoor Rec Deserves the Sports Page

    What happened: Memorial Day weekend (May 23-25, 2026) kicks off Everett’s outdoor recreation season. The Jetty Island ferry opens July 8 with reservations already live at portofeverett.com/JettyReservations, Forest Park’s new pickleball complex opens in June, and the Centennial Trail is in prime spring shape. Here is how to plan around the long weekend and the summer that follows.

    Memorial Day in Everett: Jetty Countdown, Centennial Trail, and Why Outdoor Rec Deserves the Sports Page

    The Silvertips are about to win the Cup. The AquaSox are climbing the standings. Wolfpack arena football is back on May 23. The new downtown stadium project keeps inching forward. Everett’s spring sports calendar is packed.

    But there is another sport playing in this town nine months a year that does not get a beat reporter and does not get a hashtag and does not get a featured snippet, and that sport is going outside. Memorial Day weekend is ten days away. The summer outdoor season is about to crack open. If you treat outdoor recreation the way Everett treats it — as a sport, with seasons and stats and a calendar — here is what to circle.

    1. Jetty Island Days: The Countdown Is On (55 Days)

    The single most beloved free-ish outdoor experience in Snohomish County opens its 2026 ferry season on Wednesday, July 8 and runs through Sunday, September 6. That is the Tuesday after Independence Day weekend through Labor Day weekend — sixty-one days of beach access to the two-mile-long manmade island in Port Gardner Bay.

    The Port of Everett confirmed in late April that ferry reservations are already open at portofeverett.com/JettyReservations. If you have done this dance before, you know: book early. The good summer slots disappear fast. The ferry departs from Jetty Landing Park off 10th Street and West Marine View Drive on the Port of Everett waterfront.

    The 2026 schedule has the ferry running five days a week, 10 a.m.–5:45 p.m. Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and 10 a.m.–6:45 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Roundtrip cost is $4–$7 (plus taxes/fees) per person. Kids ages 2 and under ride free but still need a reservation. You can either book a return slot in advance or pick up first-come-first-served return passes on the island.

    The Memorial Day weekend itself is too early for the ferry — Jetty does not open until July 8 — but you can still walk the Port waterfront, get out on the boardwalk, and grab a coffee while the bay does what the bay does on a sunny May Saturday. Just know the countdown starts now.

    2. Centennial Trail Is in Spring Form Right Now

    The Snohomish County Centennial Trail is the workhorse of the Snohomish County outdoor calendar — over 30 miles of paved, mostly-flat former rail corridor running from north of Snohomish up through Lake Stevens, Arlington, and into Bryant. It is open year-round. It is wheelchair-accessible. It is the closest thing this region has to a permanent outdoor stadium that you do not need a ticket for.

    Memorial Day weekend is one of the best three weekends of the year on the Centennial Trail. The salmonberry is in. The cottonwood fluff is doing its thing. The shoulder of the trail is full of Pacific Northwest spring color. If you have only ever walked one short out-and-back from a trailhead, this is the weekend to commit to a real ride or a longer hike segment.

    Snohomish County Parks lists the major trailheads at snohomishcountywa.gov/1182/Trails. Before you go on any specific hike, do the responsible thing and pull a fresh trip report on wta.org from the Washington Trails Association — that is where conditions get reported in something like real time by hikers who were there yesterday.

    3. Forest Park’s Pickleball Complex Opens Next Month

    Pickleball is a sport. We are going to say that without irony on a sports page on an Everett site. Forest Park’s first dedicated multi-court outdoor pickleball facility opens in June 2026: four dedicated regulation courts, two renovated multi-use courts, a practice wall, sport fencing, site lighting, a drinking fountain, benches, cornhole, and horseshoes.

    Construction started in November 2025. The section east of the water park has been closed during the build. By the time the long weekend rolls around, you will be able to walk around the work fence and see the project in its final stretch — and by mid-June you will be playing on it.

    This is the City of Everett making a real commitment to a sport that Everett is actually playing. Drive past any park with multi-use lines on a sunny afternoon and you will see the demand. The four dedicated regulation courts means league play, tournaments, and a place to actually drop in and find a game without standing in line for a striped-over tennis court.

    4. The Snohomish River Paddling Season Is Open

    If you have a kayak or a paddleboard in the garage and you have been waiting for the river to settle, this is your weekend to look at it. Spring runoff in May is still pushing the Snohomish River faster than late summer, but the lower reaches near Everett and Snohomish are flat-water and accessible by Memorial Day in a normal year.

    The Port of Everett’s Marina district has launch access. The North Spit launch and the Langus Riverfront Park boat ramp are both standard put-ins for kayakers running the lower Snohomish. Always check current conditions, always wear a PFD, and always tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back.

    5. The Stuff You Cannot See on a Map

    The thing nobody tells you about outdoor rec in Everett is that the best stuff is often the unglamorous stuff. Walking the loop at Forest Park on a Tuesday after work. Watching the bald eagle at the Snohomish River estuary that has been there for three years. Catching a sunset off the breakwater. Running the Interurban Trail south through Mukilteo. Riding the seawall.

    Memorial Day weekend gets all the marketing because it is the long weekend that starts the season. But the season is five months, not three days. Use the long weekend to set the pattern. Pick one outdoor thing you want to do every weekend through Labor Day. Put it on the calendar. Treat it like a road game schedule.

    The Quick-Reference Memorial Day Weekend Plan

    • Friday May 22 evening: Walk the Port of Everett waterfront. Scout the Jetty Landing ferry dock. Confirm your July reservation while you are looking at it.
    • Saturday May 23: Centennial Trail morning ride or walk. Wolfpack vs Beaumont Renegades at 3 PM at Angel of the Winds Arena if you want to mix indoor and outdoor sport.
    • Sunday May 24: Forest Park loop and check the pickleball complex construction progress.
    • Monday May 26: Lower Snohomish River paddle or a Mukilteo waterfront walk, depending on conditions.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    When does the Jetty Island ferry start running in 2026?
    Wednesday, July 8, 2026. The season runs through Sunday, September 6.

    Can I book a Jetty Island ferry reservation now?
    Yes. Reservations are open at portofeverett.com/JettyReservations.

    How much does the Jetty Island ferry cost?
    $4–$7 roundtrip (plus taxes and fees) per person. Children ages 2 and under ride free but still require a reservation.

    What days does the Jetty ferry run?
    Five days a week: Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.

    When does Forest Park’s new pickleball complex open?
    June 2026. Four dedicated regulation pickleball courts, two renovated multi-use courts, a practice wall, lighting, fencing, and amenities.

    Where can I check trail conditions in Snohomish County before going hiking?
    Washington Trails Association at wta.org is the go-to. The Snohomish County Parks site at snohomishcountywa.gov/1182/Trails has the full county trail directory.

    How long is the Centennial Trail?
    Over 30 miles of paved, mostly-flat former rail corridor through Snohomish County.

    Where can I launch a kayak on the Snohomish River near Everett?
    Langus Riverfront Park, the North Spit launch, and Port of Everett Marina district launches are all standard put-ins for the lower Snohomish.

  • Forest Park’s New Pickleball Courts Open in June: What’s Built, What’s Closed, and Why It Matters for Everett

    Forest Park’s New Pickleball Courts Open in June: What’s Built, What’s Closed, and Why It Matters for Everett

    What’s being built at Forest Park in Everett? The City of Everett is constructing its first multi-court outdoor pickleball facility at Forest Park, including four dedicated regulation pickleball courts, two renovated multi-use sport courts, sport fencing, a pickleball practice wall, site lighting, drinking fountain, benches, cornhole, and horseshoe pits. Construction began in November 2025 and is estimated to complete in June 2026. Some park access east of the water park is currently affected by the project.

    Forest Park’s Pickleball Courts Open This June: What’s Built, What’s Closed, and Why It Matters

    Outdoor recreation is a sport. That’s how this desk treats it. And the biggest outdoor-rec story in Everett right now isn’t on a hiking trail or out at Jetty Island — it’s tucked into the trees at Forest Park, where the city is six weeks from opening its first dedicated multi-court outdoor pickleball facility. If you’ve been driving past the trailhead and wondering why a chunk of the park east of the water park has been fenced off all winter, this is the answer. June 2026 is the target. The shape of the project tells you Everett is serious about outdoor rec.

    What’s Being Built

    Per the City of Everett’s Parks Department project documentation, Forest Park’s new outdoor recreation hub includes:

    • Four new dedicated regulation-size pickleball courts on a new paved court
    • Renovation and expansion of two existing multi-use sport courts
    • New sport fencing around the courts
    • A pickleball practice wall
    • Site lighting (so courts can run into the evening)
    • A drinking fountain
    • Benches
    • Cornhole pits
    • Horseshoe pits

    Read that list as a unit and what you’re actually looking at is a small park-within-a-park: a casual outdoor recreation hub that supports the fastest-growing outdoor sport in the country plus a pair of casual lawn-game options for the people who didn’t come to play pickleball. The lighting matters more than it sounds. Lit courts mean weeknight league play, weeknight pickup, and a community asset that doesn’t shut off when the sun goes down — which in Pacific Northwest seasonal terms is the difference between a 5-month facility and a 10-month one.

    Why It Matters for Everett

    Pickleball is the fastest-growing organized recreational sport in the country. Snohomish County has been chasing demand for years — local YMCAs, indoor athletic clubs, and converted tennis courts have been eating the demand on borrowed time. A purpose-built outdoor facility with four dedicated regulation courts plus two multi-use courts plus a practice wall is the kind of investment that turns Everett into a regional destination for the sport instead of a county that loses players to Marysville and Mill Creek.

    It also fits Forest Park’s identity. The park already runs miles of wooded trails, a self-guided nature tour, a hill-climb course, and an orienteering course. A pickleball complex with cornhole and horseshoes is exactly the right addition: low barrier to entry, social, intergenerational, and not a thing that competes with the park’s existing trails or wildlife. You don’t have to choose between the trail-running crowd and the pickleball crowd. They can share the parking lot.

    What’s Closed Right Now

    Heads up before you head to Forest Park this weekend: the section just east of the water park is blocked off due to the construction. Most of the park’s signature wooded trails, the central loop, the playground, and the picnic shelters are unaffected. But if you’ve got a regular running route or a dog-walk loop that hits that east section, plan around it. The Washington Trails Association notes that not all trails are currently accessible because of the work. Save your scouting; check the park’s posted signage before you commit to a route.

    If you want to keep your trail-running miles up while Forest Park is partially closed, the rest of Everett’s trail network is fully open: Lowell Riverfront Trail, Langus Riverfront, Forsgren Park, Howarth Park down to the beach. Lowell Riverfront has its own active project right now (worth checking signage there too), but the main path is intact and is one of the flattest, fastest 5K-loop options in the city.

    The Bigger Outdoor Rec Picture

    The Forest Park project is one piece of a broader Everett parks investment cycle. The city’s Active Projects list includes other parks-and-trails work in different stages — Lowell Riverfront Trail being the other one most regular outdoor users will notice. Add the upcoming Jetty Island ferry season opening on July 8 and the Snohomish River paddling launch points coming back online for spring, and Everett’s outdoor calendar in 2026 is fuller than it’s been in years.

    From a fan-of-Everett perspective: the city has decided that outdoor rec is part of the downtown stadium / waterfront / arena economy, not an afterthought. A pickleball complex at Forest Park, the Jetty Island ferry, the Lowell Riverfront work, and the year-round trail system at Forsgren and Howarth are all the same project from 30,000 feet — they’re the city saying “we are a place where you can live outside.” The new courts open in June. Mark the calendar.

    If You Want to Get Ready

    If you’re new to pickleball and want to be ready for opening week in June, Snohomish County has a strong indoor scene to get reps before the outdoor courts come online. Local YMCAs and rec centers run drop-in sessions; USA Pickleball has a beginner clinic finder; and most sporting-goods stores in the county now stock starter paddles in the $40-80 range. The barrier to entry is genuinely low — that’s why the sport is growing the way it is — and an outdoor weeknight league at Forest Park is the kind of thing that turns a casual player into a regular.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    When do Forest Park’s new pickleball courts open?

    Estimated completion is June 2026, per the City of Everett project documentation. Construction began in November 2025.

    How many pickleball courts will there be?

    Four dedicated regulation pickleball courts on a new paved court, plus two renovated multi-use sport courts that can be used for additional pickleball or other court sports.

    Is Forest Park currently open?

    Yes — most of Forest Park is open, including the wooded trail network, central loop, playground, and picnic areas. The section just east of the water park is closed due to active construction. Check posted signage on site before committing to a route.

    What else is being built besides the pickleball courts?

    The project also includes a pickleball practice wall, sport fencing, site lighting, a drinking fountain, benches, cornhole pits, and horseshoe pits.

    Will the courts have lighting for evening play?

    Yes. Site lighting is part of the project scope, which means the courts will be usable into the evening hours — important for weeknight league play in the Pacific Northwest.

    Where is Forest Park in Everett?

    Forest Park is a Everett city park with a wooded trail network, water park, and event facilities. Full address and trail maps are available via the City of Everett Parks Department website.