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| Sand, Surf, Wind and Waves just minutes from downtown Everett |
Everett's industrial look of concrete and manufacturing disappears in a matter of minutes on the west side of Jetty Island. More than 50,000 residents and tourists visit this 2 mile long man made island which is only a few hundred feet across Port Gardner Bay from Port of Everett.
The steady afternoon winds which attract kite boarders from around the area today to Jetty Island have been around much longer than the island itself. Dunes, sandy beaches, birds and plants are a recent addition to the seascape around Everett.
During Everett's heyday and expansion in the 1890s plans were drawn up to add a fresh water harbor at the mouth of the Snohomish River for ships to import and export goods from the surrounding area. This required controlling the Snohomish River and changing the seascape around the waterfront.
Construction on the training dike to divert the Snohomish River began in 1896 but a poor design and increased competition from Seattle for monies from the Army Corps of Engineers hampered the project and many parts of the original construction where never completed.
Throughout the decades the Army Corps of Engineers continued to dredge Snohomish River to keep up with the amount of sediment being deposited in Port Gardner Bay and redepositing it on the west side of the 1920's bulkhead increasing its land mass above the waterline. After nearly 80 years of dredging the river enough material had been transplanted that a man made island started to take shape. By the 1970s local interest in the island for recreation and wildlife habitat surpassed support for a commercial use.
Today Jetty Island is 2 miles long and is a top tourist destination and
wildlife conservation area. Its sandy beaches, mud flat and salt water
marshes provide important habitat to over 115 species of birds.
Jetty Island is open year round to those with means to make the float across Port Gardner Bay and that can put up the elements such as tidal shift, winds and inclement weather.
The City of Everett runs a free ferry service to the island during the summer for those with out a paddle or boat.
How to get to Jetty Island
Park at the
Marine Park and head to the Ferry Information booth behind the Whale Tail Sculpture. Ferry departs every 30 minutes but you must collect a boarding pass for everyone in your party before getting on the boat. The small ferry boat is limited to 60 passengers per crossing so you might have to wait until you get aboard. Once on Jetty Island you pick up your return time boarding card. Same as with departure, every one in your group must have a boarding pass. 2pm-4pm return crossings are very popular so you might have to spend a few hours on the island before the next available boat. People do tend to run late and miss their scheduled time so there is a "Standby Line" for those that want to leave earlier than planned. Its first come first serve. If you are late to your scheduled departure they will give those seats to people waiting in the Standby line. Crew members will explain this procedure on land, on the boat and again on the island.
Picnic Shelters and Bathrooms are located near the ferry dock on the island. Also the ONLY ones, so plan bathroom breaks accordingly to how far down the beach you are headed.
Jetty Island is tidal so check the current tides before heading out and also plan on bringing warmer clothes for the winds and lower temperature. Kite Boarders love this place for a reason ..THE WIND.
Here's
how the ferry service works: When you arrive at the Everett public boat
launch, there is a Jetty Island kiosk near the water, where you pick up
a placard with a time on it (the next available ferry). About 60 people
fit on the ferry, which runs every 30 minutes. When you get across to
the island, pick up a placard for the time you want to return. - See
more at:
http://www.seattleschild.com/article/parent-review-jetty-island-days-in-everett#sthash.8y5NSCzo.dpuf
Here's
how the ferry service works: When you arrive at the Everett public boat
launch, there is a Jetty Island kiosk near the water, where you pick up
a placard with a time on it (the next available ferry). About 60 people
fit on the ferry, which runs every 30 minutes. When you get across to
the island, pick up a placard for the time you want to return. - See
more at:
http://www.seattleschild.com/article/parent-review-jetty-island-days-in-everett#sthash.8y5NSCzo.dpuf
Here's
how the ferry service works: When you arrive at the Everett public boat
launch, there is a Jetty Island kiosk near the water, where you pick up
a placard with a time on it (the next available ferry). About 60 people
fit on the ferry, which runs every 30 minutes. When you get across to
the island, pick up a placard for the time you want to return. - See
more at:
http://www.seattleschild.com/article/parent-review-jetty-island-days-in-everett#sthash.8y5NSCzo.dpuf
Here's
how the ferry service works: When you arrive at the Everett public boat
launch, there is a Jetty Island kiosk near the water, where you pick up
a placard with a time on it (the next available ferry). About 60 people
fit on the ferry, which runs every 30 minutes. When you get across to
the island, pick up a placard for the time you want to return. - See
more at:
http://www.seattleschild.com/article/parent-review-jetty-island-days-in-everett#sthash.8y5NSCzo.dpuf
