Best Parks in Fayetteville for Photographs: Family, Senior, or Engagement

We’ve got such a fun Northwest Arkansas photography blog post today! Living in Fayetteville, there is so much beauty and greens everywhere for family photos. While I know that fall family photographs are an absolute classic, I thought it would be fun for this post to just include (mostly!) summer photographs. Cause our topic today? It’s all about this: the best parks in Fayetteville for photographs. It doesn’t matter whether you’re doing a family shoot, a senior shoot, or engagement photographs, all of these locations absolutely have my heart. And in the summer + fall? I live in them!

Grab your notebook and some bug spray! Here’s some fantastic outdoor photoshoot locations in Fayetteville!

Gulley Park: 1850 E Township Street

Gulley Park is a Fayetteville classic for a reason. It’s huge, has the best creek, the coziest walking trail, a tiny pine forest, and all the fields. It also has an absolute gorgeously sunset, a cute gazebo, and really cute landscaping. Whether you’re looking for big trees, small ponds, the coolest creek, or an incredible sunset over a flat hill, the first time I walked into Gulley Park, I completely fell in love with it. And personally? It just has so much history.

When I had a senior model program and I lived in an apartment, we held our meetings in the gazebo. Two of my nieces have had (multiple!) massive birthdays by the park, I’ve walked the trails countless times with my friends, and watched the sun set during photo sessions more time than I could count. Gulley is super diverse and, honestly, you could shoot there for hours with different outdoor aesthetics!

Note: Because Gulley is surrounded by hills, plan your sunset to be 10-15 minutes earlier than usual.

Walker Park: 10 W 15th Street

Honestly, I think Walker Park is a little slept on!

Walker Park definitely pulls its weight in the battle of best parks for photography sessions in Fayetteville. It’s extremely wooded and, if you’re taking bridals or are in an outfit you don’t want to get dirty, there’s a sidewalk that weaves through some small hills that you can easily make look like you’re shooting in a field. Start at the parking lot by the skate park and take the trail up through the woods. You’ll see exactly what I mean! It’s gorgeous!

Note: Don’t forget your bug spray! And, when you’re in the forest, watch out for roots!

Wilson Park: 675 N Park Avenue

When I first moved to Fayetteville, Wilson Park was my go to for family sessions. Over the years, I’ve come to love Wilson Park more and more for so many reasons (one of them that I have so many family memories here!) but, the past few years, the garden area by Wilson Park Castle has really become a fave. It’s so colorful, there’s so many great vines in the fall, and I love that you can literally just stop off the sidewalk and look like you’re in a majestic garden.

Which, honestly, you kinda are! They’ve created a totally magic garden area at Wilson Park that’s so lovely!

Lake Fayetteville: 1153 E Lake Fayetteville Road

Can I just say that Lake Fayetteville is perfection and leave it at that? It has everything for all the outdoor vibes!

Farmington Park: 54 N Hunter Street, Farmington

Though not technically in Fayetteville, Farmington Park has the most insane light at sunrise and sunset.

Farmington Park has a really straight forward grassy field but also has a creek running through the middle with massive trees that filter the light absolutely gorgeously (one example here!). This park isn’t necessarily the one you’d think of when shooting in nature in Northwest Arkansas – there are basketball courts, tennis courts and three large playgrounds perfect for kids of all ages so it’s always busy! – but the creek + flat field sets up for some of the most gorgeous light in the entire area. I fall in love with the light every time I shoot here! I’ll also say that, while the light on the creek is literally jaw dropping, I stay away from shooting in the creek. There’s a bunch of signs warning about snakes and I don’t mess around with those, lol.

But if we know one thing about photography? It’s that light is so important! Check Farmington Park out if you love light!

Your Own Backyard! Or Mine Instead!

While I’ve always offered in home sessions for family photos, I’ve recently really fallen in love with holding full shoots in backyards. Your kids are cozy, the shoots are full of fun and it’s so home-y and cozy while still being outside. People are comfortable in their homes and it shows!

And this year? I’ve expanded our garden so much that, starting this summer, I’ll be using it as an official shoot spot. While I’ve held several sessions in our yard through the years, I spent this spring picking out a ton of freaking gorgeous flowers + plants to take the garden to the next level. This planning started when my favorite rose bush died and, because it was a huge climber, I started a massive sunflower field. Once I decided to shoot in the sunflowers later this year, I started looking at other parts of my yard to shoot in and I’m so thrilled about this! We are going to take so many beautiful photographs back there!

Most of All? Just Let Yourself Have Fun

There are so many best parks in Fayetteville for photographs but, whether you’re shooting at a classic like Lake Fayetteville or your own backyard, the most important thing for awesome photos is this: Let yourself have fun! The more fun you have at your shoot, the more your photographs will absolutely glow.

And if you love glowing + colorful photography in Northwest Arkansas (or anywhere!)? You know what to do!

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Based in Fayetteville, Arkansas Lissa Chandler is a portrait and wedding photographer who celebrates life one photograph at a time. Lissa is also the owner of Opal and June where she offers mockup photographs, bookish + history merch, and the dreamiest photoshoot dress rentals. Additionally, Lissa is the host of the laid back, conversational podcasts Your Photographer Mom and Our Favorite Villes.

As a creative photographer in Northwest Arkansas, Lissa doesn’t niche down on a genre. She niches on a feeling instead! That feeling? The huge, happy feeling of hope and excitement that you feel as a kid opening up a huge box of 120 crayons. Sound like a feeling you remember? Let’s shoot!