Where to Elope in Oregon: Most Beautiful Elopement Locations

Today I’m talking allll about Oregon elopement locations and where to elope in Oregon, my home (+ fave) state!! Keep reading to learn more about the Oregon Coast, Smith Rock, & lots more to help you decide where to have your Oregon elopement!!

 

 

For any of these locations, make sure you do your research (and I’ll help with this too!) on what type of permit(s) you need. Check out this info about Oregon’s Special Use Permit for certain locations!

 

The Oregon Coast

 

The Oregon Coast is a GIVEN if you’re considering an Oregon elopement!! There’s no way you can’t look at the stunning coast as a top contender for your elopement location – especially if you’re a fan of all the moody PNW vibes. The coast typically has lots of those for us!!

Cape Kiwanda

Distance from Portland: 95 miles

Location: Pacific City, OR

 

 

Cape Kiwanda is one of my absolute FAVORITE spots on the coast, which you probably already know if you follow me or have seen my work at all!!

 

 

It’s famous for its vibrant orange-red, beautifulllll textured rocks everywhere. A few things to note about Cape Kiwanda:

• If it’s super rainy or stormy out, we’ll need to prepare for a high tide + to walk in some water!! Bring an extra set of clothes so that you can change on the beach if you need to + so you don’t get your outfits dirty right away.
• There’s a parking lot right on the beach, so it’s easily accessible + we don’t need to walk from far away to get to the sand!
• There are also bathrooms + hoses to rinse off which is alwayssss a lifesaver after we walk on the beach + hike on the orange rocks

 

 

We also have to be super careful when walking on Kiwanda’s rocks, because they can crumble really easily + are easy to slip on. It’s important to bring appropriate shoes for walking on these rocks – and bring some sort of bag that you can put them in when you want to be barefoot in the sand/water!

 

 

One of my amazing couples Negin + Jeff eloped here and absolutely LOVED it. There are tons of cute Airbnb’s nearby that make it easy for you to make a vacay out of your elopement, and plus your Airbnb will give us another location opportunity for photos!!

 

Hug Point

Distance from Portland: 83 miles

Location: Near Seaside, OR

 

Hug Point is further up the coast than Cape Kiwanda and is another amazing location for an Oregon Coast elopement!! It provides a ton of variety: a small waterfall, lots of greenery + forested areas, gorgeous ocean views, and super pretty rocky areas + cliffsides to explore. It seriously has everything!!

 

 

Lots of people like to stay in the popular Cannon Beach area when they visit the Oregon Coast, and Hug Point is just five miles south of Cannon Beach. It’s easy to get to!! And the drive is beautiful too, with lots of ocean views and little viewpoints you can stop at along the way.

 

A few things to note about Hug Point:

• It’s important to know how high the tide is – to get to the beach spot by the waterfall + huge rocks/cliffs, we have to walk around a corner that gets filled with water if the tide is high! Bring another set of outfits & be prepared to walk in some water if we need to!
• Bathrooms are available in the parking lot that’s just up the hill from the beach entrance
• There are some picnic areas available if you want to have a picnic break during your elopement – so fun!!

 

Check out Natalie & Matt’s Hug Point elopement here for all the inspo!

 

Ecola State Park

Distance from Portland: 80 miles

Location: Between Seaside & Cannon Beach

 

 

You can’t go wrong anywhere in Ecola State Park!! The state park wraps around Tillamook Head which is between Seaside & Cannon Beach. There are tons of hiking opportunities, scenic viewpoints that we can stop at (I’m always down to pull over on the side of the road if we see your perf elopement spot!!), and beautiful forests/greenery everywhere.

 

 

We can drive through the forests, along the side of the road, and look for our perfect spot to stop at. The state park makes it easy to photograph at a few different locations – we can do your first look in the lush forest, and say your vows at a viewpoint!! Whatever we want to do when we get there!

 

 

A few things about Ecola State Park to keep in mind:

• Pets are allowed in the park (on leashes), so you’re free to bring your pup(s) along to your elopement!!
• There are a few camping areas in the park, so you can totally make a camping trip out of your elopement. Let’s finish off your elopement day drinking + eating s’mores around a campfire under the stars!!

Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor

Distance from Portland: 315 miles

Location: Brookings, OR

 

 

The Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor near Brookings, OR is one of my FAVE spots along the coast. It’s just north of the Cali border, too, so it’s easy for us to visit two states if you want to for your elopement! Page & Taylor did just that – we visited the scenic corridor and ALSO went down to Cali for a quick trip in the Redwoods – check out their stunning elopement here!!

 

 

This corridor has it all: scenic overlooks, secluded beaches, rocks + tide pools, and plenty of hiking options. Check out Sarah & Blake’s elopement at this magical coastal spot for more dreamy inspo!!

 

 

It’s also just BREATHTAKING in the fall – I’ve even got a whole article on how to elope in OR in the fall which features photos from fall elopements at this location. Fall lovers, be sure to give that a read too!!

God’s Thumb

Distance from Portland: 85 miles

Location: Lincoln City

 

 

God’s Thumb is a freaking insane place along the Oregon Coast that literally looks like it’s straight out of Ireland!!

 

 

The loop is a 4.3-mile hike and has THE most stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. The grassy hill that’s shaped like a thumb is such a cool sight to see, and is the perf place to say your vows at!!

 

 

Oregonisforadventure.com has a great guide to the God’s Thumb hike – and don’t worry, I’ll help you plan this too!

The mountains

Mt. Hood

Distance from Portland: 70 miles

Location: Hood River

 

 

Mt. Hood is the beautiful mountain you’re probably looking at whenever you see photos of a snow-covered volcano in Oregon! 

 

The Mt. Hood wilderness area has SO much to offer: mountain hikes, insane views, forested areas with lush greenery + tall trees everywhere, and more. It’s the perfect location for any couple who loves being in the cool mountains more than they do the beach, especially if you’re active and enjoy hiking! 

 

There are also SO many cozy mountain Airbnb’s in the Mt. Hood/Hood River area. Find a cute place to stay in the woods, and make a weekend out of your elopement! You can get ready in your Airbnb, we’ll go out + hike + find a beautiful spot for you to say your vows, and then we can come back to your Airbnb to celebrate in the evening. A dream day!!

The Oregon desert

 

Even though Oregon is FILLED with lush greenery + water, we also have stunning desert areas!! Oregon seriously has it all, I’ll say it over and over again.

 

Smith Rock State Park

Distance from Portland: 145 miles

Location: Terrebonne, OR

 

Smith Rock State Park is one of my fave desert spots in the state. It features huge, beautiful golden rocks everywhere, with plenty of trails to walk + hike on and even a river going through the rocks. If you’re dreaming of the most perfect golden hour elopement, Smith Rock sunsets NEVER disappoint – the golden fields of grass + rock formations look insane when the sun is going down!

 

 

Along with a ton of hiking trails, there are also mountain biking trails + lots of rock climbing opportunities. So if you’re an active couple and love doing outdoor activities, Smith Rock is a perfect place to look at for your elopement day/weekend/trip!

 

 

A couple of things to note about the state park:

• You’ll need to buy a parking pass for the time you’re there
• You can go camping in the park (but no campfires allowed since it’s clearly a super dry desert climate!)
• The sun rises + sets in different locations and we’ll have to keep lighting in mind + plan what part(s) of the park we’re going to be at for your elopement! The sun will set faster and the light will go away since it sets behind the rocks, so we’ll keep that in mind when planning your timeline.

Painted Hills

Distance from Portland: 200 miles

Location: Mitchell, OR

 

 

The Painted Hills is one of the 7 wonders of Oregon, and rightly so!! It’s an area filled with hills that show off the prettiest colors – terracotta reds, oranges, and striped beige + gold tones. It seriously looks like something out of a fairytale. The tones and hues of the hills + sand change at different times of the day, so you never know what exactly you’ll get depending on where the sun is and what the sunset is like!

 

Forests + trees

Mt. Hood

Distance from Portland: 70 miles

Location: Hood River

 

 

I talked about Mt. Hood above for its beautiful mountain scenery, but the forests in the Mt. Hood wilderness area are equally as stunning!! If you’re a lover of tall trees + greenery and the cutest cabin-style Airbnb’s, Mt. Hood is the place to go.

 

 

We can go on a hike in the mountains for you to say your vows, take a stroll through the forest for some sunset portraits, and then end the night with some steamy pics in your Airbnb. There are endless options in this nature-filled area and it is seriously beautiful EVERYWHERE you go!!

 

Forrest Lodge

Forrest Lodge is a lodging option for your Mt. Hood area elopement! It lies in a gorgeous area of the forest and is THE perfect cabin for anyone dreaming of a woodsy elopement day. You can find more info about the lodge here!

 

Loloma Lodge

Distance from Portland: 160 miles

Location: Willamette National Forest

 

 

Loloma Lodge is an incredible forest venue in the Willamette National Forest. The lodge has hosted a ton of weddings + elopements + other gatherings, so it’s well-equipped for any type of elopement celebration that you have! Their website describes it as the perfect place for any couple who wants a “campground, middle-of-nowhere vibe, which I loveee. 

 

Water + waterfalls

 

There are SO many stunning ocean views + waterfalls along the Columbia River Gorge, so I’m going to give you just a few of my faves! But really, we can literally stop on the side of the road anywhere for your elopement – everywhere along the gorge is seriously magical.

 

Latourell Falls

Distance from Portland: 30 miles

Location: Columbia River Gorge

 

 

Latourell Falls is an amazing waterfall for a waterfall elopement – it’s easy to get to and doesn’t require a long hike!! So if you’re the type of couple who would rather drive, park, and you’re right at a beautiful location, this is the place for you. 

 

 

There’s a variety of little spots to shoot at Latourell Falls too, which is fun so all of your photos don’t look the same! On the way to the falls, there are lots of forest areas, there’s a cute little bridge to walk along, and of course, the huge falls are so dreamy. The dark rocks around the falls are stunning and you can get pretty close to the falls if you want to by walking along the rocks!

Paulina Lake

Distance from Portland: 215 miles

Location: Deschutes National Forest

 

 

Paulina Lake is about 25 miles south of Bend and has the most beautiful views all around! It’s one of the twin crater lakes in central Oregon’s Newberry Crater.

 

 

A super fun thing about the lake: it has some hot springs!! Let’s rest + relax after you say your vows and follow the trail to the hot springs. There are plenty of hikes + outdoor + water activity opportunities here, too for any nature lovers!

 

 

PHEW that was a shit ton of info, and I BARELY even scratched the surface of Oregon’s beauty!! As your elopement photographer I’ll always help you out with picking your location(s), but I hope this blog post gave you a ton of inspo + helped you figure out what types of scenery you’re dreaming up for your elopement! Can’t wait to explore Oregon with you and your babe!!