Eastern Oregon is by far one of the most underrated parts of the Pacific Northwest for adventure elopements, y’all. Most people are familiar with the Oregon Coast, Mount Hood, the Columbia River Gorge. . . but Eastern Oregon doesn’t get enough love! If you’re dreaming of a more desert/rural vibe, this is the place to go; away from the crowds of places like Portland and the coast. I created this guide to showcase just how beautiful this area of Oregon is so that, if you’re thinking of eloping in Oregon, you know all of your options. Let’s venture into these gorgeous desert landscapes together!
Eastern Oregon is obviously a pretty vague term, spanning across the east side of the state with no real boundaries or borders. Technically, it’s made up of a few different counties including Baker, Grant, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, and more, but the main towns most people are familiar with are Joseph, Baker City, Hermiston, Pendleton, John Day, Ontario, and La Grande.
I would say Eastern Oregon is most known for its wild west vibes, which are totally different from the rest of the state where you’ll find more lush greenery, snow-capped mountain peaks, and rugged coastline. You might recognize the region’s most popular spots such as the Blue Mountains and Hells Canyon, both iconic destinations that are known across the PNW! Driving time obviously depends on where in Eastern Oregon you’re going, but from PDX to Wallowa Lake (Joseph, specifically), for example, it takes about 6 hours by car.
Yes, this area is far from the coast and the western parts of Oregon, but dang is it worth it. In Eastern Oregon you’ll find wide-open landscapes full of sagebrush, colorful hills, and dramatic mountain ranges, super cool ancient fossil beds, and some of the most stunning sunrises + sunsets in the state. It’s a lot quieter than places like Portland and the coast, which get tonssss of visitors every year—with access to all sorts of incredible remote desert trails, rivers, lakes, and backcountry roads, it’s a lot easier to find seclusion and privacy for your elopement. Getting that rural vibe is sometimes tricky to find in Oregon, so I’ve spent time nailing down all the best spots in the region to make it happen for my couples. Plus, I know tons of vendors that are willing to make the trek out and in turn, will make for incredible images from me!
Claire + Jordan embraced those western vibes with their Vintage Elopement in the Wallowas—truly one of the best days I’ve ever been a part of.
Speaking of finding all the best spots in the region, there is seriously SO much diversity in Eastern Oregon’s landscapes. When you’re on the coast, you’ll really only get beaches + forested coastline, but in the high desert of Eastern Oregon you’ve got so much variety to explore. Mountains, rivers, desert volcanoes, high lava plains, fossil beds, river basins, even dried up lake beds. All of these different geological features have so many unique adventures to offer, whether you’re into rock climbing, hiking/backpacking, paddle boarding, camping, boating, biking, fishing, or windsurfing—Eastern Oregon has it all!
I also love how family-friendly and dog-friendly Eastern Oregon is, offering tons and tons of activities, excursions, and experiences that people of all ages can participate in. Let’s say you’re eloping with your kids: you could easily plan the family trip of a lifetime with your elopement in Eastern Oregon, visiting local candy stores + general stores, setting up tents in a campsite under the stars, going to a rodeo, booking a rafting trip on the majestic Owyhee River, or kayaking on the Wallowa River. . . there are SO many fun opportunities for families to make memories in this area. And most places allow you to bring your furry friends along for the ride, too 🙂
Still not convinced that Oregon is the right elopement destination for you? I can almost guarantee you’ll change your mind after reading my blog with 10 Reasons You Should Elope in Oregon.
It can be so difficult to pick just a few locations to check out during your elopement, so I wanted to give you a few of the most breathtaking places in Eastern Oregon that would be incredible additions to your adventure.
First on this list is one of the 7 Wonders of Oregon: the Painted Hills. Part of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, the Painted Hills are a series of breathtaking hills painted in stripes of orange, black, yellow, red, and beige, offering otherworldly landscapes that seriously feel like they belong on Mars. The colors of the hills look different at different times of day, and throughout the seasons, with the reds + oranges at their riches and most vibrant in the late afternoon, and at blue hour. While you can visit the Painted Hills at any time of year, the best time to elope here is from late spring to early fall, when you’ll have the best weather + the most sunshine to bring out those bold and bright colors. The summer sunsets at the Painted Hills are freaking unreallll.
No matter how many times I visit this iconic Eastern Oregon landmark, I’ll always be so inspired by the natural beauty and the vibrant colors that nature has to show off here!
Want to learn more about this wildly beautiful elopement destination? I’ve got an entire Painted Hills Elopement Guide you won’t want to miss.
Joseph, Oregon is super special, as it’s home to the Wallowa mountain range + a ton of freaking breathtaking landscapes. From wide-open grassy meadows to country ranches to vibrant blue lakes, the Wallowas are seriously so underrated when it comes to elopement locations in Oregon! Wallowa Lake is my personal favorite spot in Joseph, with super clear, blue water and gorgeous mountain scenery at every turn. It’s even been nicknamed the “Crown Jewel” for its enchanting scenery and rugged wilderness that offers tons of opportunities to explore! Imagine spending your elopement day at the lake, going fishing or bumper boating with your family before heading up to a scenic viewpoint in the mountains for your sunset ceremony. . . a freaking dream come true. This is actually similar to what Lexi + Dan did for their elopement; they held their ceremony at Wallowa Lake with their pups, and then hiked to Hells Canyon for private vows at sunset! You can see pics from their epic day below, and check out their blog post for even more.
I know I just mentioned Hells Canyon, but honestly it deserves its own section in this blog post! If you’ve heard of ANY of the locations on this list, it’s most likely Hells Canyon, a well-known scenic canyon located along the border of Eastern Oregon. Fun fact: it’s the deepest canyon in North America, even deeper than the Grand Canyon by nearly 2,000 feet—wild, right? With views of spectacular mountain peaks, unique prehistoric artifacts and remains, vast canyon scenery, and winding rivers, Hells Canyon is a must-visit during your time in Eastern Oregon, especially if you love a little outdoor adventure. Hells Canyon offers world-class whitewater experiences as well as tons of trails that are amazing for hiking, biking, or even horseback riding.
Note that if you want to take advantage of the epic rafting opportunities (whether you wanna go on a family-friendly trip or a more thrilling whitewater adventure), you’ll want to elope in June or July, when the flow of the Snake River is at its best!
If you’re not an Oregon local then you probably haven’t heard of the Strawberry Mountains—so I’m here to introduce you to them! Also called the Strawberry Range, these mountains are some of the highest peaks in the Blue Mountain Range, featuring a whole lot of fascinating geological history just as many of the landscapes in Eastern Oregon do. It’s another really underrated wilderness area that far too many people have never heard of, boasting many rugged mountain peaks, glacial basins, alpine lakes, and enchanting wildflower meadows—aka all of my favorite things that make up an epic adventure elopement day! You get to choose your own adventure here since there are so many things to do + so few crowds to avoid, from visiting Strawberry Lake to hiking to Strawberry Falls. This area is a really beautiful place to elope if you’d like to explore somewhere quiet, remote, and fairly undeveloped.
Steens Mountain is the epitome of the Oregon high desert, boasting some of the most remote backcountry wilderness this area has to offer. It’s honestly totally removed from the city life you’ll find in Portland, being that it’s about a 7-hour drive away, but gosh it’s an incredible place to really escape into nature! Perfect for couples who enjoy backpacking, hiking, camping, horseback riding, or fishing, the wilderness surrounding Steens Mountain offers miles and miles of incredible trails that you could spend days exploring. If you’d rather admire the scenery from the road, you can also opt to drive the 59-mile Steens Loop Tour Route that’s open during the summer months, and takes you all the way up to the 10,000-foot summit! This area is the definition of backcountry, so you won’t find any luxurious resorts or well-developed campsites—be prepared for rough roads and little to no cell service. Truly an amazing place to get away from your regular lives and be present in the wilderness for a few days if that’s the vibe you’re going for with your adventure elopement.
Just southeast of Steens Mountain is one of the more unique geological wonders that Eastern Oregon has to offer, the Alvord Desert! It’s this massive dried up lake bed that spans approximately 5 miles wide and 10 miles long, almost like a dupe of the Salt Flats in Utah haha. The vast desert landscape are mind-blowingly beautiful, offering jaw-dropping views of the cracked desert floor + the mountains in the distance. You’ll never see anything like this anywhere else in the PNW, but beware that if it’s windy it can get superrrr chilly out here! You can warm up by checking out the Alvord Hot Springs (which is privately owned), or Mickey Hot Springs nearby. How magical would it be to set up a campsite here and watch a spectacular sunset + go stargazing at night under the desert skies?
The last location on this list of Eastern Oregon elopement locations is the Owyhee Canyonlands, a place that barely anybody knows or ever talks about, but that deserves a lot more love. It’s located way out on the eastern border of Oregon and encompasses over 2 million acres of rugged, historic land filled with deep canyons, ancient volcanic ruins, rock walls covered in petroglyphs, and dramatic cliffs. You won’t find a bunch of tourists out here; it’s super remote and ideal for couples who want to get far away from the city for their elopement + spend time camping, hiking, stargazing, or biking through the backcountry. The one-of-a-kind desert scenery of the canyonlands is so worth every hour of the drive to get there, and you’ll honestly feel like you’re not even in Oregon anymore!
I know that Bend is technically more Central than Eastern Oregon, but I wanted to give you a few of my favorite elopement locations in the area anyway! The Painted Hills are only about a 2-hour drive from Bend, so why not add both stops to your route if you have the time? 🙂 Bend also has that same high desert vibe as a lot of locations in Eastern Oregon, so I figured you might like to see a few extra options that could fit your elopement vision.
Bend is most famous for the iconic Smith Rock State Park (technically in Terrebonne, but easily accessible from Bend), which is home to these massive, towering rocks, deep river canyons, and incredibly stunning sunsets. It’s literally a playground for anybody who loves to hike, rock climb, or mountain bike!
Two other locations near Bend that I’m obsessed with are Suttle Lake & Sparks Lake, for any couples dreaming of a romantic lakeside celebration. Both are part of the Cascade Lakes and are seriously hidden gems of Oregon! You’ll get insane mountain views, lush forests, clear lakes, wildflower meadows. . . all the key PNW scenery you could ever want.
Feeling like Bend might be your vibe? I’ve got a full Bend Elopement Guide with everything you need to know to plan your epic desert adventure.
Hey y’all, I’m Dawn, an elopement and micro wedding photographer based in Oregon. Helping couples create the elopements of their dreams is what I live for. Whether it’s capturing the magic of your day in the middle of a vast desert or documenting the emotions on your face as you hike through the mountains, I’m here to tell your story and guide you on the adventure of a lifetime. If you think we’d be a great pair for your Eastern Oregon elopement, let’s connect and start planning something amazing together!
And if you’re as obsessed with Oregon as I am, be sure to check out a few of my other Oregon elopement guides + resources below:
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