CA Redwoods + Coastal Oregon Elopement Locations

elopement
Written By Nallely Cabanillas

The northern California Redwoods and coast, are truly such a special place. With it’s towering coastal redwoods, the dense forest filled with ferns, the moody weather, it all just feels so magical. But then to have the best of both worlds and also have quick and direct access to the coast with it’s haystacks of rock formations, beaches, and killer views, is just perfection!

For me, this area is also very reminiscent of all the good feel movies I’ve seen, mixed with cozy vibes, mixed with that sense of roadtrip and adventure, and all the good PNW energy.

I was here recently for an elopement, and I was just enamored by it’s beauty, accessibility, and ease factor , that I thought “man, I really want more couples to experience this” and to know how easy it is to have an AMAZING ELOPEMENT.

So here we are, an elopement guide of the northern California Redwoods & coast, with my direct experience and of course with some additional research and online sleuthing to help you plan an awesome elopement!

Plan

Set Your Date

You’ll want to decide what season to go, for the most part Spring and Fall are great options, Summer is peak season as it tends to have higher crowds/traffic/higher rates, and Winter can be extra wet and foggy. Keep in mind that no matter what season you go, weather can always be unexpected and change on a whim, so be ready to go with the flow and embrace the fog and a bit of rain, after all it makes for an adventure, and can actually can enhance the mood of your photos!

As with any elopement, I always recommend to aim for a weekday, and having either an early morning or afternoon elopement.

Where to Stay

Depending on what area you’re going to be spending the most time in, or maybe what’s closer to your ceremony location, or if you want a centrally located place to stay, there are definitely a few options to consider.

You can choose from Airbnb & Vrbo listings, there are quite a few options depending on your needs (just the two of you or large enough to accommodate family?). You could stay in some of the “bigger towns”, keep in mind this whole area is very quaint and is made of small towns. If you’re going to be exploring Jedediah Smith Redwoods Park, and Redwoods Park, and maybe even crossing over to Oregon, Crescent City is a great choice as it’s centrally located.

Crescent City is where I’ve stayed, and there are a few decent hotels. I personally enjoyed the location, as it gave me easy access to everywhere I wanted to go.

For example from Crescent City to Jedediah Smith Redwoods Park was about a 25 minute drive East. From Crescent City to the Ah-Pah Trailhead at Redwood National and State Park was a 36 min drive South. From Crescent City to Oregon’s Samuel H Boardman Scenic Boardwalk was a 38min drive North.

When choosing lodging make sure to check the images of the property, and ask yourself if it’s up to your standards/aesthetic as this is where we will take your getting ready photos. Depending on the rental, some couples even have their first look or even their ceremony on the property. In other words, make sure you like it.

Bottom Images: The couple below rented a cabin, and although the cabin itself was small and had no natural light, the outdoor areas around the cabin worked really well for us and even for their first look.

TIP: For those couples on a budget, that might mean only renting out a really cool property just for the one day, and then heading over to a more affordable hotel/motel for the rest of your vacation.

Ceremony/Photo Locations

So the Northern California Redwoods or Redwoods National Park is a sort of blanket term, as there are a few different areas/parks that make up the Redwoods! Including the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, the Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park and the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Although located in different areas all these locations still require a permit for elopements.

Permits

Remember I said it was easy? Well there is already a pre-approved ceremony location list that you can choose from depending on your needs. According to the parks website the list is as follows for the locations that fall under State Parks:

Other locations within these parks may be selected but availability is subject to review. To Apply to any of these locations follow the steps here.

The pre-approved locations that fall under National Park are as follows:

Pre-approved locations [$100 application fee]:

Other locations can be chosen within Redwood National Park but require a $200 application fee, staff review, and are subject to peak hour blackouts


Portraits and Photo Locations

Although some locations aren’t available for hosting a ceremony, you can still opt to take photos at other locations.

For example, my past couple had a 2 person elopement at the River Trail where they did their ceremony and shared their vows, and then we continued over to Stout Grove Trail in Jedediah Smith Redwoods which has a beautiful flat loop trail that has great backdrops for portraits!

When you think of this area you might also (like I did) think of the popular location that’s famous for coming out on “The Lost World: Jurassic Park”, and that’s Fern Canyon located inside of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. It’s a cool location with stream crossings and like the name suggests, an awesome canyon with ferns lining the walls. Again, you can’t have your ceremony at this location, but you CAN still come here for portraits. Just double check on when you go as you’ll need a reservation from May 15th- Sept 15th.

Endert’s Beach- Is another location that is great, it’s a short hike down to the beach, where you can have a picnic, search tide pools, and get awesome portraits done to wrap up the evening. My couple ended up using this location to celebrate after their redwoods ceremony, primarily because it was easily accesible, low foot traffic, and was just a 30 min drive from Stout Grove Trail.

Crescent Beach- The local beach, has easy access, and lot’s of walking room.

OREGON

Harris Beach State Parkway- In Brookings Oregon is a day use beach area with miles of sandy beach and coast.

Whale’s Head Beach- another great beach location with some haystacks in the distance.

Samuel H Boardman State Scenic Corridor- This location is what immediately comes to mind when I thought of elopements along the coastal section (and is probably where you’ve seen a lot of elopement inspo pics), and for good reason! This area is stunning and home to a few different trails.

However, I was a bit disappointed. I had researched and seen a lot of elopements that take place at the Natural Bridges (the rock formations with natural arches usually the couples standing right in the middle), so when I personally went to go check them out, it turns out these trails are really dangerous and actually CLOSED OFF. It’s dangerous and slippery, and although other people ignore the signs, and do go over the natural bridges, it’s a big risk. Something to keep in mind! However, there are still a few different areas where you can get photos with the Natural Bridges in the distance, but keep in mind it’s CLOSED off to go actually on them.

I would however, highly recommend in this area the “Secret Beach”. It’s a bit of a steep hike down to the beach, but has amazing haystacks, and an awesome beach, (of course tide permitting), the lower the tide the more access you have to walk and leads you to even cooler pockets of beach. A great location for celebrating with a picnic and taking photos.

Arch Rock + Coastal Trail - During my scouting of this area, I found a super awesome spot that’s easy to miss from the road, but it has a beautiful stretch of coastal trail with amazing views of Arch Rock in the distance, and would be epic for an elopement. In fact, while I was here, an elopement couple ended up coming through the area (a good sign of an awesome location)!

Trees of Mystery - Could be a fun location for certain couples to explore, shoot at or even have your ceremony. It’s a natural park with redwood trails, Paul Bunyan lore, gondola ride, and even a unique redwood canopy trail.

Agate Beach- Is a great place to check out for rockhounding and finding agate stones on the beach!

Celebrate

Celebratory Drinks + Food

After you’ve said I do, you can celebrate a few ways depending on your style! You can opt to bring a picnic with you to enjoy- think charcuterie style, a champagne bottle, or even a celebratory dessert. Or, it could be as casual as stopping by a local restaurant for food/drinks. Or if you want to really elevate your experience you could hire someone to setup a romantic private dinner, or maybe you want a catered dinner back at your rental with your loved ones. There is no one way, or right way of celebrating, but you get to decide.

Activities + Fun Ideas

Elopements give you the freedom to incorporate fun activities if you choose. For those looking to fill their elopement day with a fun itinerary you might incorporate any of the following:

  • Horse Back Riding, you can take a leisure ride to the beach or even through the redwoods, upon my research I even saw a few couples use the horses to get to their ceremony location (how fun)! Check out Crescent Trail Rides they have a dedicated ride for elopements!

  • Write “Just Married” on your car.

  • Have a picnic.

  • Play card games on the beach.

  • Take a hike.

  • Look for rocks + stones along the coast.

  • Go swimming, tubing, or kayaking at Smith River

  • Go animal watching and see the elk grazing.

  • Head to one of the local casinos for some good luck.

  • Go fishing on a local charter.

  • Have loved ones write you letters that you can read on the day of.

That’s it!

Remember an elopement is about you two coming together to share your vows and commit your lives to one another in a way that reflects who you both are. Enjoy, have fun, and go with the flow.

Hi there,I’m Nelly!

YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER & GUIDE

READY FOR ME TO CAPTURE YOUR CALIFORNIA REDWOODS & COASTAL ELOPEMENT? AWESOME! REACH OUT AND LET’S CHAT

Nallely Cabanillas
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