Stout Grove ceremony followed by a beach picnic

Redwoods Elopement Guide

As the tallest trees in the world, Redwoods leave observers awestruck, dumbstruck, with blown minds, and any other adjective you can think of along those lines. But the parks that contain these magnificent trees offer more than just the main attraction. With rugged coastline, wild rivers, other fauna, and even open prairies, the Redwoods park system has an awe-inspiring ecosystem. It’s the perfect setting for elopements, micro weddings, and engagements that will have family and friends talking about it for a lifetime.

The Redwoods park system contains three state parks and one national park that extends loosely all the way up the North Coast to Oregon. The combined land area within Humboldt and Del Norte counties is a massive 139,000 acres and features landscapes full of temperate rainforests and grassland prairies. For a wedding or elopement, you can conduct your ceremony within one of these parks:

Redwood National Park
Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park

Best Locations in Redwoods National Park

ELK MEADOW

Located just near Orick, California, this meadow is majestic and can serve as a solid launching point for a photo session in Redwood National Park. It’s called Elk Meadow because of the Roosevelt Elk that roam the area.

TALL TREES GROVE

The name speaks for itself, as this area has tons of towering redwoods all around. You’ll have to hike a little further to get to this area, but when you do, you’ll know why. It’s another superb area for spotting elk as well.

BALD HILLS

Once you’ve spent enough time in the forest, the Bald Hills area provides a break and an opportunity to get a better view of things from a higher elevation. It provides an amazing contrast in landscape and is a true testament to the preservation efforts the parks service has done in the area.

LADY BIRD JOHNSON TRAIL - CEREMONIES NOT ALLOWED

At sunset, this location is simply phenomenal as the rays peek through ancient Redwood groves. Located near Orick and about a thousand feet above sea level, it’s one of the most popular trails in the Redwoods park system. You can’t have a ceremony on the trail, but there are plenty of opportunities for photo sessions along the way.

Del Norte Coasts

CRESCENT BEACH OVERLOOK

Located right off the 101, the Crescent Beach Overlook provides easy access to some of the most stunning views of the Pacific Ocean on the entire coast. For a photo spot, it's exceptional, as you have an opportunity to park the car and not walk very far to get some great shots.

Jedediah Smith

STOUT GROVE - CEREMONIES NOT ALLOWED

Stout grove is one of the smaller groves in the Redwoods. Though the grove is small, the trees are certainly not! At 300ft tall with little underbrush, you and guests will be stunned by its magnificence. Photos can never trump an in-person experience, but friends and family who see the pictures will understand why you chose this grove.

BOY SCOUT TREE TRAIL

Located close to Stout Grove (see below), this photogenic area features old-growth redwoods with centuries of history. It’s considered one of the most beautiful hikes in all the redwood parks and creates the perfect background for elopement and wedding photos.

Prairie Creek

FERN CANYON - CEREMONIES NOT ALLOWED

If you like Jurassic Park, this area is where many of the movie’s most famous scenes were shot. Naturally, it was already a world-renowned destination for its amazing fauna and picturesque creeks. You can’t have a ceremony here, but there’s no reason to miss out on the photo opportunities provided by this mesmerizing canyon.

GOLD BLUFFS BEACH

Few things in this world compare to the phenomenal sunsets you’ll see at Gold Bluffs Beach. It’s the only area in the park with a campground on the beach, so it creates a unique opportunity to park and have a memorable photography experience. Plus, it’s one of the few places in the world where you might see elk, dolphins, and whales all on the same day!

Best trails in the Northern Redwoods state parks:

IN JEDEDIAH SMITH STATE PARK:

Stout Memorial Grove Trail
Simpson Reed Trail
Boy Scout Tree Trail
IN PRAIRIE CREEK REDWOODS STATE PARK:
James Irvine Trail
Fern Canyon Trail
Cathedral Trail

Wedding Permits

You may or may not need a special use permit for all three Redwoods State Parks and Redwood National Park. I can call the park’s permit department for you to find out (based on your plans) if your ceremony requires a permit or not. The parks department considers these permits to be non-exclusive, so you’ll need to maintain access for other visitors at all times.

Approved and prohibited ceremony locations

Approved locations:

Note that the list shows the max number of participants for your ceremony; NOT guests. You’ll need to include the officiant and any other individuals who are not guests on your count.

Templeman Grove - 20 participants
Organ Donor’s Grove - 20 participants
River Trail - 8 participants
Crescent Beach Day Use (available Oct 25th – May 1) - 20 participants
Crescent Beach Overlook (available Oct 25th – May 1) - 20 participants
High Bluff Overlook - 20 participants
Merriman Grove - 8 participants
Zig Zag #2 - 10 participants
Schmidt Grove - 20 participants
Prairie Creek Amphitheater (available Oct 25th – May 1) - 20 participants
Lost Man Creek Gate - 20 participants
Berry Glen - 6 participants

The Couple

Faith reached out to me and said that they chose the Redwoods as their elopement location because it had always been a dream of hers (and her moms’) to see the Redwoods one day, and from a financial standpoint eloping made a lot more sense for them! Instead of spending a ridiculous amount of money on a venue and catering, they used their elopement budget to road trip from Texas with their family - stopping at several National Parks along the way that they had never been to before! Why spend thousands on a one night party when you can spend a whole WEEK exploring with your partner and family or friends?! That’s one of my favorite aspects of planning an elopement or micro wedding - you have more funds to put toward EXPERIENCES with your people rather than dinner for a hundred guests or a venue to party in for 5 hours!

They rented an old 70’s riverfront home not too far outside of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and got ready there together, and then we all caravanned over to Stout Grove. At Stout Grove they did their first look, followed by private vows.

After portraits amongst the ferns and giant Redwood trees, we met up with their family and found the perfect little trail to have their ceremony. Faith’s dad walked her down the aisle and then officiated their ceremony, it was the sweetest thing! During their ceremony family stood close by, smiling and praying over them. They did a unity sand vase, and Faith could hardly contain her excitement before being pronounced husband and wife! It was the cutest intimate ceremony and so special to share with family.

After lots of hugs, wiping away tears, and some celebrating we did epic family photos amongst the giant trees.

After family portraits, we headed into Brookings and grabbed sushi, because why not have sushi on your elopement day?! We caravanned up the Oregon Coast to Samuel H Boardman where we would hike down to Secret Beach for the evening. They hauled down a cake, lots of blankets for the picnic setup, sushi, coats, drinks, and more! It was quite the adventure down.

Once at the beach they laid out the cutest picnic setup with colorful blankets they had brought from back home, and gorgeous glasses. We sat on the shore, enjoyed our sushi and took in the views. It was so fun watching them all take in the Oregon Coast beauty for the first time!

And to end the night of course we took some beautiful portraits in the sand at Secret Beach as the sun dipped down behind the clouds. I brought my fun lanterns to grab a few quick shots as the light began to disappear from the sky.