Today on the blog we’re leaving Florida for a trip up to Oregon! I absolutely love traveling for weddings and elopements. I make sure to take time for myself to travel for fun and inspiration as well. Right before the COVID-19 pandemic, I traveled to Oregon. I’m so happy I was able to get there while traveling was still easy to do! I did get to capture beautiful elopements while I was there and got a lot of hiking in! Its amazing how many beautiful elopement locations are in Oregon.

I think it’s so important to travel and experience new things because it grows how we see our world, our life experiences, and brings inspiration outside of your normal daily life. Being a Destin wedding photographer, I love to take my camera and photograph people in other areas of our country because there is so much beauty in the differences of a Florida beach versus an Oregon beach, and it gets my creative juices flowing! So I wanted to share some photos I took on our trip to Oregon and also give you my top 6 elopement locations in Oregon.  

1. Cannon Beach 

You’ve probably heard of this spot for good reason. It’s a very popular beach and was even voted as one of the 21 Best Beaches in the World by National Geographic! This is where Haystack Rock is, which is a super recognizable landmark in Oregon. And fun fact, part of The Goonies was filmed here! I was able to do a styled shoot here and it was so dreamy even if it was cold when I went. This is a spot I would recommend for everyone to visit! 

2. Treasure Cove

Not too far down the coast from Cannon Beach is Treasure Cove. I was able to do a styled shoot here as well and it is a sight to see. It is more remote than Cannon Beach and has huge cliffs that you can look out onto the ocean. It makes you feel so small, in a good way, to be standing up on those cliffs and looking out at the ocean. This is definitely a must see! 

3. Toketee Falls

This is where some hiking came in but it was so worth it! This was a .8 mile hike and takes you to the waterfall, which is another popular Oregon landmark. It’s actually a double waterfall, with a top fall that streams into the bottom one. Located in Umpqua National Forest, on the AllTrails hiking app it’s rated as an easy hike.

4. Umpqua Hot Springs

Speaking of Umpqua National Forest, we also visited the Umpqua Hot Springs! There is again a hike to this spot but at the end of the hike you get to soak in the hot springs. Not only was it in a beautiful area but so relaxing to be able to get into the springs. A quick funny story for you; when we arrived at the hot springs I was shocked to see two naked men standing there at the springs! I laugh when I even think about this because I was so not prepared, so maybe just make sure to be prepared for a show when you get there. 

5. Oregon Sand Dunes 

The Oregon Sand Dunes are a part of the Siuslaw National Forest. This is one example of why I loved Oregon so much because there is such a variety of landscape. These dunes feel otherworldly and they are actually the largest coastal dunes in North America! A cool thing to do here is to ride ATV’s through the dunes to explore but if you visit any time soon you may want to check what operations they have during COVID-19.  

6. Diamond Lake

To round out my top favorites list is Diamond Lake. The lake was frozen over in March so we were actually able to walk on it which was a unique experience! There is a lodge right next to the lake that was built in the 1920’s and they have year round things to do. In the summertime there is horseback riding, hiking, and biking and in the winter they have skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling and snowshoeing, so whenever you visit this is a spot you can’t miss! 

I hope you enjoyed my wrap up of some of my top favorite elopement locations in Oregon! I would definitely recommend visiting this area.

Contact me and I will be happy to give any advice!