If secluded beaches, dramatic cliffs, giant sea stacks, coastal forest, and the kind of views that make you want to pull over every five minutes sound like your idea of a wedding day, Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor might be your place.

This 12-mile stretch of the Southern Oregon Coast between Brookings and Gold Beach is one of my favorite places in the state. Highway 101 runs right through it, with beaches, overlooks, forests, and trails tucked all along the coastline. It’s one of those places where you can start the morning surrounded by trees, hike out to a cliff overlooking the Pacific, say your vows on the beach, and end the day somewhere completely different without spending half your elopement sitting in a car.

And there is SO much to do here. You can hike, picnic on the beach, watch for whales, bring your dogs along, get out on the water, drink really good beer, stay somewhere overlooking the Pacific, explore the redwoods just across the California border, or turn the whole thing into a two-day adventure and do a little bit of everything.

That’s what I love about planning an elopement here. We don’t have to choose one pretty location, take some photographs, and call it a wedding day. We get to figure out what you actually want to experience together and build the locations, activities, and timeline around that.

So yes, this is a big fucking guide. I’m walking you through my favorite Samuel H. Boardman elopement locations, what to do while you’re here, when to visit, where to stay, where to eat and drink, some of my favorite adventures nearby, how to get here, and the planning details you need to know before getting married along this wild piece of the Oregon Coast.

By the end, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what a Samuel H. Boardman elopement could look like. The only thing you don’t need to do is try to fit all of it into your wedding. We’ll figure out which pieces actually feel like you.

Your Samuel H. Boardman Elopement Guide: Table of Contents

• Boardman State Park Elopement Locations
• Things to Do During Your Boardman State Park Elopement
• Best Time to Visit Samuel H. Boardman State Park
• Places to Stay Near Samuel H. Boardman State Park
• Elopement Vendors near Samuel H. Boardman State Park
• Where to Eat Near Samuel H. Boardman State Park
• Best Breweries Near Samuel H. Boardman State Park
• More Adventures Near Samuel H. Boardman State Park
• How to Get to Samuel H. Boardman State Park
• Planning + Permits for Your Samuel H. Boardman Elopement
• Ready to Plan Your Elopement?

Dreamy Samuel H. Boardman State Park Elopement Locations

Samuel H. Boardman is one of those places that makes choosing a single location really difficult. The jagged coastline, hidden sandy beaches, huge rock formations, grassy cliffs, and towering trees make this one of the most beautiful places in Oregon.

You also don’t have to be someone who wants to hike ten miles in wedding clothes to experience it. There are places we can reach with a short walk, locations that take a little more effort, and plenty in between. What makes sense for your elopement depends on how much hiking you actually enjoy, who you’re bringing with you, the weather, tides, privacy, and most importantly, what you want the day to feel like.

Here are some of my longtime favorites.

Cape Ferrelo

Cape Ferrelo is such a beautiful option if you want huge coastal views without spending half the day hiking to reach them. The roughly mile-long hike starts in the deep forest before opening into grassy fields and eventually bringing you out above the rugged coastline.

The views are incredible from start to finish, but this one really shows off around sunset. During spring and fall, there’s also a chance we’ll spot migrating whales offshore, so keep your eyes on the water while we’re out there.

I love a location like this because the walk itself gets to be part of your wedding day. We aren’t hiking just to reach a photo spot. You get the forest, open meadows, ocean views, and time together along the way, which is kind of the whole point.

Secret Beach

Secret Beach may still be one of Oregon’s most heavenly spots. It’s tucked beneath the cliffs along Boardman, surrounded by forest, enormous offshore rocks, soft sand, tidepools, and the Pacific. There are very few places that feel quite like this one when the light and tides line up.

And yes, Secret Beach is much less secret than it used to be. The internet definitely knows it exists, but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful.

The trail down is rough and steep in places, and the tide absolutely matters here. At lower tides, more of the beach opens up for exploring, while higher tides can change our options pretty quickly. This isn’t somewhere I’m going to choose a ceremony time because 4:00 sounds convenient and then hope the ocean cooperates. The tide gets a vote.

When everything lines up, though, this is still one of my favorite places for vows, wandering along the beach together, a picnic, or a first dance in the sand.

Whaleshead Beach

Whaleshead Beach is a great option if you want a long stretch of coastline without committing to a difficult hike. There’s an oceanfront picnic area above the beach, an easy path down to the sand, and plenty of room to wander once you’re there.

The beach gets its name from Whaleshead Island sitting offshore, which looks a bit like a whale spouting from the water. It’s especially nice if you’re bringing family along for part of the day, planning a picnic, including your dogs, or simply want some beach time without making every location an athletic event.

And a very important bonus? There are restrooms. Not the sexiest detail in an elopement guide, but surprisingly exciting after you’ve spent several hours adventuring in wedding clothes.

China Beach

China Beach is quieter, a little more tucked away, and takes some extra effort to reach, which is part of what I love about it. The trail drops through the forest toward a secluded stretch of beach surrounded by steep slopes and offshore rock formations.

Tide timing matters here too, and sections of this coastline can become inaccessible as the water comes in. This is exactly the kind of location where knowing the landscape matters. I’ll be looking at tides, current trail conditions, weather, daylight, and how much hiking you actually want to do before deciding whether China Beach belongs in your elopement.

We don’t need to force a location into your day just because it’s beautiful. There are a lot of beautiful places here. We choose the ones that actually make sense for you.

Natural Bridges

If you’ve spent any time looking at photos of the Southern Oregon Coast, you’ve probably seen Natural Bridges. It’s one of the most recognizable spots along Samuel H. Boardman, with incredible views of the natural arches carved into the coastline below.

This is one of those places where I want you to be aware of the terrain before we head out. The area around Natural Bridges is steep, exposed, and can be dangerous, particularly once you leave the established viewpoint and trails. Conditions and access can also change along this coastline, so I’ll always check what’s currently open and what we’re working with when we’re planning your elopement.

There are some seriously incredible views here, and depending on current conditions, your comfort level, and what makes sense for your day, we’ll figure out the best way to experience it.

We get to adventure. We don’t get to ignore the safety signs.

Indian Sands Trail

Sand dunes high above the Pacific Ocean? YES PLEASE! Indian Sands is one of the most unique landscapes along Boardman. The trail takes you through the forest before opening up to these incredible sandy dunes high above the ocean, and depending on the time of year, surrounded by seagrass, wildflowers, and huge views of the Pacific.

It’s such a different landscape from the beaches and forested overlooks nearby, and that’s part of what makes this stretch of coastline so insanely cool. You can go from towering trees to sandy dunes to enormous ocean views, all within the same elopement day.

The terrain here can be steep and uneven, so how much we explore will depend on what you’re comfortable with, the conditions, and what makes sense for your day. But if running around barefoot in the sand with the Pacific below you sounds like your kind of wedding day, Indian Sands is pretty damn hard to beat.

Don’t Forget the Rest of Boardman

Cape Ferrelo, Secret Beach, Whaleshead, China Beach, Natural Bridges, and Indian Sands are some of my longtime favorites, but they aren’t the only options. Boardman is full of overlooks, picnic areas, trail sections, secluded beaches, and places like Arch Rock and House Rock that we can work into the day.

I’m also not interested in choosing your ceremony location simply because everyone else uses it. Some of my favorite elopement moments happen somewhere that wasn’t originally at the top of the couple’s Pinterest board. Tell me what you want to experience first. Then I’ll help you figure out which pieces of this coastline make sense for it.

Things to Do During Your Samuel H. Boardman State Park Elopement

From wild sand dunes and long stretches of beach to forest trails, rivers, the Pacific, and the redwoods just across the California border, there is SO much we can build into a Samuel H. Boardman elopement.

That doesn’t mean I’m going to hand you an itinerary packed with twelve activities because adventure elopements are apparently supposed to be exhausting. We can add as much or as little as actually sounds fun to you.

• Plan a romantic beach picnic. Bring your favorite foods, blankets, pillows, something good to drink, and enough time to actually sit there together and take in the fact that you just got married.
• Spend part of the day hiking. Boardman offers everything from quick walks to viewpoints to longer stretches of the Oregon Coast Trail, so you can choose based on how much hiking you genuinely want to do.
• Go whale watching. Depending on the season, we may be able to watch from one of the overlooks or make a boat trip part of your wedding weekend.
• Get out on the water. Go fishing, take a sightseeing trip, kayak nearby, or make an entire second day about being on the water.
• Bring the dogs. If they’re part of your life, let’s figure out how to make them part of your wedding too. We’ll check the rules and wildlife restrictions for the exact places we’re using and build the timeline so they can actually enjoy the day with you.
• Have dinner overlooking the Pacific. Hire a private chef, cook together, order pizza, or make an enormous charcuterie board at your rental. Fancy is optional.
• Finish the night in a hot tub under the stars. Find the right oceanfront lodging, pour yourselves something good, and let that be the end of your wedding day.
• Make it a two-day elopement. Spend one day exploring Boardman and another kayaking the Smith River, wandering through the redwoods, heading out on a boat, or doing something completely different.

A beach fire can also be such a good way to end the night when current regulations allow it, but fire restrictions change throughout the year. We’ll check the rules for your actual date instead of planning around something the coast may not let us do.

And if you keep looking at this list thinking, How the hell are we supposed to fit all of this into one day? Maybe we don’t.

This area is perfect for a two-day elopement. One day could be slower, with getting ready, your ceremony, family, dinner, and sunset somewhere along the coast. The next morning, we could get up and go kayaking, take a boat out, explore the redwoods, hike somewhere completely different, or head back out with the dogs.

Your elopement doesn’t need more activities just because they’re available, but it also doesn’t have to fit into six hours because somebody decided that’s how long weddings are supposed to take.

Best Time to Visit Samuel H. Boardman State Park

I used to say May through October was the best time to visit Boardman, and that can absolutely be a beautiful window. But after spending so much time on the Oregon Coast, I think the better answer is that it depends on what you actually want your elopement to feel like.

Late spring through early fall gives us longer days and generally more time outside to hike, explore beaches, picnic, and stick around for sunset. Spring can bring wildflowers, summer gives us those long Oregon evenings, and early fall can be absolutely gorgeous as crowds begin to thin. But I would never write off the rainy season.

Fog rolling through the trees and cliffs can completely transform this place. Clouds make the greens deeper, the ocean moodier, and everything feel a little more wild. Some of my favorite conditions along the coast aren’t the perfectly clear blue-sky days people think they’re supposed to want. Give me dramatic clouds rolling over the cliffs, fog moving through the trees, and that moody Oregon light any day.

Rain doesn’t automatically ruin an elopement here, and blue skies don’t automatically make one better. We’ll look at what you actually want to do, how much weather you’re comfortable with, daylight, tides, crowds, and seasonal conditions, then choose the time of year that makes the most sense for your version of this experience.

Places to Stay Near Samuel H. Boardman State Park

Where you stay can become such a fun part of your elopement, especially if we’re photographing you getting ready there, bringing a few of your favorite people back for dinner, hiring a private chef, soaking in a hot tub afterward, or turning the whole thing into a two-day adventure.

I love looking for places with huge ocean views, beautiful natural light, outdoor space, a hot tub, and somewhere you genuinely want to hang out rather than treating your rental like a place to dump your luggage between adventures.

A few of my longtime favorites:

1. The Private Ocean Peninsula with Epic Views 

This place is fucking ridiculous in the best way. The property sits above the ocean with huge views from the deck, and it’s the kind of place where getting ready already feels like part of your wedding rather than something we rush through before heading somewhere prettier.

I especially love that deck. Imagine coming back after your ceremony, lighting some candles, opening a bottle of wine, and eating dinner together while the Pacific stretches out below you. Hire a private chef and have them create something incredible, order pizza, or put together a giant charcuterie board. Whatever you fancy.

2. The Lookout: a Secluded Romantic Spot with Views

If privacy is high on your list, this is such a romantic option. You get beautiful views, outdoor space, a hot tub, and somewhere that feels secluded enough to actually disappear together for a while.

After spending the day hiking and exploring the coast, imagine coming back here, getting out of your wedding clothes, climbing into the hot tub, and watching the ocean together under the stars. Pretty dreamy. If you want a better feel for the house, take a video tour here. 

3. Wild Coast Lookout

Wild Coast Lookout is a little farther north of Brookings, but this gorgeous spot has panoramic ocean views, a huge deck, a hot tub, and an outdoor shower.

I especially love a place like this if you’re bringing a few of your favorite humans along. Have everyone back after the ceremony, eat dinner together on the deck, hang out for a while, and then send them on their way while the two of you stay behind with the ocean. Not a bad wedding night.

Remember, vacation rentals change all the time, so we’ll always double-check what’s actually available for your dates and whether a property works for what we’re planning before you fall completely in love with one listing.

More Adventures Near Samuel H. Boardman State Park

So you’re thinking about booking your own adventure wedding in Oregon, but you’re not sure what there actually is to do in the area. Don’t worry. As an Oregon elopement photographer and former longtime Oregon resident, I’ve spent a LOT of time exploring this corner of the world.

And there’s so much more here than the coastline itself. You have Brookings, the Smith River, the Northern California redwoods, and the Pacific all within reach, which gives us a ridiculous number of ways to build an elopement experience that feels completely your own. These are some of my absolute favorite things to do near Samuel H. Boardman during an Oregon Coast elopement.

1. Hire a Boat for a Whale Watching, Sightseeing, or Fishing Trip

Getting married on the Oregon Coast gives you the perfect excuse to actually get out on the Pacific. Depending on the season and what’s running while you’re here, we can look for whale-watching tours, sightseeing trips, or even charter a fishing boat. If fishing sounds like your kind of adventure, Tidewind Sportfishing runs fishing charters out of Brookings-Harbor.

And honestly, this is exactly the kind of experience that makes me love two-day elopements here. Imagine spending your first day hiking along Boardman, saying your vows somewhere overlooking the Pacific, and watching the sunset together. Then you wake up the next morning, throw on something warm, and head out on a boat. Your wedding experience doesn’t have to end because the sun went down after your ceremony.

2. White Water Kayaking

I do this at least once a year, and the Smith River is one of my absolute favorite experiences in this area. The water is the most beautifully clear turquoise color, and you’re paddling straight through redwood country. It’s one of those experiences that photographs don’t really prepare you for.

A MUST if you’re into kayaking.

Options range from mellower, beginner-friendly trips to more adventurous whitewater, depending on your experience and what sounds fun to you. You can even combine kayaking and biking through the redwoods if you really want to make a day of it. If you’re already traveling all the way out here to get married, adding a second day on the Smith River is such a good way to experience more of this part of the world.

3. Jedediah Redwood State Park

If you’ve never seen the redwoods before, this is a MUST DO. They are MIND BLOWING. Every time I step into this forest, I feel like I’ve been transported somewhere magical. Everything is enormous and green and quiet, and it’s hard to explain just how small you feel standing underneath trees that massive until you’re actually there. And the redwoods are close enough to Boardman that we don’t necessarily have to choose between them. Spend one day getting married along the Oregon Coast, then wake up the next morning and explore or kayak beneath the redwoods.

Two completely different landscapes in one elopement trip is pretty hard to beat.

Vendors to Consider for Your Samuel H. Boardman Elopement

Eloping doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourselves. It just means we can be intentional about who actually belongs in the day. Depending on what we’re planning, that might mean bringing in a florist, hair + makeup artist, private chef, videographer, baker, adventure guide, boat captain, or even someone who can help with your dogs while we do something they can’t safely join.

You definitely don’t need all of them. If someone will make the day easier, more delicious, more fun, or help us create an experience you couldn’t otherwise have, we’ll talk about bringing them in. If not, skip them.

Where to Eat Near Samuel H. Boardman State Park

You’ll always remember the special meal you shared as a newly married couple, which is why it’s worth thinking ahead about what you’re actually going to eat on your elopement day. And don’t worry, I’ll help you plan that part too. That’s part of my job as your Oregon elopement photographer and experience designer.

Maybe that means cocktails and dinner after spending the day exploring, pizza by the water while you’re still in your wedding clothes, or heading back to your rental for a private dinner overlooking the Pacific. It doesn’t have to be fancy. It just needs to feel like something the two of you would actually want to do after getting married.

Here are a few of my favorite spots around Brookings + Harbor:

1. SuperFly

Superfly has long been such a fun Brookings option for good food and cocktails. It’s the kind of place where you can show up hungry in your wedding clothes, order martinis, and celebrate without dinner suddenly feeling like a formal reception. Honestly, that sounds like a pretty great elopement dinner to me.

2. Zola’s on the Water

Zola’s sits at the Port of Brookings-Harbor and has a little bit of everything, including wood-fired pizza, seafood, pasta, burgers, and cocktails. One of my favorite weird little details about Zola’s has always been their pizza-box art. They even customized boxes for one of my couples, which is exactly the kind of tiny, unexpected wedding-day detail I love.

3. Fat Irish Kitchen and Pub

Fat Irish is over in Harbor and is exactly the kind of place I want after spending the day outside. Think fish and chips, burgers, sandwiches, drinks, and a laid-back atmosphere where you can actually relax for a while.

Sometimes your elopement dinner is a private chef overlooking the Pacific. Sometimes it’s a pint and something fried. Both are excellent options.

Best Breweries Near Samuel H. Boardman State Park

If you’ve read basically any of my Oregon guides, you already know beer is going to make an appearance somewhere.

1. Chetco Brewing

Chetco Brewing has long been one of my Brookings beer stops, and their Imperial Coconut Porter was always the thing I wanted people to try. If what you want after exploring the coast is a locally brewed beer somewhere casual rather than a fancy dinner, this is exactly the kind of stop that can fit naturally into the day.

2. Seaquake Brewing

If we’re heading south toward Crescent City and the redwoods, SeaQuake is absolutely worth putting on the list. They brew their own beer and have a full food menu, so it’s an easy place to land after a day exploring the Smith River or wandering beneath the redwoods. Redwoods + brewery afterward? You don’t have to ask me twice.

3. Port O’Pints

Port O’Pints is another Crescent City option with locally brewed beer and that laid-back brewery energy I always love finding when I’m traveling. If we’re spending your second day exploring Northern California, stopping somewhere like this afterward gives us a chance to slow down, eat something, drink a beer, and actually talk about everything you just did instead of immediately moving on to the next thing.

How to Get to Samuel H. Boardman State Park

For most couples flying in, Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport is one of the easiest options for getting to Samuel H. Boardman. It’s a cute little airport in Southern Oregon, and while it may be small, you can grab a rental car right there and be on your way pretty quickly. No spending half your first day navigating some enormous airport before your adventure even begins.

From Medford, you’ll rent a car and make the drive out to the Southern Oregon Coast. And you’re definitely going to want a car for this trip. Samuel H. Boardman isn’t one single park entrance or destination. It’s a 12-mile stretch of coastline along Highway 101, with beaches, trailheads, overlooks, and little pull-offs scattered along the way.

Having your own car also gives you the freedom to head into Brookings for dinner, drive down to the Smith River or redwoods, meet up for a kayaking adventure, or pull over when we find something along the coast that’s too good to drive past. The drive is part of the adventure here.

Planning + Permits for Your Samuel H. Boardman Elopement

Permits and rules along the Oregon Coast depend on exactly what we’re planning. A tiny ceremony with the two of you can be a very different situation from bringing guests, setting up chairs or an arch, working with additional vendors, or doing something that affects how other people can use the space.

The same goes for tides, trail access, fire restrictions, weather, seasonal wildlife protections, and other conditions that can change between the day you find this blog and the day you actually get married. You do not need to become an expert on all of that before you’re allowed to start dreaming about your elopement. That’s part of what I’m here for.

I’ve spent a lot of time exploring Oregon and this coastline specifically. Once I understand what the two of you actually want to experience, I’ll help you figure out which locations make sense, what permits or permissions we need, how the tides affect our plans, what the current conditions look like, and what backup options we should have in our pocket.

Experience design isn’t about throwing a bunch of cool locations onto a timeline. It’s knowing the area well enough to understand what we can realistically do with it, then using that knowledge to build something completely unique to the two of you.

Is Samuel H. Boardman State Park not the right fit? That’s fine, too! Take a look at my existing travel schedule for discounted rates to dream elopement destinations! Or, check out this list — it will help spark those adventure elopement ideas!

Ready to Plan Your Samuel H. Boardman Elopement?

If your version of getting married involves wild beaches, enormous cliffs, redwoods, dogs, turquoise rivers, beer, kayaking, a boat trip, dinner overlooking the Pacific, or some combination of all of it, I’m your girl. You don’t need to come to me knowing which trail you want, which beach has the best sunset, what the tide is doing, whether you need a permit, or how the hell we’re supposed to turn all the things you’re excited about into one actual wedding experience.

Tell me about the two of you. Tell me what you love doing together, what you definitely don’t want, and what sounds like the most fun way you could possibly spend your wedding day. I’ll help you build it from there.

LET’S DESIGN YOUR OREGON COAST ELOPEMENT →