Olympic National Park is one of the MOST versatile, jaw-dropping locations in the entire state of Washington! From moss-covered forests to rocky beaches to crystal clear lakes, it has it ALL. You seriously cannot go wrong picking it as your Washington elopement location. The only hard part is, how do you choose WHERE in the park to elope?! Lucky for you I’m giving you 6 of the best places to elope in Olympic National Park. Keep reading to find out which one is your dream adventure elopement location!

6 of the Best Places to Elope in Olympic National Park

1. The Hoh Rain Forest

The Hoh Rain Forest is one of the most insane spots inside this national park. If you are a forest lover you HAVE to consider this spot for your ceremony.

The Location

This forest is on the west side of Olympic National Park, right between Port Angeles & Kalaloch. It’s about a two hour drive from Port Angeles and less than an hour from Forks. To get there you take the Upper Hoh Road (pretty easy to find) off of Highway 101.

The Landscape

Oh man I will NEVER ever get over how unique this forest is. You probably already know PNW forests are a dream, but this one takes it up level. The Hoh Rain Forest is filled with trees covered in the most beautiful green moss. Which creates an absolutely incredible green canopy everywhere you look. It’s as LUSH as you could ever dream of, plus there are the coolest tree roots & shapes everywhere you go.

The Climate

Now we all know how much rain the PNW gets. That’s exactly why this forest is so damn green and lush. It gets an average of 140 inches of precipitation each year. There’s a high likelihood you’ll get rained on if you visit the rainforest no matter what time of year, the resulting greenery is pure magic. Isn’t rain on your wedding day good luck anyway? 😉

Hoh Rain Forest Elopement Inspiration

Mayra + Russ visited the Hoh Rain Forest on their elopement day, check out some of their stunning ceremony photos below! They were even lucky enough to get some sun shinin’ through the trees!

2. Ruby Beach

Ruby Beach is most likely the beach you’ve seen photos of if you’ve looked at the Washington coast. For a damn good reason!

The Location

Ruby Beach & the Kalaloch area are on the southwest coast of the Olympic Peninsula right off Highway 101. It’s just under a 2-hour drive from Port Angeles and only 30 minutes from Forks!

The Landscape

Ruby Beach is truly one of the most unique, PNW-esque beaches ever. It’s not like the beaches you’ll find in Maui or California. Instead, it’s full of driftwood, moody skies, crazy cool rock formations, and the most incredible sunsets. It seriously looks like it’s straight off of a postcard, does it not?!

The Climate

Again, this beach is NOT a warm & sunny beach in Hawaii. Ruby Beach is chilly year round but it has moderate weather compared to the rest of the park. You will often get more sun along the peninsula than in the rainforest or the mountains. Hopefully you’ll get to catch one of Ruby Beach’s glorious sunsets!

Ruby Beach Elopement Inspiration

Due to my love for Ruby Beach, I have a whole article on How to Elope on Ruby Beach that you can check out for info on lodging, permits, & more!

3. Hurricane Ridge

If you’re looking for an easily accessible location with incredible views then this is the place for you!

The Location

Hurricane Ridge sits 17 miles, about a 40-min drive south of Port Angeles along Hurricane Ridge Road. It’s also about a 2 hour drive from Forks. This is a great spot if you’re looking to stay closer to Port Angeles while still getting mountain views!

The Landscape

The views from Hurricane Ridge are to DIE for. Especially since you aren’t required to hike 10 miles to get to the top. You can literally drive up Hurricane Ridge Road, step out of your car, and be right where you get the incredible views! If you’re not looking to hike on your elopement day I would consider Hurricane Ridge! You will still get amazing views of the Olympics.

The Climate

One important thing to keep in mind is that Hurricane Ridge is at a higher elevation. This means it can get snowy and icy really fast in the winter. The road up to the top is scheduled to be open on weekends throughout the winter-as long as conditions allow. Be aware that if you’re eloping in the winter you may need to have a backup plan in place due to snow!

Hurricane Ridge Elopement Inspiration

Mayra + Russ also visited Hurricane Ridge on their elopement day. We got some bomb ass couples portraits in the SUN. Take a look at these cuties below!

4. Lake Crescent

Olympic National Park not only has a stunning coastline, but alsoooo has one of the most beautiful lakes ever, Lake Crescent! If you’re looking for a spot to elope by the water but not by the ocean this is the place for you.

The Location

Lake Crescent is located in the northern foothills of the Olympics, about a 30-minute drive west of Port Angeles & a 40-minute drive east of Forks. It’s easy to get to!

The Landscape

The water in this lake is unreal! It’s a super deep lake that was formed long ago when glaciers carved out the valleys! Cool af right?! With views of the Olympics all around you and beautiful green trees bordering the water, it’s the perfect place for a peaceful lakeside elopement.

The Climate

In the summer time Lake Crescent is such a fun place to go! Due to the fact that you can rent kayaks or go for a swim! Since it is water in the middle of a mountain range it gets pretty chilly, easily once temperatures drop. Def not a place you want to go swimming in the middle of the winter unless you’re down for a polar bear plunge – in which case, be my guest & I’ll stay warm while grabbing all the good pics.

Lake Crescent Elopement Inspiration

Alexandra and Austin said their vows on a cloudy day right in front of Lake Crescent with their closest loved ones watching from the beach. How much prettier could it get?

5. Marymere Falls

Didn’t I tell you that this park has it all?! Beaches, lakes, rainforests, and even waterfalls!!

The Location

Marymere Falls is a super beautiful waterfall right near the shores of Lake Crescent. Making it a perf spot to hit up after saying your vows lakeside and it’s only a 1.8 mile roundtrip hike! 

The Landscape

The waterfall is surrounded by dark rocks and green moss making it a lush AF spot to visit for classic PNW waterfall vibes. Let’s sneak you away from your fam after you say your vows and head to this beautiful spot in the forest for some portraits!!

The Climate

You’ll get the same weather here as you will at Lake Crescent since it’s right next to the lake. You’ll probably be more sheltered from any wind since you’re in the forest 🙂

Marymere Falls Elopement Inspiration

Abbey + Luke hit up Marymere Falls for some gorg couples portraits, embracing allll the mist from the falls and having a blast in the rain.

6. Rialto Beach

Finally, let’s talk about Rialto Beach, this is another popular beach along the peninsula you may have seen in photos before.

The Location

Rialto Beach is a 1.5-hour drive from Port Angeles & is about an hour north of Ruby Beach, for context. Making it not too hard to hit up both beaches if you want to on your elopement day!

The Landscape

Rialto Beach gives us another unique PNW beach that is full of driftwood, large waves and tons of sea stacks. You really cannot beat the views you get from this coastline!!

The Climate

Just like the rest of the peninsula, Rialto Beach never gets truly *warm*. Its warmest months are June-September. No matter what month you elope in or where you choose to elope, prepare for any type of weather. Olympic National Park’s climate is truly unpredictable!

Rialto Beach Elopement Inspiration

I did an adventure session with Alexandra + Austin where we had a freakin’ blast exploring Rialto Beach! We got classic PNW moodiness with clouds, gray skies, and fog everywhere – it was suchhh a stunning afternoon with these two.

One thing to keep in mind: travel between locations

To finish off this blog post, remember that you’ll need to plan for travel time between locations! Not every location I mentioned is super close to the others. You will need to look at a map and plan for how much time it’ll take to travel between the locations. Don’t worry-I can help ya out with this and we can always do a day after adventure session if we can’t quite fit all the locations you wanna visit into one day!!

And with that – happy location-picking! Let me know if you need a talented, experienced photog to tag along with ya and help you pick your dream Olympic National Park elopement location 😉