This Falls Creek Falls Elopement was a perfect day. It’s far and away my favorite waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge area. It’s on the Washington side but a quick drive from Carson, WA. The hike in is just over 2 miles and it’s a steady uphill but very moderate for most people. It ends with the best waterfall in the region if you ask me. Michelle and Clement flew in from Canada to elope in the gorge. I also had the honor of officiating their elopement. It’s always fun for me when I get to officiate and sign the paperwork.

We lucked out with insanely good weather. I hiked out the week before to scout out where the sun would be. Knowing that we decided on a morning elopement so we could be done before the sun came over the mountain and made the waterfalls impossible to photograph well.

The trailhead itself is not hard to find. The road in is full of pot holes but you just go slow and it’s not a problem. There’s no cell service out there so I was very sure on making them use the right map so they could find the trailhead when signal drops. It’s in the heart of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest which is one of my favorite places to hike and camp in the region. Normally by this time of year the falls have dried up a bit but that’s to the insane amount of rain we’ve had all spring the falls are really full and are absolutely spectacular.

The hike in took about an hour. We took a few minutes to cool down before Michelle and Clement changed and got ready for the ceremony. There was a group of older hikers there and they were super excited that they were getting married which was really fun since they had their own personal cheerleaders. The ceremony was quick. Each read vows, exchanged rings and I pronounced them husband and wife before we climbed on down to the lower ledge to do more photos. The hike out we took our time and just enjoyed the walk stopping ever so often to take photos. Perfect day.

If you’re wanting to elope  or have intimate wedding or engagement up in the Columbia River Gorge send me a line and get in touch. The Columbia River Gorge and the surrounding areas are hands down one of the prettiest locations in Oregon/Washington. .