It’s no secret that I’m madly in love with the redwoods. They’re one of my favorite places to spend time, and not only do I photograph many couples in that setting, but I got married under them! If you’re thinking about doing the same, here are my four favorite redwood elopement locations in Sonoma County to choose from.

Armstrong Redwoods in Guerneville

This is always my favorite location to recommend to couples looking to incorporate redwoods into their elopement. It’s just as beautiful as the nearby and famous Muir Woods, but far less populated. The park is situated just north of Guerneville’s downtown, the Russian River, and Korbel Champagne’s headquarters/tasting room, which makes it easy to incorporate many different activities and locations into the adventure. (One of my past couples celebrated their new engagement with their session beginning at Armstrong before taking one of Nimble & Finn’s pies to the riverfront for the second half of their session!)

Sugarloaf Ridge State Park in Sonoma

If you’re looking to stay close to the heart of wine country in Sonoma proper for your elopement (with lots to eat and drink there, it’s hard to resist!), Sugarloaf Ridge is your best bet to forest bathe under the redwoods. Redwood forest pickings are extremely slim in the highly populated and developed Sonoma Valley, so this will be your best bet to include them on your elopement day in eastern Sonoma County.

Sonoma Coast State Park in Bodega Bay

This state park is one of my favorite hidden gems when it comes to Sonoma County redwood elopement locations. There are a few groves scattered throughout the eastern side of the park with different levels of accessibility: easy walk, moderate short hike, and moderate long hike.

Grove of Old Trees in Occidental

This small preserve is owned by a local non-profit and packs a big punch! Its out-of-the-way location means it’s less trafficked and usually you’ll have the 1-2 miles of trails to yourself.

Fun fact: I love photographing here so much that I reached out to the grove’s non-profit to donate my skills as a thank you — if you click to their website you’ll see my photos at the top and bottom of the page. 😉

It’s having easy access to beautiful redwood forest locations like this that makes me so thankful to live in Sonoma County. Falling in love with them yourself? I’d love to be your unofficial tour guide and show you around my favorite nooks! Get in touch with me and let’s start planning your epic redwoods experience.