This elopement style photo session at Max Patch in North Carolina was such a fun mini adventure!
First, heads up to anyone thinking of eloping here. There is a 6ish mile dirt road drive to reach it that is 100% worth it for the spectacular views, but may not be kind to small cars. I have an SUV and was bouncing around quite a bit on the way up! But as always, coming back down was a breeze. You’ll want to allow for enough extra time to get up that road since you can rarely go faster than 15 miles per hour. I suggest adding about 10-20 minutes onto what the gps tells you.
Once you arrive, the “easy trail” to the top is in fact easy with a gradual slope where you’ll find wide open spaces with lovely views in all directions and many spots just waiting for an elopement ceremony. The ombre mountain backdrop is hard to beat and there’s even a cute little wooden fence perfect for photo ops. This location can get pretty crowded, especially on weekends. A weekday elopement is your best bet to avoid the mass of hikers, campers and other photo seekers that swarm the mountain on weekends. After your ceremony is over and photos taken you can use the other, harder trail to head back down (far easier this way) and pass through wooded scenery and even wildflowers.
This short hike at Max Patch is absolutely something I plan to do again and hope to have many elopements and couple’s sessions here. If I had to pick a place to get married myself this one would be at the top of the list. It was a bit overcast after a rain shower this time but sometimes you gotta embrace that and luckily this couple brought all the light we needed.
If you’re reading this and looking to get married in an intimate elopement on Max Patch in the mountains send me a message and lets chat about capturing your big day, rain or shine!
