The Barn at Aspen Acres sits on 40 acres of prairie, with great views and scenery for photos on your wedding day! It’s easy, it’s right here, and it’s beautiful. But we’re only a small taste of the beauty the Black Hills has to offer. There are an infinite number of gorgeous and scenic places around our sweet town of Spearfish to take the stunning wedding photos that will hang on the walls of your home for decades to come. Here are some of our favorite locations for your offsite photo adventures:
1. Just off Exit 14 on I-90, less than 6 miles (or 12 minutes) from our site here at The Barn, you can find the entrance to Spearfish Canyon, where there is an array of unique locations to capture the perfect photos on your wedding day.
a. Bridal Veil Falls is the first big stop as you venture down. You can pull off to the side of the road and then just cross the street! There is a beautiful overlook space for you to stand, and the falls are the perfect backdrop for capturing photos of your special day with your special man. Not to mention, the name is oh so fitting! These beautiful falls are 4 miles into the canyon, and it would take you about 21 minutes to get from our location here at The Barn to Bridal Veil Falls.
b. Past Bridal Veil Falls is Iron Creek Trail. Leading beside iron creek, this trail is easy to get to, right off the road, and the beginning of the trail is just as beautiful as the rest of it, so you don’t have to walk far at all! The terrain is fairly even too, so you can even do it in those stunning stilettos if you’re feeling adventurous ;) Iron Creek is about 3 miles down the road from Bridal veil falls, and it would take you about 30 minutes to drive from The Barn to the head of the trail.
c. It’s also always a fun idea to randomly pull over to the side of the road and get some photos of you two standing on those bright yellow lines. Road shots are always an adventure, especially in the canyon with all the gorgeous scenery around you! They add so much detail and unique character to your wedding gallery, and who knows, you may even get to see a few mountain goats during your photo op, making your photos even more unique—what a fun memory, too!
2. Off Exit 17, on your way into Deadwood, you can find a turn off that will lead you and your forever to the trailhead of Friendship Tower. The base of the trail is gorgeous, and is a perfect setting for pictures, but the hike is short enough (only a half-mile) for you to take in your dress if you’re feeling up for it! (But maybe don’t wear those heals this time…) When you get to the top, the Roosevelt Friendship tower is a unique backdrop for your photos, or you can climb a dozen stairs to the top of the tower for a stunning view. Slightly farther down the path, there’s an overlook deck that faces the sunset, with a stunning view of some of our gorgeous Black Hills. There are so many good photo opportunities in this location, as long as a little hike doesn’t bother you! It would take you about 26 minutes to drive from The Barn to the base of the trail towards Friendship tower.
3. Another landmark, with a lot of different options around town, is Spearfish Creek. Spearfish creek runs through town and through the canyon--there are tons of great places you can find to pull off the road for a photo op! You can do this in the canyon, or at other locations around town. Behind Creekside Bean and Vine (a local coffee shop and wine bar), there is a great view of crow peak, and the creek is right there too! Spearfish City Park is another great location for your creek photos, or our local bike trail runs right along a few parts of the creek as well. You can always ask us for other creative and scenic ideas we may have, too! Creekside Bean and Vine is only a 6-minute drive from The Barn, and the City Park is about 12 minutes away, a little closer than making the drive into Spearfish Canyon.
4. Lookout Mountain is another beautiful backdrop here in the hills! Not far from downtown, you can find a little pull off that will lead you to a tunnel under the interstate. From there, you have so much spacious land to explore for good shots! Don’t get confused, there’s a longer hike up to the top, but the base of the trail on the front side is easy to get to, and the perfect place to take fun photos of your special day. Lookout Mountain is one of our closer off-site photo locations, only a 10-minute drive from our location here at The Barn!
If capturing some off-site photos is a desire of yours, make sure to communicate that with your photographer! It’s important to note those drive times and consider how long your photographer thinks they’re going to need to capture all the desired shots. It’s better to overestimate than underestimate these times—you don’t want to keep your guests waiting too long, let alone be late to your own ceremony or reception! Communication here is vital, so make sure to carve out an appropriate amount of time into your wedding day itinerary for these off-site adventures.
If you’re around the area, these places are great destinations for engagement photos too! So, if you plan in a little extra time, take a drive! Who knows where you’ll end up, or the memories you’ll capture along the way.
Cheers,
The Barn at Aspen Acres