South Mountain, New Jersey Engagement – Looking for an enchanted forest vibe to your engagement or pre-wedding photos? South Mountain Reservation in West Orange, NJ has our jaws dropping to the floor with its flowing waterfalls, towering trees, and lush green backdrops.

The park is big, and depending on the length of your engagement session, it may be worth it to stick to one side of the park.

MAP

We’ll be sticking mostly to a small, easy to navigate area near Old Short Hills Park. Here, you’ll find fewer waterfalls, but the gorgeous, thick canopy of trees makes us feel like we’re inside a fairytale!

On a nice day, the sun shines into the clearings bright and hot. There’s a hill that extends into the clearing a few hundred feet; perfect for running down!! This pre-wedding photography session, we decided to lean into the idea of childhood memories. Let out your inner child! Walk on a log like a balance beam! Run down the hill and hold hands!

When you enter through this side of the park, you can peek into a swan lake on the other side! The reservation actually sits on privately owned land. Unfortunately, you can’t explore and photograph in all these areas, but it’s very pretty to sneak a glance into!

After wandering through the forests, you can drive up to this little lookout point over the water. The green of the trees casts shadows on the water, making it the perfect spot to sit and enjoy some sunshine. There’s a small parking area that can fit probably two or three cars. Across the street, Zoe and Mike pointed out an old graffitied building; one that they remembered from their teenage years that was once a popular spot to be a rebel.

Final Tips

This dreamy location felt truly magical. We can’t wait to go back and explore the rest of the park! Highly recommend a South Mountain Reservation New Jersey Engagement session; it was a hot and sunny day, and the trees provided the perfect amount of shade. For sunnier areas, like the clearing, I highly recommend sunscreen and perhaps even an umbrella to create shade. Make sure you bring a bottle of bugspray! Any time you’re capturing in a woodsy area in the summer, the mosquitoes are real!