Where is the best place to elope?
Our top 4 favorite spots for elopements as elopement photographers
Best spot to elope #1- Redwoods National Park
This blog covers everything you need to know about finding the best place to elope in the United States, especially if you don’t want to hike 10 miles for epic views.
The best 4 places to elope from an elopement photographer are: Redwoods national park (near Fern Canyon), Olympic national park (we will focus on Ruby beach here), Glacier national park, and Yosemite national park. All of these parks have gorgeous scenery, photograph well, and have multiple options for scenery within each park. All of these parks are relatively easy to access, don’t require strenuous hiking, and have gorgeous views for an iconic elopement experience.
Glacier National Park Elopement
All of these national park spots to elope will give you amazing photos. This list is in reverse order, with our top favorite being last. Keep reading for examples of the best places to elope in the U.S.
Best place to elope #4: Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park Elopement
Glacier National Park is an epic place for eloping. It’s a popular national park, but there are countless options for your elopement ceremony and photos. Glacier National Park is similar to Yosemite National Park in its crowd sizes, wait time to get into the park, some similar views, drive time, ease (or difficulty) of lodging, lodging pricing, etc. However, the scenery is greener than Yosemite and has amazing lakes with gorgeous blue-green hues. There are spots that require hiking, but there are many spots that require almost no hiking.
Why we love Glacier National Park
Scenery
The scenery in Glacier National Park gives you a diverse feel, with some areas providing mountain landscapes and others with water. And others, with water as well as mountain landscapes.
There is a giant looping road that goes from one of four entrances. The most popular locations are on the West side, however, the East has some iconic spots worth visiting, and crowds aren’t quite as big. However, keep in mind, the wind is stronger on the East and hair will be flying.
Minimal Hiking options
Just like our other favorite spots to elope, you have the option to hike or not hike. Some locations are a long drive, while others are close together. And when it comes to hikes, there are long treacherous hikes and also easy hikes on paths without hills.
Recommended for multi-day elopements
Because a lot of driving is involved, I recommend doing a multi-day elopement in Glacier, so that you can explore the East side on one day and the West side on the other. Glacier can be fairly bright and the time of day is important for photos, so for that reason I do recommend timing your elopement to do first look and vows with portraits on day 1 and more adventurous portraits on day 2.
Best spot to elope #3: Yosemite National Park in Mariposa County, California.
Best place to elope: Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park has lots of areas within the park that look very different from one another. There are the popular spots up top, including Taft Point and Glacier Point, and then there are other gorgeous spots below, including El Capitan and Cathedral Beach.
Why we love Yosemite National Park
Of course, Yosemite has amazing views for your elopement. But it also has a very unique feel, with all the outdoorsy vibes.
Epic spots to elope without in sane hiking: While hiking is popular for eloping, not everyone wants to hike a mountain and sweat before saying their vows. The great thing about Yosemite National Park for eloping is you have the option to do a long hike or just walk a few steps from your car to a scenic view.
Scenery will always be our number one reason our favorite spots make these lists. I mean, we’re photographers and videographers… the view matters.
Real elopement in Yosemite National Park
I have lots of tips and information on eloping at Yosemite National Park, including things to avoid and advice I wish I knew in another post found here.
Best spot to elope #2: Redwoods National Park in Humboldt County, California.
Redwoods National Park Elopement
Redwoods National Park has amazing spots for eloping everywhere you go, but my favorite way to photograph the Redwoods is near Klamath, California.
We start off by having you two get coffee, documenting you both writing your vows down, and then some getting ready portraits. We do an intimate first look and then head off to a spot with plenty of Redwoods to say your vows.
After your vows, we head a few minutes over to Fern Canyon, for an epic “hike” (if you can call it that) where several Jurassic Park scenes were filmed. It’s really a walk with amazing photo-opps. After Fern Canyon, we walk over to Gold Bluffs Beach and have you do your first dance, a “champagne” spray (sparkling water to be compliant with leave no trace principles) or crack a couple bottles of beer, whichever you decide in the planning process. And then we set up a delicious charcuterie board for the two of you to munch on. (We send a questionnaire in the planning process where you can choose between a few options if charcuterie isn’t your thing.)
Why I love Redwoods National Park for elopements:
Scenery
-Redwoods National Park is one of the best places to elope because of it’s scenery. I think this is obvious, but the views are one of a kind. With giant sequoias, ferns, greenery, and beaches, it makes our list for “best spot to elope” for a reason.
Beach in Redwoods National Park
Intimacy
-Eloping at Redwoods National Park is an intimate experience. We go to the right spots at the right times for minimal crowds, and you’ll get to enjoy the presence of your significant other without distractions.
Proximity
-There are several locations close together that have different vibes. Having all 3 locations gives your day a diverse feel and helps the final gallery tell your elopement story in a unique way.
Intense hiking not needed
-While walking will definitely be happening, you don’t have to hike a steep 7 miles to get gorgeous views.
Best place to elope #1: Ruby Beach in Olympic National Park
Ruby Beach is a stunning spot for your elopement, and is where we spend a lot of our time! We do an elopement package where we adventure with you two for vows, first dance, charcuterie, and star gazing if the weather permits.
Why we love it: Ruby Beach is similar to the Redwoods in many ways (they’re basically tied for us.)
Scenery:
The scenery at Ruby Beach has mountain vibes and forest on one side and a beach with sea stacks and amazing sunsets on the other. Ruby Beach is near Forks, Washington, which Twilight fans love.
Ease of access:
While there is walking involved, again, there is no in sane sweat-inducing hiking. It’s fairly chill, although there are logs throughout the beach and natural terrain we’ll navigate through.
Sunrise and sunset:
The sunrise and sunset at Ruby Beach is iconic, and hits at just the right spots behind the sea stacks. Unless you have a rainy and overcast day, you’ll get the glowy golden hour of your dreams, with epic views all around.
Gorgeous on overcast and sunny days:
-Weather and lighting impact photos a LOT. And no matter what weather you get at Ruby Beach, the photos are in sanely magical.
I prefer the driving treks for Ruby Beach and the Redwoods, as you have a bit of a drive from your lodging to the scenery, but then everything is close together. Whereas the other parks do require lots of driving to get to each spot and then back to lodging, and lodging at the park can be very expensive but not very luxurious, depending on where you stay.
To summarize, all 4 of these spots are amazing for eloping due to their scenic views and intimate experience.
If we were to have a set of winners, the Redwoods and Olympic National Park are the best spots for eloping for many many reasons: the scenery, proximity of scenic areas, ease of getting around on the location, and safer driving back to lodging from the park. Olympic and Yosemite National Parks can be scary and long if you don’t stay inside the park, taking you through winding roads for what can seem like eternity. Of course, this depends on where you go in the park, but in our experience, the Redwoods and Olympic parks felt safer in comparison. While Redwoods and Ruby Beach have crowds, the crowds are much bigger at Yosemite and Glacier. Ruby Beach and Redwoods is a more intimate experience and gives you iconic photos no matter the weather.
I would love to help you plan your elopement and photograph your experience! We do all-inclusive elopement packages, or photo-only packages and would love to hear about your love story!
Contact us here to chat more about your elopement: