How to Plan Your National Park Elopement (Updated for 2026)

Written By Katie McNaught

If you’re looking to elope, you’ve probably seen dozens of photos of couples in picture perfect locations, many of which are in national parks. Unfortunately, you can’t just up and elope in a national park without doing some pre-planning first. But! While every park is unique in its rules and regulations, the process is usually pretty straight forward for getting married in a national park, and it’s cheaper to elope in a national park than to rent a venue in much less cool, much less scenic areas.

Below I’ve outlined everything you need to know before eloping in a national park from rules and regulations, permits, leave no trace principals, and my personal favorite parks that I think are perfect for eloping.

Table of Contents

  • Why elope in a national park?

  • National park elopement rules and regulations

    • National park elopement permits and fees

    • Leave No Trace

  • Where to elope in a national park

    • The best national park wedding venues

    • Best national parks to elope in

  • The best national park elopement accomodations

  • National park elopement cost

Why elope in a National Park?

Cheap Wedding Venues

Most national park permits are $300 or less, which is significantly cheaper than most venues. Some national parks even have spaces to accommodate larger groups, like amphitheaters and spaces with seating for up to a hundred or more people. National parks also often have picnic areas and roofed structures you can use for a mini reception if you have guests.

Tons of Adventure Elopement Activities

National parks are home to hiking trails, scenic drives, unique ecosystems and wildlife, changing leaves, scenic boat rides, rock climbing routes, dark skies for stargazing, and a number of other activities depending on the park. If you’re an outdoorsy person, you probably already know that a national park elopement will have endless activities for you to take part in for your elopement.

Iconic Views

If you dream of marrying under the morning light peaking over Half Dome, at the base of El Capitan, next to the pointy peaks of the Tetons, beneath the largest trees in the world, or any number of other iconic views, having a national park elopement will give you access to some of the most breathtaking and pristine scenery in the world.

Accessibility

While national parks are pretty primitive in what services and structures they offer most of the time, most parks will have paved roads to beautiful views, some developed ceremony venues, and paved trails and parking areas for guests with limited mobility. If you want to elope somewhere with beautiful natural scenery, but need handicapped access or easy to access views, national parks offer that in ways many other natural areas like BLM and notional forest land typically don’t.

National Park Elopement Rules and Regulations

National park elopement permits

No matter the national park, you’re going to need a permit to elope there. These funds go into preserving and protecting the park, and typically are in the range of $100-$300. Some national parks, like Rocky Mountain National Park, sell their permits a year in advance, only allow a limited number of permits to be given out, and sell out very quickly. Other parks sell their permits at the start of the year in January. Other parks that are less busy will let you book an elopement within a shorter time frame, like am onto or two before your wedding date.

Be sure to research the national park you want to elope in and make sure to familiarize yourself with that specific park’s permitting system, because the busier parks sell their permits out fast in advance, and most national parks require at least 6 weeks to reserve and process your permit.

Leave No Trace

Every park is different with their specific rules, but as a general guide, follow leave no trace rules: pack out what you pack in, don’t leave behind any waste of any kind (including flower petals, food, confetti of any kind, champagne corks, or any other trash, even if it’s biodegradable), don’t alter the landscape in any way, everything should look exactly the same as it did before you arrived.

Most national parks limit any music or sound systems, don’t allow dogs off paved areas, and don’t allow structures like tents, chairs, or arches. Every park is different with their rules, for example, some parks might only allow specific bouquets of native, approved flowers so invasive seeds don’t get introduced to the ecosystem, some parks only allow you to marry in approved ceremony sites, and some parks don’t allow alcohol. Be sure to review the rules of the park you choose to elope at, since planning and other vendors may revolve around what is and isn’t allowed.

Where to elope in a National Park

My favorite national park wedding venues

If you’re having a wedding of more than 15 people, you need to reserve a wedding venue. If you’d like to see a full list of various venues for elopements and micro weddings all over Colorado, check out my 100+ Small Wedding Venues in Colorado blog.

Best National Parks to Elope In

Rocky Mountain National Park- Lots of hiking trails, easily accessible mountain views

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee: $300

  • Max Guest Count: 30

  • Best time to visit: Summer&Fall

Great Sand Dunes National Park- Expansive views, unique landscape

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee: $250

  • Max Guest Count: 16

  • Best time to visit: Spring&Fall

Grand Teton National Park- Amazing mountain views, luxury accommodations

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee: $200

  • Max Guest Count: 25-40

  • Best time to visit: Summer&Fall

Glacier National Park- Epic mountain views, long days, blue glacial lakes, tons of wildflowers

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee: $125

  • Max Guest Count: $125

  • Best time to visit: Summer&Fall

North Cascades National Park- Remote wilderness, less traveled park, bright blue water

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee: $50

  • Max Guest Count: Varies

  • Best time to visit: Summer&Fall

Olympic National Park- Mix of rugged coast, rainforest, and high elevation mountain views

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee: Varies

  • Max Guest Count: Varies

  • Best time to visit: Summer&Fall

Mount Rainier National Park- Great mountain views and tons of wildflowers

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee: $60

  • Max Guest Count: Varies

  • Best time to visit: Summer&Fall

Denali National Park- Snowy peaks and rugged wilderness

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee:

  • Max Guest Count:

  • Best time to visit: Summer

Kenai Fjords National Park- Glaciers, boats, and amazing wildlife

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee: $100

  • Max Guest Count: Varies

  • Best time to visit: Summer

Wrangell St. Elias National Park- Expansive mountain views, remote rugged wilderness

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee:

  • Max Guest Count:

  • Best time to visit: Summer

Yosemite National Park- Expansive views, amazing sunrises and sunsets, waterfall views

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee: $150

  • Max Guest Count: 11-50

  • Best time to visit: Summer&Fall

Sequoia National Park- Massive trees, close to King’s Canyon

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee: $150

  • Max Guest Count: Varies

  • Best time to visit: Summer&Fall

Redwoods State and National Park- Massive trees, mossy forests, and coastline access

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee: $100

  • Max Guest Count: Varies

  • Best time to visit: Summer, Fall, Spring, Winter

Death Valley National Park- Remote wilderness, colorful rock formations, seclusion

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee: $210

  • Max Guest Count: Varies

  • Best time to visit: Winter&Spring

Joshua Tree- Fun artsy town, rock formations, cool desert landscape, cute accommodations

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee: Varies

  • Max Guest Count: 5-35

  • Best time to visit: Fall, Winter, Spring

Capitol Reef National Park- Remote desert, less explored

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee:

  • Max Guest Count:

  • Best time to visit: Fall&Spring

Arches National Park- Cool rock formations, easy hikes, lots of locations to choose from

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee: $185

  • Max Guest Count: 15-80

  • Best time to visit: Fall&Spring

Zion National Park- Lots of hiking, beautiful views, mix of red desert and greenery

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee: $100

  • Max Guest Count: 100

  • Best time to visit: Spring&Fall

Saguaro National Park- Unique desert cactus, easily accessible, beautiful sunsets and sunrises

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee: $100

  • Max Guest Count: Varies

  • Best time to visit: Winter&Spring

White Sands National Park- Otherworldly landscape, beautiful sunsets and sunrises

  • Website:

  • Permit Fee: $100

  • Max Guest Count: Varies

  • Best time to visit: Spring&Fall

The Best National Park Elopement Accommodations

 

National Park elopement cost

The cost of eloping in a national park varies widely depending on how much you want to invest in the day. If you just want to go to the courthouse and pay the license fee and get a permit for the park, then that’s all you have to do, but most people want to do more than that to really commemorate the day and make it more meaningful. Take the time to consider what you value most and prioritize your budget around that. This is a typical range of what my couples will spend on their day from simple to more luxury.

Montana Elopement Cost Breakdown

  • Marriage license: $35-$150

  • Photographer: $4000-$10,000

  • Wedding dress/suit: $1500-$4000

  • Florist: $300-$2000

  • HMUA: $400-$1000

  • Extras: $100-$300

  • 3 nights of accommodations: $450-$4000

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Total: $6335-$21,450

 
 
 

Need A Photographer to guide you for your national park elopement?

I was born and raised in the Rocky Mountains, worked as an outdoor education instructor in Rocky Mountain National Park, and have visited 26 national parks in my van, so I’m kind of an expert at this point.

I can walk you through the steps to plan a national park elopement from advising all the best spots to say your vows and take photos, creating a timeline for the day, and advising on places to stay, how to prepare for weather and outdoor activities, and any other obstacles that might come up during your day. Reach out, and we can start planning your national park elopement!

Get in touch
Katie McNaught
Next

How to Plan Your Denver Elopement (Updated for 2026)