The Ultimate Guide to Colorado Mountain Elopements

If you’re racking your brain trying to think of where to elope in the Colorado Mountains, you’re not alone. I love helping my couples plan the elopement of their dreams, especially in a beautiful place like the Colorado Mountains! If you want a list of what your options are, along with some other helpful tips and tricks, this article is for you.

When to Elope in the Colorado Mountains

The first big thing that you are going to determine when planning your elopement is the date. Colorado sees all four seasons, and has pros and cons to each.

WINTER: Winter in Colorado will get LOTS of snow. With the high altitude, snow can even be seen on the mountains year-round. Seasonally, you have a chance of seeing snowfall in Colorado as early as September and well into May. Because of the amount of snow, there are regular road and trail closures throughout the seasons. To best prepare, research regular closures in your elopement location and have a backup plan in case you can’t access your trailhead. Layer up your clothing, and have extra traction for your shoes in case the trail is icy.

SPRING/FALL: You may see lots of mud on the trail with melting snow, but the greens are incredible! Once again, keep in mind that the precipitation is unpredictable and even well into spring, you may get a snowfall. Keep in mind to plan for road closures and backups.

SUMMER: The summer season in the Colorado mountains is short, but amazing. Wildflowers are at their peak from mid-June to the end of July, and you can hike through endless fields of flowers and mountain views. Once again, mountain precipitation can occur through the summer, and in many locations you might run into mid afternoon thunderstorms or sprinkles of rain.

(In the two-day Crested Butte Elopement below at the end of July, we saw bits of afternoon rain both days, but it was just enough to keep us cool in the midday!)

The Rocky Mountains

If you’re looking to elope in the Colorado Mountains and have an amazing adventure at the same time, you’ll most likely want to elope at Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s located in Northern Colorado, just about 55 miles northwest of Denver! Rocky Mountain National Park is home to Colorado’s highest mountain, as well as many other beautiful ones that would be the perfect backdrop for your elopement.

Can You Get Married at Rocky Mountain National Park?

First thing’s first: can you legally get married at Rocky Mountain National Park? The answer is yes, of course! There are multiple different pre-approved ceremony locations that you can hold your wedding, which are the locations that we’ll be discussing in this blog. There are certain guest count restrictions for each site, but don’t worry, we’ll get into that as well!

Rocky Mountain National Park Wedding Sites

If you want to see photos of all 9 of these ceremony sites, you can do so on nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/wedding_locations

3M CURVE: For this Rocky Mountain National Park wedding site, the guest count limit is 15 and only 3 vehicles are permitted. It’s about 3.5 miles from the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, and there’s a large rock outcrop that overlooks breathtaking mountains, meadows, and moraines.

ALLUVIAL FAN BRIDGE: Best for off-season elopements or sunrise elopements in the summer*
If you want to have your Colorado mountains elopement at Alluvial Fan Bridge, you can have up to 20 guests in attendance. Keep in mind that the vehicle limit is 5, so you may want to encourage your guests to carpool. This site is 7 miles from Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, right on Old Fall River. There’s a large, boulder-strewn waterfall, wooden foot bridge, and aspen trees decorating the scenery of Alluvial Fan Bridge. It gets pretty busy in the summer, so keep that in mind!

BEAR LAKE NATURE TRAIL Best for weekday elopements*
If you’re planning your Colorado elopement at Bear Lake Nature Trail, your guest count limit is 20 and the vehicle limit is 5. There are no weddings permitted on the weekend, so it’s a great excuse to have a weekday elopement! This site is closed for ceremonies the Friday before Memorial Day weekend all the way through Columbus Day. It’s located 11 miles from the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, and the views are fantastic. It’s perfect for a lakeside elopement, although it is pretty busy year-round. It’s encouraged to have your elopement early in the morning or later in the evening.

COPELAND LAKE (WILD BASIN AREA)
This is yet another option if you want to have a lakeside Colorado elopement, but more suited if you have a higher guest count. For Copeland Lake, you can have up to 30 of your closest friends & family, and the vehicle limit is 10. It’s about 13 miles from Beaver Meadows Visitor Center on Highway 7 in Wild Basin, which is quite a beautiful area. The lake has some pretty amazing mountain views, and it’s a forested area lined with a few aspen trees here and there.

HARBISON MEADOW PICNIC AREA (WEST SIDE NEAR GRAND LAKE)
If you don’t mind some wildlife popping in to say hello while you elope in the Colorado mountains, Harbison Meadowis a beautiful ceremony site. It is on the west side of the park, and is adjacent to Trail Ridge Road. For this location, the guest count limit is 30 and the vehicle limit is 10.

LILY LAKE DOCK
Another intimate lakeside setting, Lily Lake Dock has 360 degree mountain views as well as a walking trail that would be a perfect spot for photos. It’s about 6.4 miles from Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, and the guest count limit is 10, along with the vehicle limit. It’s important to note that not all trials in Rocky Mountain are wheelchair accessible, but this one is!

LILY LAKE TRAIL/SOUTHSIDE PICNIC AREA Best for intimate receptions*
If you don’t want to have your ceremony right on the dock, you can actually have it on the trail if you prefer. There is a picnic area if you wanted to have a simple post-elopement meal for you and your guests, which not many ceremony sites offer. In fact, this is the only location that you can have any sort of “reception” after your elopement. The trail guest limit is 20, while the picnic area guest limit is 30.

MORAINE PARK VISITOR CENTER AMPHITHEATER
This Colorado mountain elopement site is just 2.7 miles away from the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center on Bear Lake Road. If you choose to elope here, you’ll be surrounded by pine trees, have stunning views of Moraine Park, and you can even bring your pup if they’re on a leash! The guest count limit is 20, and the vehicle limit is 10.

SPRAGUE LAKE
Sprague Lake is a pretty busy area, but for good reason. The dramatic mountain views are good enough reason to elope here, but preferably early in the morning before visitors start rolling in! In the summertime, the guest count is 15 and the vehicle count is limited to 3. In the wintertime, they’re a little more lenient and will allow up to 30 guests and 10 vehicles! If you choose to elope here in the winter though, be mindful of possible road closures. Your wedding also cannot occupy the picnic sites by you or your guests.

TIMBER CREEK CAMPGROUND AMPHITHEATER
Timber Creek Campground is the only campground located on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park. There are partial views of the Colorado River, and this site is about 8 miles north of the Great Lake entrance. There is very limited parking at this campground, and the guest count limit is 10 with the vehicle limit at 5.

UPPER BEAVER MEADOWS
If you want an open meadow with views of the Continental Divide, you should definitely elope at Upper Beaver Meadows. The best time to elope here is in the late spring/early summer, given that there is no vehicle access from mid-October to mid-May. For this Colorado mountain elopement location, the guest count limit is 30 and the vehicle limit is 10.

Rocky Mountain National Park Wedding Permit

For all weddings & elopement at Rocky Mountain National Park, you have to obtain a special use permit. The park accepts applications a year in advance of your desired wedding month, and they’re all first come first serve! So if you wanted to have your elopement here in September 2023, you would be able to apply for a permit in September 2022. Through the months of May to October, they issue 60 wedding permits per month. And during November and April, only 40 wedding permits are issued.

Their wedding regulations state that no more than 2 weddings per day can be booked per site, and no more than 6 weddings per day in general. When you apply for a special use permit, there is a nonrefundable fee of $300, regardless if it’s approved or not. You can find more information on RMNP Special Use Permits here: https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/special_use_permits.htm

Things to Keep In Mind When You Elope at Rocky Mountain National Park

There are a few additional things to keep in mind when planning to elope in the Colorado Mountains. First off, all ceremonies are limited to a 2 hour window to accommodate other visitors and couples getting married in the park. You can absolutely take elopement photos at other locations in the park – but you should specify which locations on your application in order for it to be approved.

Some ceremony sites offer seating at picnic tables or benches, but not all of them. So when planning your elopement, don’t assume your guests will have somewhere to sit! The park generally restricts the use of tables, chairs, tents, banners, and the like. They encourage you to use the natural scenery as “decor” for your elopement, and I completely agree! The only spot that you’re allowed to have a ceremony arch is at the Moraine Park Visitor Center Amphitheater. On the same note, as I mentioned earlier, Lily Lake Picnic Area is the only spot that can accommodate a “reception,” but you have to obtain an additional special use permit. In general, if you want to have a reception, it might be better to do it outside the park!

Other Colorado Elopement Locations

If you want to elope somewhere other than Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado has tons of other options.

Central to Western Colorado has a lot of vacation towns, which are surrounded by beautiful mountainous landscapes. Some of the popular ones include Breckenridge, Vail, Aspen and Crested Butte, Colorado which all fall in or near White River National Forest and Gunnison National Forest. These unique little towns have beautiful resorts, fun local food places, and tons of mountain activities like skiing, hiking, water rafting, etc.

MAROON BELLS
Just outside of Aspen, Maroon Bells is a beautiful reflective lake in the valley between Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak. Both peaks are part of Colorado’s famous “Fourteeners,” which is a mountain that reaches over 14,000 ft in elevation. This is a popular destination, so you may need to get a reservation during the busy season.

LAKE ISABELLE
This mountain lake is located in a valley completely surrounded by mountains, lined with pine forests, as well as wildflower fields in summer. It is about an hour west of Boulder, and south of the RMNP limits. Dogs are welcome on this trail, so feel free to bring your furry friend to witness your elopement!

LOVELAND PASS
Located about an hour west of Denver, Loveland Pass is another fresh mountain lake in Arapaho National Forest. Like Lake Isabelle, it is surrounded by fresh pines and Rocky Mountains. Seasonal closures are common, and it can be icy around the lake loop well into the spring and early summer.

GARDEN OF THE GODS
Garden of the Gods has iconic views of both Red Rock and greenery in Colorado Springs. It is a popular place, so you can expect to see lots of other visitors. When it comes to getting married here, there is no added fee in any of the special event areas.

You can read about the permit information here: https://coloradosprings.gov/parks/page/weddings-parks

That brought a ton of options to consider, and there are soooo many more potentials. But don’t feel overwhelmed just yet! Helping you pick the perfect elopement location for your day is an included part of each of my Colorado Elopement Packages. My goal is always to take a little bit of the wedding planning stress off of your shoulders, so I am always here to help!