Words are not needed to help convince you to have a small wedding or elope in a National Park, especially if you are leaning towards this idea already. Powerfully resonant landscapes, acres and acres of preserved wilderness, and places rich in history that you can feel in your soul - All reasons to have a wedding that feels right to you in a National Park. And (despite the title) I'm not here to convince you otherwise.

I had a National Park elopement. I really did. We held a short and sweet ceremony in Mt. Rainier National Park in late October with our closest friends and family, and nothing compares to exploring the winding roads and trails in our wedding dress and suit. Truly, it was a life changing day for us that I would not take away or redo in any way. Now being a photographer for years for small weddings and elopements just like mine, my view has shifted over time of National Parks as the venue, the backdrop, and the ultimate goal of a nontraditional wedding. The biggest takeaway when in the planning stage, is to choose a location that will be the most meaningful to you, National Park or not. But I'm offering you these considerations and tidbits I've learned over the years before settling on a National Park wedding.

One of my favorite photos from mine & Blake’s elopement at Mt. Rainier National Park

Just the Bullet Points of this Blog

National Parks Can Be Overcrowded - Extremely long wait times at park entrances and overcrowded parking lots and trails are becoming more normal in National Parks during the peak summer months. A National Park wedding/elopement may not be the ideal experience you envision when encountering logistic mishaps on the day-of due to overcrowding or sharing your intimate ceremony with a host of strangers out on a hike.
Elopement Permits and Ceremony Location Limits - Most National Parks require a permit to hold a ceremony within the park and have specific areas or trails off-limits to wedding and elopement ceremonies. An easy process for most, getting a permit has also caused frustration and long wait times for others. This requires a little extra planning, and I suggest researching if your location needs a permit right away, then apply for one at least 45 days in advance of your wedding date.
Timed Entry Reservations - Timed entries are rolling out to more and more Parks to help manage overcrowding and congestion at peak visitation times. It's another piece of planning to expect for all vehicles (yours, and your guests) to apply for one and pay the nonrefundable $2 to reserve your 2 hour window to be able to enter the Park, if your Park requires one.
The Price of a National Park Elopement - As one of the most affordable 'venues' out there, there are some costs you may not think of. Things to consider are permits (which range from $50-$350), park passes for each vehicle entering the Park ($15-$80), and additional vendor travel fees. Gas, groceries, lodging, and other provisions are typically more expensive as well near National Parks.
National Park Access Issues - National Parks offer accessible outdoor spaces with maintained highways, trails, and parking lots. However, Park closures can occur at any time, and more frequently during the off-season (October-April). Park and gates can close due to severe weather, seasonal road conditions, understaffing, and construction work. When planning a wedding in a National Park, it's important to periodically check accessibility status and have experienced vendors to navigate unforeseen access changes.
No Dogs Allowed in National Parks - If you want to include dog guests in your wedding and are considering a National Park wedding, practice due diligence! Dogs are typically limited to paved areas within Parks and are not allowed on trails. Some Parks have different rules depending on the area, so research and/or work with an experienced vendor to find the right option for you.
Alternatives to a National Park Elopement - There are so many awe-instilling ceremony locations outside of National Parks without the permit, overcrowding, and rising fees and regulations! Search for forest land adjacent to National Parks for similar views without the hassle.

National Parks Can Be Overcrowded

Some more than others, National Parks are major destinations, a visitor and tourist hot spot. You may have seen articles or stories about extremely long wait times to get in to the park with cars lined up for miles at entrance stations (in part reasoning behind the new permit systems rolling out to several National Parks recently, which I'll get more into below). There are absolutely ways to avoid the crowds and avoid a huge party of strangers attending your National Park elopement, which ironically is likely part of the reason you're choosing an outdoor elopement/small wedding in the first place. This blog is already long as it is, so I'll be writing another blog specifically for tips on how to avoid people for weddings on public outdoor land.

A sign for OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK at Lake Crescent

With an educated guess, it may be obvious that most National Parks have the most visitors during the summer months of July and August.

National Parks and their peak monthly guest counts for 2023:

Mt. Rainier National Park - 445,000 (July)
Olympic National Park - 518,000 (August)
Zion National Park - 564,000 (June)
Yosemite National Park - 590,000 (August)
Glacier National Park - 722,000 (July)
Rocky Mountain National Park - 734,000 (July)

National Parks are big places, but visitation is also at its highest in history. Crowds of people dotting the landscape along your hike, waiting for your turn to take a photo at key points among 30 other people, and feelings of frustration just trying to get to your destination are all things that have happened on my own trips in the last few years. They can leave you with legitimate feelings of not quite getting the full experience you imagined.

Photo from lnt.org of an overcrowded popular hike in Zion National Park.

What this Means for Weddings & Elopements

Privacy: Having a smaller, more intimate wedding experience is likely one of the reasons you're thinking of getting eloping in a National Park. But crowded parks means you may be sharing your wedding with a group of strangers. Differences in reactions from hikers during a ceremony or photos can be pretty comical. Most are very respectful and may say a quick congratulations as they pass by, but not everyone shares this common-sense etiquette. Some visitors have a different sense of personal space and not keep their distance during a wedding. Ceremonies could be scored by groups of hikers continuing their conversations or playing music from bluetooth speakers. Park rangers could come up and ask you for your permit during your wedding ceremony. Managing around school field trips and other events drawing large groups are also s a possibility in National Parks as well.

Logistics: For small weddings and elopements, it's likely you'll have some sort of vendor or wedding party you're sharing this day with. Wait times to get in to the park, parking situations, and crowds could make arrival times for your guests and vendors take longer than anticipated. This could take time away that you had planned to spend with your loved ones, delay the time your wedding will start, and take out valuable time that you have booked for photography.

Feelings: While it is possible to avoid crowds with planning, destinations like these can be entirely unpredictable. Managing around people for you wedding ceremony can heighten anxiety, distract you from your emotions, and help contribute to things not going quite as planned, creating additional stress for a seemingly low-stress wedding venue.

Photography: Photography can be an investment, so make sure you ask your photographer if they typically edit people out of photos! If your National Park elopement turns out to be a bit more crowded than anticipated, people in bright parkas and graphic tees can litter the background of your photo gallery. I personally take quite a bit of time to remove distractions from these photos you'll have forever, but not all photographers do, so make sure to ask this question while booking.

National Park Elopement Permits and Ceremony Location Limits

The mission of the National Park system is rooted in preservation and leave no trace principles. Permits are a part of that mission to regulate activities that could put preservation in jeopardy, so no matter your feelings on permits, they are a necessary planning piece for National Park elopements. Wedding ceremonies could interfere with or distract from normal activities like hiking, hence the need for a permit. Permit details can change year to year, so always do in-depth research straight from the source from nps.gov rather than relying on blog posts and forums. This permit info is from my general experience working in Parks, so there could be nuances to the specific National Park you have in mind.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Do I need a permit if I'm taking wedding / bridal photos in a National Park, but having our ceremony somewhere else?

No, you do not need a permit if you are only having photos taken with no vow exchange. If the wedding or elopement ceremony is held within the park, then you need a permit.

Do I need a permit if we are eloping? Do I need a permit if we have a small wedding party size?

Yes! Any vow exchange qualifies you for needing to apply for a permit, even if you do not have a wedding party, an officiant, or are not signing papers that day.

How do I apply for a permit?

A quick Google search of 'X National Park wedding permit' usually takes you to the right result, but make sure you're getting info within the nps.gov website. Wedding permits typically fall under Special Use Permits.
Download and fill out the permit form, then email or mail the form to the correct address. When you receive a response that your permit is approved, they'll instruct you how to pay for your permit online or by check in the mail. A signed and completed permit will be emailed or mailed to you after your payment is processed. Make sure to bring this permit with you on your wedding/elopement day!

When should I apply for a wedding permit?

This varies quite a bit depending on the park. A general rule of them is to research wedding permit rules as soon as possible, up to a year in advance. The latest I would apply for a permit would be 45 days before your elopement date to allow for processing and waiting time to hear back on permit approval. Some National Parks have a strict permitting process due to how popular weddings have become - Rocky Mountain National Park for example, begins accepting applications one year in advance and only allows 100 wedding permits per year on a first come first served basis. They also only allow up to a total of 30 people per wedding, which includes the couple, all guests and vendors, including the photographer! Therefore, it's possible weddings and elopements in RMNP could book out!

Is there anything else I should know about applying for a permit?

Sometimes applying for a permit is a very easy and helpful process! But National Parks can become overwhelmed with permit requests in addition to their every-day functions due to understaffing. If you do not hear back from your permit application within 2 weeks, I suggest emailing again and calling posted numbers to further the process along. If you experience a lack of communication and hearing different answers to the same question, you are not alone! What is allowed and what isn't is not always outlined thoroughly in permit documentation.

Some National Parks also limit what areas of the park or which specific spots along trails can hold wedding ceremonies. Some areas within the parks could be off-limits to wedding ceremonies due to a typically high volume of visitors or limits based on overall wedding party size. This map for Mt. Rainier National Park shows all ceremony locations within the park and includes what party size, days of the week, and time of day is allowed.

Timed Entry Reservations

One additional piece of planning that's new for some parks is the Timed Entry Reservation. Several National Parks have put this in place in 2024, where during peak visitor times (typically summer and peak hours between 10am and 3pm) you will need to make a reservation per vehicle per day in addition to having your Park Pass.

This is true for the largest, most popular parks that have struggled with overcrowding and congestion in previous years. The theory being put in practice is that controlling the maximum number of guests at specific times will make these two improvements:

Help preserve the park and the environment - Capping the maximum amount of people trying to enter the park at one time will decrease wait time at the park entrance, limiting long wait lines with idling cars and car exhaust. Managing the number of people will put less strain on a park's limited resources, like trash collection and water usage. It will also be easier for visitors hiking to follow leave no trace principles, staying on the trails, and reducing litter.
Help improvement visitor experience - We love our National Parks, but overcrowding can seriously dampen the experience. Spreading out visitor times will cut down entrance wait times, improve ability to find parking, improve access to our Park Rangers, and make trails more enjoyable.

How it Works

The Timed Entry can look a little bit different depending on the park. You can always learn more by visiting nps.gov, searching for your National Park, then going to Plan Your Visit on the top left. From there, go to Basic Information, then Fees & Passes. Since I'm based in Washington, I'll go over how the Timed Entry works for Mt. Rainier National Park.

What you'll need - Photo ID, park pass, credit/debit card, and phone
Timed entry reservations are nonrefundable and cost $2/day
There are two separate timed entry options - one for the Paradise Corridor highway (which will operate from May 24-September 2) and one for the Sunrise Corridor highway (which will operate from July 4-September 2).
Timed entries for the applicable dates will be needed if you plan to enter the park between 7am and 3pm. If you enter outside of this time window (ex. 6am or 4pm) you will not need to show proof of a time reservation. You get a 2 hour time window to enter the park for your specific time.
When you can actually make a reservation is released in stages. For example, if you're planning on needing a reservation between August 1st and September 2nd, the booking option opened on May 1st.
You will need to make a reservation for each vehicle, for each day you plan to enter the park from either of those entry areas between the dates listed above.
You can't get a Timed Entry Reservation at the entrance gate on the day-of, reservations must be made in advance online or by phone.
How to make a reservation - visit www.recreation.gov/timed-entry/10101917. Select the date of your planned visit and your 2 hour entrance time window.

Overall, this puts a little additional planning piece needed for a National Park wedding or elopement during peak dates and times. Plans will be a bit less flexible if expecting a summer wedding.

Couple in front of cars under the Mt. Rainier National Park Sign

The Price of a National Park Elopement

If you've price-shopped wedding venues, National Parks are absolutely one of the most affordable places you can get married. If you're looking to put more money towards the moments that matter, I highly recommend National Park elopements and other outdoor locations! With more experience now, I'd like to highlight some of the hidden costs you might not think of for a National Park elopement to include in your budget & mindset while planning.

Permits - Range from $50-$350 depending on the park and location

Park Passes - Keep in mind that not only you, but all vehicles will need to have a park pass. Carpooling when possible will be a great idea, especially with folks who already have a park pass. Vendors traveling to your elopement (photographers, officiants, makeup artists, etc.) may also require additional fees to help pay their fare. Their are a few pass options to think of:

Standard Pass - good for 7 days for 1 National Park, $15-$35
Annual Pass - good for 1 National Park for an entire year, $35-$70
America the Beautiful Pass (recommended) - unlimited trips to all National Parks + other Federal recreation areas for an entire year and other options available for military, $80

Time Entry Reservations - I've found these are generally $2 per vehicle ticket. As timed entry requirements roll out to more parks this year, it's important to keep in mind this cost for you and all of your guests and vendors. Right now the cost is minimal but nonrefundable, so it will be good to keep in mind, especially if paying for all guest vehicles entry reservations.

Location-Based Price Hikes - Many National Parks are more remote, and have fewer resources that are difficult to get to. Everything from lodging, gas stations, restaurants, and grocery stores will be more expensive to accommodate the additional cost for resources to get there and support the local community. Look for the nearest cities to stock up on all things needed before you go, it just may take a bit of a drive to do so.

Vendor Fees - This varies widely based on the vendor and vendor type, but vendors may have additional travel fees to get to a National Park elopement. Amount of travel time, paying for gas, vehicle maintenance, food and provisions, and any park passes and permits are all taken into consideration for vendors helping give you the best experience possible.

Lodging and Rentals - Since National Parks are seasonal tourist hot spots, I recommend finding your AirBnB or other rental up to a year in advance. Prices can fluctuate quite a bit based on demand and be more expensive the more accessible to the park they are. From my own experience, I booked lodging in a town near Glacier National Park in January for a trip in September. I was browsing around different rental prices in the same area again in March, and realized the place I booked had nearly doubled in price for the same time frame I was staying there for! When you book can matter greatly, and save you quite a bit of money if you're prepared.

Gear - Not so different from a traditional wedding, you may find yourself needing to buy things specifically for your National Park elopement. Comfortable socks, pretty boots that will work for your aesthetic and for being outdoors, umbrellas for guests, and snacks and dessert for you and your guests are all things to consider and can add up in your budget. This is true for most weddings, it just looks a little bit different for National Park weddings.

National Park Access Issues for Elopements

You may immediately be thinking that National Parks offer some of the most accessible use to outdoor spaces, and you're right. Maintained highways that nearly any vehicle can make the trip, maintained trails that can be easier on the body, offering many paved trails that are wheelchair accessible, large accommodating parking lots in many places within the park, up-kept bathrooms and nearby provisions like water, food, and gift shops, and more.

I often recommend planning a National Park elopement (and all visits just in general) for the off-season! The off-season can vary depending on the park, but it's typically considered as the months of October through April. With cooler weather and more rain brings fewer visitors and a more peaceful, romanticized version of the National Parks we love. This time of year is better for photos (at least my style of photos) and can offer a more private wedding experience.

National Parks have limited resources, and as one of our most treasured resources in this country, are heavily regulated. Park closures can be a part of that protection and regulation. Parks or specific park entrances can close at any time for these reasons:

Severe weather like ice, snow, and even heavy rain can close park gates to maintain a safe environment for visitors. Chains may be required to be in your vehicle when entering the park during specific winter months as well, whether they are needed or not. Environmental factors like landslides and wildfires can also cause gate closures.
Seasonal roads are applicable to some National Parks, where they do not have the funds or it is too difficult to maintain the roads during winter months.
Understaffing can also close park gates as well. If some areas of the park cannot be staffed or are under staffed by Park Rangers, they may close access to visitors to maintain the integrity of the park.
Improving facilities or building new facilities like lodging, bathrooms, and parking lots can close specific areas of a park while construction is in progress.

Any changes to park access are typically posted on nps.gov with as much advance notice as possible. However, access can literally change at any time, especially when dealing with severe weather. Gate open and closing times may also change due to conditions. For example, gates that are typically open between 7am and 5pm during the winter could change to 10am to 2pm the day-of due to an incoming weather system. When planning a wedding or elopement in a National Park, it's good to check accessibility status periodically in the months leading up to your date. I would also recommend checking access updates at 2 weeks out, and then daily during the week of your wedding date. Having experienced vendors can help you through this planning process AND provide the flexibility needed for unforeseen access changes.

No Dogs Allowed in National Parks

Yep, it's true. For the most part, National Parks heavily discriminate against dogs and pets (I said it, it does feel like discrimination sometimes). Always always look up on nps.gov the options for dogs before visiting with one. It would be the worst to make the trip, only to have to turn around because you have can't take them on the trail you were planning to, since leaving them in the car is definitely not an option. Plan your location accordingly if you have a dog and want them included in your wedding ceremony or photos.

You can read more about why dogs are not allowed in National Parks here. My personal (layman, non-park professional) opinion is that, truthfully, dogs do not impact the environment much more than humans already impact the environment with regular dog-owner etiquette like keeping them leashed and picking up after them. The reasons I DO agree with for not allowing dogs in National Parks are:

Dogs can increase the presence of other smells and sounds that keep natural wildlife at bay, which goes agains the mission of preservation for National Parks (arguably, humans already scare away some wildlife and make other wildlife more comfortable with humans)
There may be larger predators in some National Parks like bears that can put your dog at increased risk

There are always the irresponsible dog owners that put increased stress on already underfunded National Park services, so I get it, I really do, despite my discrimination comment above.

Most National Parks DO allow dogs on paved areas (parking lots, paved trails, etc.), so bringing your dog to your elopement/wedding could be possible with some research. Dog rules and restrictions also vary depending on the park! Some areas of specific parks are less restrictive to dogs on trails and natural areas. Olympic National Park is one of the most accessible for dogs, being able to access most of the land belonging to the park except for the Hoh Rainforest and Hurricane Ridge.

Image of a couple just married in the OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK with their corgi

Alternatives to a National Park Elopement

Although we've been covering the aches and pains of National Park elopements, don't misconstrue those for reasons not to plan a ceremony there! National Parks are popular for a reason. These points are seriously points to consider and plan for, and not necessarily to convince you out of a National Park elopement. If any of the reasons included in this blog ARE swaying you away from the National Parks, however, don't let your heart sink. I have an alternative.

Just because it is not within a designated Park, forest land adjacent to National Parks that are publicly accessible with different wedding permits. Types of forest land to look for:

National Forests (different from National Parks)
State Forests
Natural Resources Conservation Areas
Department of Fish & Wildlife Land
Bureau of Land Management

There's a good article that explains the differences in land ownership in Washington and general regulations and fees, here. Often, there are areas just outside of a National Park that have nearly identical scenery, views, and feeling to them. It may be worth exploring for the perfect ceremony location, or working with an experienced vendor who can location scout for you. I'll be writing an additional blog post about these alternatives, because there are so many ways to have a perfect elopement/wedding.

Why You May Not Want a National Park Elopement