Best Places to Elope in The Pacific Northwest
*This list is constantly being updated. If there’s a place you think should be added, let me know in the comments!
The Pacific Northwest has it all! So, it came as no surprise when adventurous alternative weddings became increasingly popular in this corner of the world. Stunning mountain ranges, dramatic coastlines, blue alpine lakes, summer wildflower fields, deserts, & seemingly endless forests make this the ideal place for lovers of the outdoors to get hitched!
For the purposes of keeping this simple, I’ve considered Washington, Oregon, Northern California, Idaho & Montana to be included in the general PNW description.
↓Learn More about the Best Places to Elope in the pnw↓
North Cascades
Maple Pass
Park Butte Lookout
Rivaling the most dramatic mountain ranges in the world, the North Cascades are a playground for hikers, skiers, and backpackers! You can elope somewhere off Highway 20 within the National Park itself, or somewhere on the fringes in the national forest. Mt. Baker, Winthrop, Diablo Lake, and numerous other stops make this area you have to consider for your adventure elopement!
To elope within the national park, you’ll need a Special Use Permit ($50), which you can acquire HERE. To elope at Mt. Baker, you’ll find more information HERE.
The Olympic Peninsula
Ruby Beach
Hurricane Ridge
Lake Cushman
The Olympic Peninsula—home to vampires & werewolves—is truly otherworldly to visitors. The dark forests covered in thick moss that dampens outside noise make one feel very much separated from the chaos of day to day life.
To elope in Olympic National Park, you usually won’t need a permit. However, that depends upon group size and location, so always check for updated rules on the ONP website.
Mount Rainier
Wonderland Loop Trail
Sourdough Ridge
Panorama Point
Myrtle Falls
The most topographically significant mountains in the contiguous United States, Rainier has always held a special place in my heart. The first home I lived in was across the Orting Valley and I woke up most mornings looking at the stunning giant. The mountain is so large it often creates its own weather system, so planning weddings or elopements in the shadow of a space so unpredictable can result in truly dramatic images. You just have to be prepared for all kinds of weather, which is why I highly recommend sunrises in the late summer for Rainier elopements—the most consistently calm, predicable weather of the year.
Click here for more information on the permitting process for a Mt. Rainier elopement.
San Juan Islands
Orcas Island
Mount Constitution
Friday Harbor
Lopez Island
Roche Harbor
The San Juan Islands are accessible by ferry from Anacortes and are some of the most dramatic features on the Washington coastline. Climb to the highest point in the Puget Sound and get a view of Washington and Canada from the top of Mt. Constitution, or sail into Friday Harbor and meet Popeye begging for fish at the dock. The islands go on island time, so be ready to live a little more slowly when you visit – this is the perfect place for a quiet, relaxing weekend!
Mt. Hood
Mirror Lake
Tamanawas Falls
Trillium Lake
Timberline Trail
The forest around Mt. Hood is covered in trails that lead to lakes, overlooks, and gorgeous mossy PNW features that will make any outdoorsy person stoked to explore this corner of the world! In the summer find yourself planning a backpacking trip out to an alpine lake and camp near a waterfall. In the winter, grab your snow shoes and these same spaces are still accessible (though the waterfall might be frozen solid).
Eastern Oregon
Alvord Desert
Joseph Canyon
Snake River
Smith Rock State Park
The eastern side of Oregon has pockets of desert you’d expect to see in the southwest, not the Pacific Northwest. The miles and miles of national forest access, mountains, and valleys turn into a gorgeous landscape of dried lake beds and thriving desert foliage. No matter where you go, you’ll see something on the horizon that entices you—a mountain, a singular feature on a flat landscape, or a dive into seemingly nothing that makes you want to hike down a cliffside. I can’t drive through this area without adding a lot of spots to my list of “places to check out next time.”
Oregon Coast
Dellenback Dunes
Canon Beach
God’s Thumb
Cascade Head Trail
Natural Bridges Viewpoint Trail
The Oregon Coast is a free-use recreation area. You’ll need to obtain a permit for your ceremony only if your group is exceptionally big or you want to set up a structure (tent, ceremony arch, etc.) There are endless miles of beach, cliffside, or coastal forest to choose from. Check out this blog from an Oregon Coast cliffside elopement.
Columbia River Gorge
Bridal Veil Falls
Multnomah Falls
Dog Mountain Trail
Angel’s Rest
The Columbia River Gorge has the highest concentration of waterfalls in North America. Check out this elopement at Latourell Falls and get just a taste of what this area has to offer – if you want to hike a bit, you can also access incredible viewpoints of Oregon’s side of the Columbia River.
The Redwoods
Jedediah Smith State Park
Mill Creek Campground
Damnation Creek
Caruthers Cove
Trail of Titans
Click here for more information on obtaining a Special Use permit to get married in the redwoods.
Yosemite
Yosemite Falls
Glacier Point
Taft Point
Merced Grove
Yosemite Chapel
Click here to learn everything you need to know about getting married in Yosemite.
The Lost Coast
Black Sand Beach
Mattole Beach
Punta Gorda Lighthouse
Lost Coast Trail
King Peak
Separated from the rest of California by the thick forests of Humboldt County, the Lost Coast is known for it’s gorgeous week-long backpacking route and black sand beach. A few spots are accessible for a day trip, but truly nature-loving couples might opt to hike the trail itself and find themselves immersed in the experience of a lifetime!
Coeur D’Alene
This lake town is gorgeous and has beautiful trails that take you through the surrounding forests. Explore the lakeside or climb high into the mountains for a truly wild adventure wedding!
Payette National Forest
Located near McCall, this Idaho national forest is littered with unique locations (literally, look around on Google street view & you might find yourself upon a plane that crashed in the woods)! Pine forests, lakes, and rivers make this the perfect place to get out in nature for a weekend backpacking elopement, or even a day hike out of one of the small towns nearby. In the winter, this place become a wonderland of snow-covered pines & frozen water features! Go snow shoeing through the forest during the colder months, or traverse along the rivers in the summer. Hike up mountains and look down upon blue alpine lakes, or discover some lesser-known hot springs.
Learn more about weddings in Payette HERE!
Wallace
I’m not normally one to point to a city as an incredible place to elope, but this tiny mining town will always have a special place in my heart! From the quirky brewery to the endless mountain trails, Wallace has a history you can feel from the moment you arrive. I make a point of stoping here whenever I make the drive across I-90, and I’m never disappointed – the summers bring huckleberry beer you’d be hard pressed to find better elsewhere, and the winters turn the community into a cozy welcoming space. You’ll arrive off the highway, which was built above the town in an effort to save it so many years ago, and you’ll immediately be enamored by the oddities of this mountain community. ATVs are parked along the streets, as common a vehicle to those who live here as you’d expect a car to be. In the summer you might also see a lot of cyclists – Wallace is one of the stops on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, a 73-mile paved bike trail that was once a train track & now spans the Idaho panhandle. Wallace is the perfect place to home base from during your elopement if you want to truly get away to the mountains – elope on the shores of a lake, or hike to a mountain peak to share your vows!
CLICK HERE to learn more about Wallace, and know that you’ll be charmed by this town no matter the time of year you visit!
Bitterroot Wilderness
The bitterroot wilderness has endless trails, lakes, and overlooks that would make gorgeous places to elope any time of year!
Gallatin National Forest
Endless adventures can be had for couples who want to hike out into the Gallatin National Forest for their mountain elopement. Go searching for waterfalls in the summer, or ski out to frozen water features in the winter.
Ready to Plan Your PNW Elopement?
From the shores to the mountains – define your adventure!
