Rocky Mountain National Park Wedding Guide

Larsen Photo Co. is authorized by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, to conduct services in Rocky Mountain National Park. I include the $300 wedding permit fee (and paperwork) for free for all of my photography clients.

I might be biased since Rocky Mountain National Park feels like my own backyard, but there’s something special about getting married in the mountains. National Parks weddings have been gaining popularity for over a decade now, and for good reason: you can exchange your vows in some of the most stunning places in the world, for a fraction of the cost of a traditional wedding.

With increased demand for so-called adventure elopements comes the responsibility for us photographers to help educate couples on how this all works. I photograph 5-10 weddings and elopements in Rocky Mountain National Park every year, and when you add in engagement sessions (and hiking on my free time), I spend a lot of time in the park.

As a result I’ve gotten to know the park regulations well, and since I keep getting the same questions from many couples (and photographers), I wrote this guide to answer everything in one place.

Wedding Permits for Rocky Mountain National Park

Last updated in April of 2026: All wedding permits for June and September of 2026 are sold out, and May through October have few available dates left. The park service is operating at reduced capacity, and their wedding permit page might not always be up-to-date.

First things first, you need a permit for all wedding ceremonies in Rocky Mountain National Park. This includes private vow readings taking place outside of your legal ceremony, ring exchanges, vow renewals, and even fake ceremonies for styled shoots.

The park accepts applications one year in advance of the wedding month. You can apply for your July 2027 wedding permit on July 1, 2026, your December 2027 wedding permit on December 1, 2026, and so on. The park issues a max of 60 permits per month for May through October, and a max of 40 permits per month for November through December. All permits are issued on a first-come, first-serve basis, and weekend dates especially sell out quickly.

The park also cannot process applications on short notice—they generally need the completed permit application at least one week in advance, and ideally at least a month.

How to apply for your wedding permit

1. Consider booking a local photographer who includes the wedding permit and can do the paperwork for you. (Hi, it’s me!) It can also be helpful talking to a local about the best time of year and locations for what you want from your experience.
2. If you’re local, take a day trip up to Estes Park and check out your favorite location options in person to see what best fits your vision for your elopement. If you’re traveling to Colorado, spend some extra time online looking at different photos from each area. (360° photo spheres on Google Maps are helpful.)
3. If you decide to apply for your own permit, email the RMNP Concession Management Office at romo_fees_permits@nps.gov. You can either complete the application with your top two ceremony locations, date, and time, or email them to ask if the sites you’re considering are available on your preferred date before filling out the application.
4. Talk to your photographer and get a rough timeline for the day before completing your application, so you know which 2-hour block to reserve the ceremony site.
5. When you’ve chosen your date and site, download and complete the fillable wedding permit from the official RMNP site. In “proposed activity,” put something simple like: “Elopement ceremony and wedding photos.” For Preferred Start/End Time, talk to your photographer first! Remember to include your photographer, officiant, and any other vendors in the guest count and vehicle count.
6. There is a $300 application fee for all permits. You will receive a payment link and instructions after your application is processed, so don’t mail a check or otherwise attempt to pay before that.

Source: Weddings and Other Ceremonies, National Parks Service

Permit Rules and Regulations

• The permit does not give exclusive use of the area. All sites remain open to the public, which means that you can’t close down an area or deny access to hikers.
• Park visitor centers, restrooms, and other buildings may not be used for wedding preparations such as dressing, picture-taking, rehearsals, and waiting areas. These facilities cannot be used in the event of inclement weather.
• No disruption of the atmosphere of peace and tranquility in the park; no amplified music.
• Equipment such as tables, chairs, carpets, tents, floral displays, signs, banners, flags, generators and amplifiers cannot be used in the park. The permit office can sometimes allow up to six chairs for elderly or guests with mobility needs, but you must request it on your permit application, and getting approval is never guaranteed.
• Throwing and scattering rice, birdseed, flower petals or other materials is prohibited.
• Normal entrance fees apply to all vehicles associated with the wedding.
• Always follow “Leave No Trace” Principles.

Official rules aside, please be courteous to all park visitors and staff that you might encounter on your wedding day. You are getting married on public lands, and we all share the same space. Consider making a donation to the Rocky Mountain Conservancy as a way to contribute to the care of this beautiful place where you’re getting married.

Where to Elope in Rocky Mountain National Park

Learn more about each of the designated wedding and elopement ceremony sites, and what I personally consider the best places to elope in Rocky Mountain National Park. Not all of the designated ceremony locations show up when you search for them by name, so make sure that you know where you’re going if you want to to scout these places in person. You can also save my custom Google Map to make it easy!

You have to reserve one of the thirteen designated ceremony sites. There are no exceptions to this rule, so you unfortunately can’t elope on your favorite hiking trail or mountain top within the park. You can combine a ceremony at one of the designated sites with a hike elsewhere in the park for portraits. If prefer exchanging your vows on a big hike, hire an experienced elopement photographer who can help you find a legal location elsewhere in Colorado. (Hi, it’s me!)

Tips for Choosing Your Ceremony Site

1. Think of the logistics. Are you staying on the east side in Estes Park, or on the west side in Grand Lake? Do you need to coordinate multiple cars full of people to the ceremony site? Make sure to look at the location descriptions, because each of the ceremony sites come with a max group size and max cars allowed. If you’re having more than three cars worth of guests, you should consider renting a minivan or shuttle.

2. Think of what type of location you want. Are you open to a short walk to get to your ceremony spot, or do you want a location where you can pull up in your car and be ready to go? Do you or any of your guests need a flat, wide, and easily accessible trail? Do you prefer complete privacy or are you okay with having hikers passing by during your ceremony?

3. Think about the timing. Some of these locations are crazy busy on weekends, others are extra popular when the leaves are changing in fall. If you don’t want a ton of hikers around as you exchange vows, take my notes about which locations are busy or not into consideration.

And if you haven’t already picked a date, I recommend reading my post on why you should elope on a weekday. Nowhere in Colorado is this more relevant than in Rocky Mountain National Park, as it can often take a whole hour just to drive in through the entrance gate on a Saturday in summer, while going with a winter elopement means even busy Bear Lake can feel private.

3M Curve

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/barrkrn4GeU4wFYK6
Max number in party: 15
Number of vehicles allowed: 3

By the number of permits, 3M Curve is the most popular place to get married in Rocky Mountain National Park. It has the best mountain views of Longs Peak (the only fourteener in the park), and feels very private despite being easily accessible with a short walk from the parking area.

The location isn’t marked on Google Maps, but you can find it from my map of all the ceremony sites. There’s a big curve in the road when you’re driving highway 36 / Trail Ridge Road west from Estes Park, and you’ll find it almost exactly three miles after driving past the Beaver Meadows entrance. The parking area is on the left hand side of the road when driving west. There are no restrooms or facilities here.

The wedding ceremony site itself at 3M Curve is down the trail behind the big rock formation next to the parking area. There’s an established social trail, and when you see the epic overlook, you’ll know you’re in the right place. The trail down there is rocky and uneven, so please don’t wear high heels for weddings here (and tell your guests the same). It’s also not the best option for older guests or anyone with mobility issues. The road nearby can be busy on the weekends, but you’re far enough away to have privacy and not see the cars. While there are almost always cars parked at the overlook, most tourists never leave the paved area, so you’re unlikely to have other people close to your ceremony.

Sprague Lake

Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/4GDR6w9PxeLEmMb36
Max number in party: 15 in summer, 30 in winter
Number of vehicles allowed: 3 in summer, 10 in winter

Sprague Lake is my favorite of the alpine lake wedding locations in the national park. There’s a flat and easy loop trail around the lake that leads to the dock, which has the best views of Hallet Peak on a clear day. The trail is technically wheelchair accessible all year round, but it can get snowy, icy, and slushy in winter.

There are plenty of beautiful places to stop for photos along the trail, but the dock is the best place for ceremonies. It allows you to be completely off trail, without hikers in the background of your photos — and also means that hikers can enjoy the area without awkwardly trying to pass by your wedding on the side of the trail. In winter, the lake is frozen solid enough that you can walk across the ice, but please ask a ranger about conditions before doing this.

Sprague Lake is one of the busiest lakes in the park, so there will always be some people here. Plan your ceremony on a weekday at an off-hour if privacy is important for you, and don’t be afraid of the cold — winter elopements here are always epic.

Bear Lake

Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/TJ7es5QPda6TJwLV6
Max number in party: 20
Number of vehicles allowed: 5
Available season: weekdays in winter only, from the second Tuesday in October until the Thursday before Memorial Day.

Bear Lake is the busiest trailhead in the whole park, and also one of the most popular wedding locations. That’s why you can only get a ceremony permit here for weekdays between Indigenous Peoples’ Day in October and the Memorial Day weekend in May.

With a short 256ft walk from the trailhead, Bear Lake is one of the easiest alpine lakes to access in the whole park. In winter, the lake is frozen over, and you can even go out onto the ice when it’s safe — but please ask a ranger if you’re at all unsure about the conditions. There’s almost always a ranger in the small hut at the trailhead. In spring and late fall when the lake isn’t frozen, there are a couple of different spots around the lake where you can step off the trail onto rocks and durable surfaces, but it’s not quite as easy to move around everywhere as in winter.

Bear Lake is the perfect place for your ceremony if you want to hike to Dream Lake, Emerald Lake, or one of the other nearby trails for portraits afterwards, since you won’t have to drive to another trailhead.

You are unlikely to have Bear Lake completely to yourselves, unless you’re open to heading up there at sunrise on a weekday in winter. (February is the least busy month in RMNP.) But even with other people around, it’s pretty darn cool to be getting married by an alpine lake at 10,000ft.

Upper Beaver Meadows

Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/r2U9DF7z5LPVaKn39
Max number in party: 30
Number of vehicles allowed: 10
Available season: The road to Upper Beaver Meadows closes seasonally, typically from mid-October to mid-May.

Upper Beaver Meadows is one of the most quiet and private places to elope in Rocky Mountain National Park. There are multiple different places where you can have your ceremony here, from the flat and grassy meadow to the more rocky hills, so you have lots of options for your backdrop, but the best place for a bigger group is almost directly off the trailhead.

It’s easy to access the trail from a dirt road. The road underwent construction during the summer of 2020, so it’s now in better shape and can be driven by any car. There’s plenty of parking, restrooms at the trailhead, and you can have groups of up to 30 people here. And I love the view of Longs Peak peeking out from over the trees, even if you can also see the burn scars from the big fire of 2020.

Upper Beaver Meadows does not see much traffic from hikers, so you can often have this whole area to yourselves, or see only a handful of people the whole time you’re there. As with everywhere else in the area, it gets busy on weekends, and it can be hard to find parking so I recommend having your guests carpool as much as possible.

Hidden Valley

Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/QAdfzPFX8KW4LxsHA
Max number in party: 30
Number of vehicles allowed: 10

Hidden Valley is the perfect wedding venue for couples that prefer a quiet forest over sweeping mountain views. Secluded and quiet even on the busiest of weekends when compared to the other sites, Hidden Valley is a hidden gem. The meadow is covered in wildflowers in summer, and the forest provides shade and relief from midday heat. It’s also great for photos midday, when the Colorado sun can be harsh in more exposed areas.

The trail is wheelchair accessible, and there are restrooms and a picnic shelter at the trailhead, plus plenty of parking. Hidden Valley is located off highway 36 where it turns into Trail Ridge Road, so it’s easy to combine with a drive up the mountain for some of those epic views that Colorado is known for.

Lily Lake

Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/59q9TPaVaZ7bXcqe6
Max number in party: 10 at Dock, 20 at Trail, 30 at Southside Picnic Area
Number of vehicles allowed: 3 for Dock, 5 for trail, 10 for Southside Picnic Area

There are three different wedding ceremony sites at Lily Lake: the Dock, the Trail, and the Southside Picnic Area. The dock has the best views, but is also the busiest, with the hiking trail walking directly behind it. I was standing on the trail when taking the photo above, with the road and parking lot out of the frame behind me.

Reserve a weekday at an off-time if you want to elope at Lily Lake. Sunrise is always a good option for quiet trails and good lighting, or even late enough in the evening that most people have headed home. If you are set on getting married here on a weekend, be prepared to have a lot of other people around.

The loop around Lily Lake is a mostly flat and easy walk, and the first section of the trail down to the dock is handicap accessible. There are restrooms at the trailhead, and many picnic tables around the lake loop. Weddings cannot block the trail for other visitors.

Moraine Park Discovery Center Amphitheater

Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/dKRj2NurGS7PEV5s6
Max number in party: 30
Number of vehicles allowed: 10

Moraine Park Amphitheater is the best place to have a wedding with a large group of guests in Rocky Mountain National Park. The site allows up to 30 people, and wooden benches provide seating for all your guests. It’s also easily accessible with a wheelchair friendly trail from the parking lot, plenty of parking spots, and restrooms in the nearby visitor center building (closed in winter). Lastly it’s the only ceremony site in the park where you can have a ceremony arch or other decorations, and bring your dogs! Just make sure to mention your the on your permit application.

There is some road noise from Bear Lake Road curving around the ceremony site on busy weekends. The trees cover up most of the views from the amphitheater, but provide nice shade in the heat of summer and the midday sun. There are also lots of great places to take portraits nearby after your ceremony, where you can get better views.

Places where you cannot elope in Rocky Mountain National Park

You may have seen wedding photos from places like Trail Ridge Road, Dream Lake, or Sky Pond online, but ceremonies are not legal in these locations. Some photos are from before the rules changed in 2018, while others are of couples (and photographers) who broke the rules, whether it was knowingly or not. Please don’t be those people!

The National Park Service can (and will) issue fines if they find photos of ceremonies in unauthorized locations. “Ceremony” includes private vow readings, vow renewals, ring exchanges, and even fake ceremonies for styled shoots — even if you have the official legal ceremony elsewhere.

Trail Ridge Road

Trail Ridge Road is NOT one of the approved ceremony locations in Rocky Mountain National Park. You can get married at one of the nearby ceremony locations, then drive up Trail Ridge Road afterwards for photos, but you cannot exchange vows here. (No, not even vow renewals or private vows before your official ceremony.)

Trail Ridge Road is usually open from the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend until mid-October, but it is completely weather dependent, and the exact open and close dates change each year. Keep an eye on the weather conditions, as you do not want to be stuck on this road in bad weather.

When visiting Trail Ridge Road, please take care to stay on designated trails and rocks. The alpine tundra is fragile, and can take over a hundred years to regrow when harmed by hikers going off-trail. Bend down, and you’ll see the teeny tiny wildflowers that somehow survive up here. You can easily take beautiful photos without breaking the rules, promise.

Dream Lake

Dream Lake is also NOT one of the approved ceremony locations in Rocky Mountain National Park. You can get married at one of the nearby ceremony locations, then hike up to Dream Lake afterwards for photos, but you cannot exchange any form of vows here.

Dream Lake is a short hike, around 2.2 miles round trip, but don’t underestimate how challenging it can be. You are hiking at 10,000ft and with a lot of elevation gain in a short amount of time — this hike is a bit of a workout. It takes anywhere from 30-60 minutes to hike each direction depending on what shape you’re in. In winter, microspikes are necessary to safely hike to Dream Lake, and the trail crosses some avalanche terrain. There is snow on the trail from early October until May, and sometimes well into June.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to elope in Rocky Mountain National Park?

To elope in Rocky Mountain National Park, you need to pay a $300 permit fee to reserve one of the designated wedding ceremony sites in the park. Your guests will also need to pay park entrance fee to the park if driving separate cars from you. If you plan to enter the park more than two days, it pays off to get a week-long or annual pass over day passes.

Can we take photos anywhere in the park if it’s not a wedding?

Yes, you can! You can take photos anywhere within the park, as long as it’s a trail or area that’s open to the public. Whether you want engagement photos, family photos, or you’re getting married at a venue in Estes Park and want to do wedding portraits in the park, that’s allowed. There is no longer a photography permit required for portraits, as of January 1, 2024. (But you will need a Commercial Use Authorization for photography workshops, mentoring sessions, etc.)

What’s the best time of year to visit Rocky Mountain National Park?

It depends on what kind of experience you are looking for. The park is beautiful when covered in wildflowers in summer, glowing yellow when the leaves change color in fall, softened by a blanket of snow in winter, and … well … any one of those three things in spring. Memorial Day through Labor Day is the busiest time of the year in the park, but also when most locations are accessible. I personally have a soft spot for winter weddings in the park. I have a whole post on the best times to elope in Colorado here.

Reception venues in Estes Park

Many couples combine a ceremony in Rocky Mountain National Park with a reception at one of the many wedding venues, restaurants, or vacation rentals in Estes Park. I help all my clients with personalized location and venue research, so that you don’t have to contact every venue in town for pricing and availability, but you can see every venue in Estes Park here.

Lodging near Rocky Mountain National Park

If you’re traveling to Colorado to elope in Rocky Mountain National Park, I highly recommend booking an AirBnB in Estes Park instead of staying in a hotel. While there are exceptions (like the historic Stanley Hotel of The Shining fame), AirBnBs are usually more photogenic, make it easier to get ready separately without seeing each other, and means you can come and go without going through hotel lobbies and being stopped by tourists who wanna take your photos.

There are hundreds of AirBnBs to choose from in Estes Park, but I’ve scrolled through every single listing and put together a short list of of my absolute favorites. Some are small, perfect for just a couple, while others are big enough to host all your friends and family. These homes are conveniently located close to the park, and have good vibes—for a lack of better way to describe what I look for in a listing.

Please note that most AirBnBs do not allow hosting ceremonies, reception dinners, or any other wedding-related events at the property without prior permission from the host. If you’d like to use your lodging for more than just lodging, contact the host before booking, be honest about what you’re planning, and be okay with getting a no.

Best hotels in Estes Park

For anyone with a love for Stephen King, staying at The Stanley Hotel should be a no-brainer. But even if you didn’t watch The Shining, the historic hotel in the middle of Estes Park is well worth the stay for the charming rooms, extensive property, and multiple restaurants on site. The Estes Park Resort is another great choice, and many of my couples stay here as it’s easy to book individual cabins close together. Their hotel restaurant, Ember, is also great for both dinner and bigger wedding receptions.

These days I default to staying at the newly renovated Trailborn Rocky Mountains (or the Trailborn Outpost, when rates are higher). It’s a newly renovated and well designed motel centrally located in Estes Park, with an excellent Mexican restaurant in the lobby and an outdoor pool during the summer season.

• The Estes Park Resort
• Trailborn Rocky Mountains
• The Stanley Hotel
• The Ridgeline Hotel
• The Historic Crags Lodge
• Romantic RiverSong Inn