Best Places To Elope In Colorado (Top Twelve For 2023)

So you’re eloping in our great mountain state, and you’ve got the big question on your mind:

“Where can I elope in Colorado?”

We know this question well! Over the years, we’ve taken hundreds of couples to the tops of mountains for soulful, meaningful, gorgeous elopements. Below are our top ten favorite Colorado elopement locations for mountain views, exceptional photos and an amazing day.

We can’t get enough of the stunning views, the secret romantic nooks, the spots where you absolutely want to be when the sun is setting, and most important of all - the locations that make your day magical.

We keep it simple - each elopement location is an overlook in the heart of the Colorado mountains, while at the same time easily accessible - a three to ten-minute walk/hike max. Scroll to see our fave amazing spots…

Photos by our team photographers Sharee Davenport, Jewel Afflerbaugh & Mary Mecklenberg, unless noted differently.

Colorado Elopement Locations

(Our top twelve, but in no particular order)

1. Boulder Mountain Top Trail

2. Boulder Adventure Trail

3. Lost Gulch Overlook

4. National Park - Trail Ridge Road

5. National Park - Sprague Lake

6. National Park - 3M Curve

7. Moraine Park Amphitheater

8. Chautauqua Park Flatirons

9. Sweet Little Mini Mountain

10. Sunrise Amphitheater

11. Brainard Lake Recreation Area

12. Adventure Peak Vista

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This five-minute trail walks you through a beautiful pine forest that opens up to a breathtaking view of rolling mountains all the way to the peaks of the Continental Divide.

You are literally standing on a mountain top, which is what so many of our couples envision for their day.

There are several amazing spots for ceremony and photos at this location, ranging from wide open big vista “standing on top of the world” views, to views of the mountains as you are nestled in with trees and rocks.

This is a wonderful elopement location for just the two of you, or for a small group of family/friends. It’s easily accessible, it’s just a short hike from the parking lot to the any of the ceremony spots, and the trail even makes a great “aisle” to walk down if you want the feeling of a mini processional.

We love the Mountain Top Trail for its diverse options for scenery, all of the beautiful spots to stand, its ease of access and honestly, it’s just a really, really special place.

To see every stunning view from the Boulder Mountain Trail location click here.

After a 10-minute hike through a magical pine forest, we round the side of the mountain and the world opens up before us. Mountains as far as the eye can see. If we’re lucky, it’s entirely possible we’ll see deer on the way too.

We scramble off-trail and down to the coolest rock ledge that juts out of the side of the mountain like a ceremony spot made by mother nature herself. You change from your hiking shoes to your fancy wedding shoes (unless you want to get married in your hiking shoes which is not uncommon), then you decide where you are most drawn to have your ceremony.

You can either get married on the rock ledge or at an overlook that’s a bit higher up - either way there are endless mountains in the background behind you. Every time we come here with a couple, everyone leaves so inspired having spent some time in this place.

Share vows and exchange rings with the sun setting behind you, then take romantic photos in all the special spots that our photographers know. You’ll feel immersed in the forest and the wilderness by the time we’re done, like you really were in your own private mountain spot which makes it a great place to return on anniversaries.

To see the rest of the views at our Boulder Adventure Trail location, click here.

The dramatic rocks of Lost Gulch Overlook give you the feeling that you’re on the edge of the world, plus there are so many nooks and crannies to explore with cool photo angles.

If you’d love to a have a mini adventure on some billion year old granite formations with an incredible view, then we highly recommend you make this spot part of your elopement day.

This being a popular tourist stop, we’ll pick a time of day that we think will give you the most privacy. We’ll scramble out onto the rocks and make our way to any of a number of spots depending on where you’re drawn to stand.

The vastness of this particular view is one of our favorite things about it, plus the amount of “adventurous” feeling considering you drove to a parking lot and only walked about two minutes to all the stunning gorgeousness. Plus there are foxes who like to hang out here. If you’re lucky, one might come check you out like a little nature blessing on your wedding ;)

To see all of the views at the Lost Gulch Overlook location, click here.

You can’t have a wedding ceremony on Trail Ridge Road per park rules, but you can take all kinds of gorgeous photos up there after your ceremony at a different location!

Get married at one of our spots in or near Estes Park, then head up with our photographer to Trail Ridge for after-ceremony photos with some serious afterglow.

The road goes through the heart of the park, and over the quintessential rocky mountain jagged peak pass.

Glacially carved and ginormous, these peaks remind you of how small we are in comparison to all of life and the planet. It’s a cool perspective to have on your wedding day.

The beauty on the way to the spot for photos is breathtaking - the drive is an experience in itself, and you’ll be so glad that you not only came to Colorado for your elopement, but that you drove into the very heart of Rocky Mountain National Park to mark your day.

This is also a great strategy to still get pics in the park, even if the park has met its max number of weddings permit cap because you’ll just be doing a portrait shoot and not having a wedding ;)

Click here to see more after-ceremony afterglow photos at Trail Ridge Road.

An exquisite alpine lake in the heart of Rocky Mountain National Park, Sprague Lake is the perfect spot if you want easily accessible lake and mountain views. It’s great for just the two of you or a small group of family and friends.

Drive into the park through the Beaver Meadows entrance on the Estes Park side, then continue on a road that takes you past a glacially carved valley, through old growth pine forest with huge trees, then up farther into the mountains until you get to the lake parking lot.

Sprague has a sweet flat gravel dirt trail that goes around the entire lake. It’s incredibly easy to access and look at the view you get! We love how this particular set of peaks looks different every time, depending on what’s happening with the weather when you’re up there. No matter what though, they’re always a treat for the eyes.

Walk the trail to either a lakeside, dockside or forest spot for your ceremony, plus it’s not uncommon to see deer, elk and sometimes even moose, not to mention all of the baby ducks and chipmunks that like to come around as you share vows. It can be a bit like being Snow White, being in a setting with all this wildlife!

Click here for more photos of Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Another one of those “edge of the mountain” locations. 3M Curve is an unassuming pullout off the side of a main road in Rocky Mountain National Park, but once you head down the 5-minute trail through the pines to this super cool rock ledge, the view is anything but unassuming.

That’s Longs Peak in the background, a famous 14’er in the park, plus several other Continental Divide peaks all around you. This location is great for just the two of you, micro wedding or a small group of family/friends.

You reach 3M Curve via the Beaver Meadows entrance on the Estes Park side of the park, then drive about ten minutes through beautiful meadows and granite outcroppings to get to the pullout.

The rocks here are billions of years old - the perfect place to share vows that will last for the long haul. The ceremony area is right out on the edge of the point, so there is big open sky all around as you get married.

Just like with some of the other national park spots, 3M Curve gives you the perspective of being small in an immense world of nature, and causes you to remember what’s important. Whether you’re with friends and family or it’s just the two of you, this is such a great thing to remember on your wedding day.

Click here to see more elopement photos at 3M Curve in Rocky Mountain National Park.

If you love the idea of getting married in a beautiful tiny wooden-seat amphitheater tucked away in a stand of pine trees, then taking romantic photos in a glacially-carved valley with the peaks of Rocky Mountain National Park as your backdrop, then Moraine Park could be the location you’ve been searching for.

The beauty of this meadow is unparalleled, and the fact that you are in the national park makes it even sweeter. Herds of elk spend their time here, along with all sorts of other wildlife important to the park’s ecosystem.

It’s a great place to take a deep breath and relax into having just gotten married.

Moraine Park Amphitheater is just minutes away from the park entrance too, so it’s easily accessible. The current group size allowance is up to 30 people total in the amphitheater itself, which also makes it a wonderful spot for a micro wedding.

Click here to see the amphitheater and more meadow photos at the Moraine Park location.

The Flatirons are the ginormous jagged rocks that jut out against the skyline of Boulder, Colorado. Millions of years ago, they used to be an ancient sea bed, then got literally lifted up by the geologic forces of the local mountains.

There is an easily accessible trail that we love, that will take you into the meadows at the base of the Flatirons for a sweet ceremony with these majestic rocks as your witness. You can get to this trail year-round no matter what the weather is doing, which is also a plus.

Or if you’re having a micro wedding with friends & family, you can have it on the flat Chautauqua Park Lawn next to the trail, then afterward do romantic pics with just the two of you at the base of the Flatirons.

Chautauqua Park Flatirons is one of our most busy locations in that it’s a popular area for locals to run and hike, plus tourists coming to Boulder always seem to find their way there. This means its got a more public feel than most spots, but the tradeoff is that it’s very easy to access, which is perfect if you’ve got a group with you and some of the guests are older.

The accessibility also works well in terms of weather, as we can always get to the trail, rain snow or shine. Plus, well, there’s the Flatirons behind you and they are such cool rock formations.

To see more views at the Chautauqua Flatirons, click here.

A sweet little mini mountain where you walk up a five-minute path to get to the top with views of bigger mountains all around.

The Ponderosa Pine forest is really special here, and there are so many great granite rock spots to have a ceremony and take photos. It’s a perfect place for just-the-two-of you or a small family elopement.

You’d never know it from the photos, but this spot is actually right near a small town, and so it’s super easy to get to. The parking lot is rather hidden, which means that lots of folks don’t even realize it’s there.

Once you park, you head up the wide gravel dirt trail through the trees and to either a flat spot with the mountains behind like you see in the photo above, or to some of the more special areas of the forest that feel like they were made for a ceremony.

Afterward, you’ve got a cute little town that’s just a three-minute drive to go have dinner and enjoy your just-married glow!

Click here for a full gallery of Sweet Little Mini Mountain elopement photos.

This is such a special spot for micro wedding - an amphitheater built right into the top of Flagstaff Mountain, right on the edge of the city of Boulder. It was built back in the 1930’s and has seen innumerable weddings and special events over the years.

The stairs down into the amphitheater are a striking way to make a wedding entrance, plus there is a ramp that goes down and around into the amphitheater so it’s accessible to all.

When you get down to the ceremony spot, there’s a view east for miles across the Colorado plains. Turn west and you see the beauty of Flagstaff Mountain with its majestic pines, granite rock formations and peaceful tranquility like only a mountain top can provide.

Bring a group of your closest family and friends to witness and celebrate your commitment in this beautiful setting, then when the ceremony is done, have a mini celebration right there if you like, or head off with your photographer for romantic sunset photos on the other side of the mountain where the view is endless rocky mountain hills and peaks all the way to the Continental Divide.

Click here for a full gallery of Sunrise Amphitheater micro wedding photos.

A gem of an alpine lake at 10,000 feet with the Indian Peaks of the Continental Divide as its backdrop.

This spot is in the heart of rugged Colorado high country. Not to mention the lake itself and the peaks behind it.

A luscious fir forest surrounds the entire lake - these are the kind of trees that are delicate and hardy at the same time because they are made to withstand crazy frozen winter temperatures for most of the year. They smell like cotton candy as you walk through them, and are such a treat to experience.

There are also trails that lead back to other lakes if you want a bit more of an, and additional photo ops. Beautiful views abound if you want to hike a bit farther back for an elopement deeper in the wilderness.

If you’ve always pictured yourselves getting married next to a beautiful body of water, Brainard Lake Recreation Area is a wonderful spot to explore, play, have ceremony, take photos and enjoy the heart of the Colorado rockies.

Click here for more Brainard Lake elopement photos.

This is our one location that involves a full-on half hour hike!

This little peak is in the wilderness just outside of Estes Park. It’s a bit of an adventurous drive to get there, and your car should have high clearance, but it’s not so crazy that it’s stressful. Instead, you’re really going into the deep woods, then hiking up this cool little mountain to have your ceremony.

A steady, steep trail takes us up and up, and the view is so worth it. That’s Rocky Mountain National Park behind the couple, but you get these views without the extra logistics of having to go into the park itself.

It’s a great place to pop a bottle of champagne and truly have the entire mountain to yourselves because it’s so off the beaten path no one else really knows it’s there. Talk about a private wilderness elopement experience!

The satisfaction of having climbed to the top of our Adventure Peak is just the beginning, then you get married up there. Check out all the photos to see what this adventure is all about…

Click here for more elopement photos at our Adventure Peak Vista location.

The top ten listed above are our favorites, but wow there are so many other spots in Colorado to elope that are just a few hours from Denver International Airport. Some involve a lot more mountain driving and chance of challenging weather, but they are still great…

If you want more ideas, you can explore Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Sapphire Point in Breckenridge, any number of beautiful areas in Crested Butte, the Maroon Bells which are just beyond Vail and near Aspen, plus Loveland Pass which takes you into the high country and Lake Isabelle which, like Brainard Lake, is another lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness.

If you want an even more unique kind of experience, there’s the Great Sand Dunes preserve, and if you keep heading southwest across the state, you’ll come to the San Juan Mountains which are home to Durango, Ouray and Telluride- cool little urban mountain towns that still have the old west vibe.

Bottomline - you really can’t go wrong with any location in Colorado. I talk to so many couples and know it can be overwhelming because there are SO many pages on the internet now with so many locations to look at. It can make your head spin. That’s why I put just ten here. You’re eloping to keep things simple, so let’s keep them simple ;)

But… just know that no matter where you have your elopement in Colorado, it is going to be beautiful. That’s the great thing about this state. Pretty much anywhere that’s not on a major highway or busy road is gonna be gorgeous and special.

And then there’s the love between the two of you. That’s the biggest factor that makes your day amazing. It’s easy to forget that amidst all the planning and choices about location, travel, various services, you know what I mean.

If your connection is real, you could get married wearing burlap bags next to a gas station and it would still be a gorgeous moment. Seriously. But haha we’ll avoid that scenario because we can!

Sending good vibes to find your perfect location, and do not hesitate to reach out to me below to chat, ask questions, talk about your elopement…

Everything you need to plan and make it happen - check out these links next.