Beautiful bouquets and floral installments are undoubtedly gorgeous, but there’s something incredibly special about experiencing a rainbow of wildflowers out in nature. When planning your elopement, finding a prime location with wildflowers is a creative way to incorporate color and natural beauty into your day.
We’ve compiled a list of the best elopement locations with wildflowers that will make for the perfect place to tie the knot with your partner.
Please note: Remember to always check with visitor centers, park ranger offices, or local officials to determine current permit fees, restrictions, and wildflower conditions. Please always practice Leave No Trace and stay on trails to avoid trampling the wildflowers so everyone can continue to enjoy them for years to come!
Best Places to Elope with Wildflowers
Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington
Best time to visit: Mid July through mid August
Permit required?: Yes, a Special Use Permit
Paradise, Sunrise, and Tipsoo lake offer some of the best wildflower views in all of Mt. Rainier National Park. Eloping among the paintbrush, asters, purple shooting stars, and avalanche lilies sounds like a dream come true. If you’re looking to get in some exercise, here are some of the best wildflower hikes in Mt. Rainier.
Crested Butte, Colorado
Best time to visit: Mid-June to early August
Permit required?: It depends, some locations do while others are permit-free
Known as the Official Wildflower Capital of Colorado, Crested Butte is a great place to elope around meadows full of wildflowers. You can find lots of nearby trails that will allow you to see the landscape painted in gorgeous colors. There’s even the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival in July, if you want to participate in other wildflower activities.
It’s important to note different flowers reach their peak at different times — they don’t all bloom at once. Here’s some more information about where and when to see different types of wildflowers in Crested Butte.
Glacier National Park, Montana
Best time to visit: June through August
Permit required?: Yes, a Special Use Permit
Elope with your partner surrounded by glacier lilies, beargrass, clematis, and purple asters in Glacier National Park. Summer is the best time to see these alpine blooms, and there are plenty of wildflower-filled hikes you can do in the park to take in the picturesque views.
North Cascades National Park, Washington
Best time to visit: August through early September
Permit required?: Yes, a Special Use Permit
You can find wildflowers in purples, pinks, reds, and golds all over the place in North Cascades National Park. Depending on which side of the Cascade ridge you’re on, the scenery can look dramatically different. For the avid hikers, here are 10 trails in North Cascades National Park where you can find wildflowers.
Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve, California
Best time to visit: March through April
Permit required?: Unsure, contact the park system to be sure – Mojave.Sector@parks.ca.gov (661) 946-6092
Wander eight miles of trails through brilliant orange fields of poppies at the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve in California. The park contains more than just poppies though — expect to see a dazzling display of color from other wildflowers too if you choose to elope here.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
Best time to visit: Mid March
Permit required?: Unsure, contact the park to be sure – (760) 767-4205
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is another great elopement location if you want a backdrop of wildflowers for your special day. Depending on how much rain the area has received, the amount of blooms can vary, but you can check this site for wildflower updates.This vast park also has intricate metal sculptures, including a dragon and prehistoric animals.
Saguaro National Park, Arizona
Best time to visit: Mid March through early April
Permit required?: Yes, a Special Use Permit
For a unique elopement location with wildflowers, look no further than Saguaro National Park. Along with boasting the biggest cacti in the entire US, this park contains wildflowers of all shapes, sizes, and colors. This park has three flowering seasons, but we’d recommend going in the spring for the most variety.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee
Best time to visit: February through September
Permit required?: Yes, a Special Use Permit
You can find wildflowers blooming almost year-round in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, making it an excellent elopement spot. Sometimes referred to as “Wildflower National Park,” it contains over 1,500 types of flowers — more than any other national park in the country. Go in the spring to join the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage and take part in guided walks and other educational experiences before or after your nuptials.
We’ve put together a guide on how to elope in Great Smoky Mountains National Park if you’re curious.
Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Best time to visit: Late April through May
Permit required?: Yes, a Special Use Permit
Shenandoah National Park should be on your list of potential elopement locations if you’re looking for wildflowers. Find them along the running water of the Rose River, South River, Hughes River, and Mill Prong in spring. The park has a wildflower calendar so you can better plan your trip.
Bluebonnet Festival in Burnet, Texas
Best time to visit: April
Permit required?: No
The bluebonnet is the official state flower of Texas, so it’s no wonder they have a whole festival dedicated to this bloom every April! If you want rolling fields of indigo to be your elopement backdrop, this is the place to go. Enjoy other festival activities like live music, a carnival, food, and shopping.
Sugar Hill, New Hampshire
Best time to visit: June
Permit required?: No
Texas isn’t the only one with flower festivals. Tucked away in New Hampshire, you’ll find the tiny town of Sugar Hill, known as the state’s lupine capital. On the official Sugar Hill Lupine Festival and Market page, you can find a map of the many fields of white, pink, purple, and blue lupines that dot the town.
Remember to Leave No Trace
As with any space in the great outdoors, always remember to Leave No Trace. This means staying on the official trails at all times and not picking or stepping on the wildflowers. Let others enjoy the beauty and do your best to preserve this delicate ecosystem!
Your Elopement Photo + Video Team to Preserve this Memory
Skyewater Photo + Film is a photo and video team based in Washington and planning adventure elopements and destination weddings worldwide. We help couples plan elopements all over the US, and offer insight for more than just photography: from planning assistance, finding and booking locations, vendor references and more! Reach out to our elopement photography and videography team today to get more info!
