Best Places to Elope in Washington State

Washington is a magical wonderland where mountain goats frolic, ferns grow uncontrollably, and the rugged coastline stretches for hundreds of miles. You’ve picked a truly incredible place to get married, now let’s figure out your dream location.

What kind of scenery is your favorite? What element gets your heart pumping the hardest? What do you imagine being the background behind your soon-to-be spouse as you gaze into their eyes just before your first kiss? There’s truly something for everyone here.

Below are a few of the best locations to get eloped in my home state of Washington with specific areas to check out, and some cool features to consider when planning your trip.

Mount Rainier National Park

SPECIFIC AREAS:

Paradise
Sunrise
Steven’s Canyon

OTHER INFO:

Best for wildflower fields
Tons of easily accessible trails
Mount Rainier doesn’t always make an appearance
Busy on the weekends
Best time to elope here is June – October

North Cascades National Park

SPECIFIC AREAS:

Mount Baker (LOTS going on here)
Diablo Lake
Washington Pass

OTHER INFO

Granite mountains and alpine lakes
Tons of trails for all levels of experience
Lot’s of great trails for hiking and backpacking if you’re thinking of a multi-day experience
Not as busy as most national parks
Best time to elope here is July – October

Olympic National Park

SPECIFIC AREAS

The Coast
Hurricane Ridge
Lake Crescent

OTHER INFO

Home to three different ecosystems, you can have it all!
You can visit multiple sceneries in one day
Best area in WA if you want the rugged coastline
Not as busy as most national parks, it’s really out of the way!
Best time to elope here is July – August

Columbia River Gorge

Just a couple hours east of Seattle, lies the gorgeous desert plains of the Columbia River Gorge. Washington isn’t known for this kind of scenery, but it’s one of our best kept secrets! Especially if you’re a local and want to have that desert elopement you’ve always dreamed of without having to drive to a different state. Here’s a few things to know about the area:

This area is huge, so there are a TON of beautiful spots you can find to have your ceremony.
It’s an incredibly accessible area. There are a lot of places where you can just pull over or park and walk 100 yards to a perfect spot.
Unlike the more popular places in Washington like the national parks, this place doesn’t see many crowds. Like EVER. So if you’re having a weekend elopement, this is your best chance at a having a private ceremony without a hundred strangers staring at you. Yikes!
Best time of year to get married is March – October. This is one of the few places in Washington where you can rely on it being sunny almost year round. In the winter it gets a bit cold but I still consider it to be a great place to elope during that time because the chances of it raining are so slim.
Fancy yourself a climber? This area has some incredible climbing on some neatly formed columnar basalt rock! If you want to incorporate climbing into your day, you can climb on up to your ceremony spot on top of one of these columns. Check out this climbing adventure session HERE.
Want to see what an elopement looks like here? See the full blog HERE

Snoqualmie Pass

There’s basically this one place in Snoqualmie Pass that is super popular for elopements, called Gold Creek Pond. There’s a reason it’s so popular, I mean look at it (photo above)! But this isn’t the only spot in the Snoqualmie Pass area, there are also a couple other places with all the PNW vibes that are great for elopements. Here’s are some things to know about this location:

It’s easily accessible ALL YEAR ROUND!
Only 1.5 hours from Seattle
In this area, you’ve got a waterfall, mountains, bodies of water and trees.
If you’ve dreamed of a winter wonderland elopement in a snowy setting, this is one of the most accessible places for that.
There are a lot of visitors on the weekends in the summer AND winter.

Deception Pass

Rugged cliffs, a network of islands, a sky-high bridge – no wonder this is the most visited state park in Washington! Even though this area get’s a lot of foot-traffic, it still has a remote feeling. There are some spots that even look a little like Ireland and have that fjord feeling. This is truly a unique place to say your “I do’s”!

Most visitors come here to see the bridge, but there are TONS of other gorgeous spots that are perfect for a ceremony, like Bowman Bay and the Rosario Beach area
It’s open and accessible all year round but for best chance of good weather, you’re looking at June – September
Only 1-ish hours away from Seattle
This place is easily accessible. You can park in a lot and it’s just short walk to a gorgeous ceremony spot
Want to see what an elopement looks like here? See the full blog HERE.

Stephanie Keegan

I’m an adventure elopement and wedding photographer based in Seattle and the surrounding Pacific Northwest. I focus on capturing love in beautiful places while sharing a passion for the outdoors. Rock climbing, backpacking, hiking – I love it all!