Glacier National Park has it all for your perfect elopement day. Often called the Alps of the United States, Glacier National Park gives the perfect mountain peaks, waterfall, lake, and wildlife views and experiences of a lifetime.
And not only that, it is incredibly easy and doable to plan an elopement in Glacier. With the park entrance being 20 minutes from the airport and providing easy find lodging and activities, No wonder so many couples have looked into tying the knot in this beautiful space.
If you’re thinking about planning a Glacier National Park Elopement and are trying to find out where to even begin meet your guide through the whole process!
What I’ll cover in this post
- Where to Elope in Glacier National Park
- What time of Year to Elope in Glacier National Park
- Legalities, permits, and fees.
HI, I’M JEN, YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PLANNING YOUR GLACIER NATIONAL PARK ELOPEMENT
A seasoned Elopement & Destination Wedding photographer & planner. My mission is to be your brain in figuring out how to make your dream elopement happen, and then capture it to it’s entirety. I adore traveling, getting to know my couples, and making their dream day possible by helping them step by step with Eloping & getting married in their ideal way.
From start to end of your elopement adventure, I will be there for you every step of the way giving tips & tricks, but also helping with all the logistics.. Including all photo needs covered!
I offer a free consult call to go over your vision, share pricing info, and get to know each other so we can make this happen. Ok, let’s do this.
WHERE TO ELOPE IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
Glacier is a very massive national park and offers hundreds of trails to hike and roads to drive and explore.
When it comes to eloping, we can do photos most places in the park. But when it comes to the vows, reserving a designated ceremony space is very important, so it’s crucial to think of your vision for what you want your ceremony to look like and what your vision for your adventure is.
In order to get started on deciding this, think of what kind of backdrop or scenery do you want for your vows? Mountains, water falls, lake, or forest? This will help you figure out which of the designated spots might be for you! Below I will give you an idea of a few different options to know where to begin looking.
LAKE MCDONALD: Lake McDonald is the one largest lake in the park and is very close to the West Glacier entrance to the park closest to Kalispell. This location offers multiple locations available for reserve whether you want a small 2 person ceremony or closer to a full wedding. Complete with fruity pebble rocks, mountain backdrops, it’s perfect for any elopement or intimate wedding.
BIG BEND: Logan’s Pass is more of a mountain backdrop but takes a bit of a hike or drive. Thi is about an hour and a half drive from both entrances of the park up Going-to-the-sun-road , the main road of the park. Logan’s pass offers multiple locations that are both easily accessible and more of a hiking adventure to cater to any sort of elopement vision. It provides beautiful mountain backdrops.
TRAIL OF CEDARS: The trail of Cedars is for the ones wanting a forest backdrop for their vows. It is easy to access next to Lake Mcdonald & Going-to-the-sun-road.
ST MARY’S LAKE & SUN POINT: St. Mary’s Lake provides multiple ceremony location options that have beautiful cliffside views. Sun Point along St. Mary’s Lake and the mountain ranges surrounding is one of the most beautiful places to get married. It’s the perfect backdrop for a sunrise elopement or intimate elopement overlooking the beauty of the park
BEST TIME OF YEAR TO PLAN YOUR GLACIER NATIONAL PARK ELOPEMENT
From personal experience, my personal suggestion would be to try and plan it during slower season since the park would be less busy. Due to Glacier’s differing seasons, the best time would be early spring or late fall to book your elopement. The weather is usually still very comfortable for an elopement and most of the park should still be accessible.
The busiest time for tourists and visitor traffic will be June – August, where entrance to the park is limited due to demand, so if that is your desired timeframe, reservations for ceremony cites & entrance to the park will have to be planned fairly well ahead of time.
YOUR PERMIT FOR ELOPING IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
Weddings and elopements at Glacier require a special use permit like most national parks, which includes a $100 fee.
Before making things official for your date, try contacting the park’s designated park use office before submitting your application to make sure your date is available and to reserve your location , (406) 888-7832.
It’s also important to know that your marriage licence will be your entry ticket day of, but anyone else attending will need to purchase an entry to the park! Make sure to contact the park for the regulations regarding any acceptions or options.
When it comes to the official marriage licence apart from the permit, you will need to obtain a Montana marriage license to marry in Glacier.
FINAL TIPS
Are you thinking Glacier may be the place for you to elope? Awesome! I want to make your dream elopement happen and want to use my knowledge of past elopements here to help you create your custom day!
I would love to be your Guide to this beautiful place and how to create an experience and elopement you will cherish the memory of for years and have photos that can bring your memories to life.
If you are ready to plan your perfect Glacier Elopement, then look no further. I am ready to guide you every step of the way to make this a stress free, fun, and memorable experience all around! Shoot me a message below and we will set up a free consult to see how we can bring your dream to life!
