There are so many beautiful locations to choose from in Colorado when you are planning your elopement. In this post, I want to highlight some of the best Colorado elopement spots for 2026!
Please keep in mind that most of these locations are best for really small groups, usually no more than 10-15 people, unless there are designated ceremony locations or permit reservations where you can have more guests. It is always important to practice leave-no-trace when celebrating your elopement day!
Colorado has a great variety in scenery, from towering mountain peaks, waterfalls, red rocks, and even sand dunes! There is truly something for everyone in Colorado and the change of seasons also makes for unique backdrops for your elopement adventures. Whether you want colorful fields of wildflowers, yellow aspen groves, or a snow-covered winter wonderland scene, there is a spot for you!
If you need help picking the perfect area in Colorado for your adventure elopement, let’s chat!
List of Best Colorado Elopement Spots for 2026
- Telluride and Ouray
- Crested Butte
- Breckenridge
- Boulder
- Rocky Mountain National Park
- Aspen
- Leadville and Buena Vista
- Colorado Springs
- Durango and Silverton
- Granby
- Colorado Ski Resorts
Telluride and Ouray
The San Juan mountains of Colorado is by far one of the most beautiful locations for an epic elopement! Areas like Telluride, Ouray, Ridgway, and Lake City are all perfect for an adventurous day. In particular, these spots are great if you want to include off-roading as one of your elopement activities! Whether you want to explore stunning wildflower meadows, alpine lakes, the bluest waterfalls, or amazing aspen groves, Telluride and Ouray have it all!
Some of my favorite locations for elopements in Telluride and Ouray include Trout Lake, Yankee Boy Basin, Bridal Veil Falls, Alta Lakes, and San Sophia Overlook. There are also plenty of hidden gem locations that I would love to share with you!
One thing to note about Telluride and Ouray is that they are a bit harder to get to if you are flying into Colorado for your elopement. They are both around 6 to 7 hours from Denver International Airport, but you could also consider flying into the Montrose Regional Airport to save some driving time.
The best times to elope in Telluride and Ouray would have to summer and fall (unless you want to go skiing!). Summer is great if you want to go hiking or rent a Jeep and explore all of the alpine lakes and wildflower fields. Fall is beyond incredible in these locations, with aspen groves turning yellow by the end of September into early October.
Check out some Telluride and Ouray elopements!
Crested Butte
Crested Butte, the wildflower capitol of Colorado is another amazing elopement location! While a little closer to DIA than the San Juan mountains, it does still take a bit of a trek to get her, but trust me it is worth it! For Crested Butte elopements, summer and fall are also the best time to enjoy the mountain scenery this place has to offer! Starting in late June and into early July, you can enjoy the breathtaking lupine blooms that take over the lower elevation areas of Crested Butte. Then, starting in mid-July, during the peak of wildflower festival, you can enjoy colorful wildflowers at the higher elevations. Choose to go for a hike, an off-roading adventure, or enjoy some more mellow locations and walk around the cute Elk Ave, there is plenty for everyone to do in Crested Butte.
Fall in Crested Butte is also stunning, with golden aspens lining the road to Kebler Pass! This scenic drive and destination is perfect for a fall elopement in Crested Butte. Some of my other favorite spots in Crested Butte include Emerald Lake, Lake Irwin, and Gothic Road!
Check out some Crested Butte elopements for inspiration on the best Colorado elopement spots for 2026!
Breckenridge
Breckenridge and the Summit County areas which include Keystone, Frisco, and Dillon are all amazing spots for elopements in Colorado if you do not want to travel far from Denver’s airport! There are so many incredible scenic locations in this part of Colorado. Some popular ones include Sapphire Point Overlook, Lake Dillon Pavilion, Loveland Pass, Boreas Pass, and Hoosier Pass. If you want to know the best secret locations in the Breckenridge area of Colorado, then let’s talk!
Breckenridge is a great elopement location all year round. While some of the other areas on this list can be a little more tricky to access in the winter time, Breckenridge has so many accessible spots, even in the snow! Winter wonderland elopements in Breckenridge are my favorite.
Another perk to Breckenridge elopements is that there are plenty of lodging and dining options to choose from. This area is great if you want to include a few guests in your elopement day as well.
See couples who chose to elope in Breckenridge!
Boulder
Boulder is a great choice for an elopement location if you want to stay close to Denver. It is only about 40 minutes from the airport and you can have access to beautiful scenery and trails close by, with incredible views of the Boulder Flatirons! If you stay in Boulder, Chautauqua Park, Sunrise Amphitheater, Artist Point, and Lost Gulch Overlook make for great ceremony locations in town. However, if you choose to venture a little outside of Boulder, one of my favorite places, Brainard Lake Recreation Area, is a must!
If you want to go on a short hike for your elopement, then I highly recommend Lake Isabelle! You can enjoy a beautiful sunrise hike and then head back to Boulder for some celebrations. Boulder is also not too far from Rocky Mountain National Park, so I have also had couples go on an adventure in RMNP and then meet back up with family in Boulder at a beautiful restaurant like Flagstaff House or Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse!
Boulder is a great location year-round! If you want to elope in less busy months like November though May, then Boulder is a perfect choice because the weather is usually fairly mild even in the winter (but still be prepared for cold because you never know when a winter storm might come!).
Check out some of these elopements at Brainard Lake Recreation Area near Boulder, CO!
Rocky Mountain National Park
A list of elopement locations in Colorado would not be complete without Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park! It is a very popular location for elopements, and it makes sense sense why! But, in order to get married within the National Park, you need to obtain a $300 permit and have your ceremony at one of their designated ceremony sites. You can find more information about the process here. Do keep in mind that summer and fall months usually book out very fast, so be ready a year in advance from your wedding date to apply for the permit!
One of my favorite ceremony spots in Rocky Mountain National Park is Sprague Lake. The beautiful dock overlooks the lake and stunning mountain views and is not far from other popular spots in the park that you can explore after your ceremony, like Bear Lake and Dream Lake!
Rocky Mountain National Park is another area that is beautiful year-round for elopements! If you are prepared for cold, it can be quite magical in the winter time, with much less visitors, and much easier to snag a wedding permit!
See how other couples eloped in Rocky Mountain National Park!
Aspen
Most people who elope in Aspen are eloping at Colorado’s most photographed location, Maroon Bells. While this location can be difficult to acquire if you are reserving the Maroon Bells Amphitheater for a wedding with guests, if you want to elope just the two of you, then you can still have your wedding here without the reservation! Another option if you are still including family members in your elopement day and were not one of the few lucky ones to grab an Amphitheater reservation, is to have your ceremony in another Aspen location, and then go to Maroon Bells for couples portraits!
In order to avoid large crowds during your Maroon Bells elopement, I usually recommend sunrise photos. Parking passes are required to access the Maroon Bells for sunrise or sunset photos!
Maroon Bells can only be accessed via car from mid-May to mid-October. However, if you want a winter adventure, you can snowmobile or cross-country ski to Maroon Bells in the off-season. You would be guaranteed to have a very private experience in the winter time! Of course summer and fall are also breathtaking!
Read about this Maroon Bells elopement, one of the best Colorado elopement spots!
Leadville and Buena Vista
Two of Colorado’s most underrated mountain towns are Leadville and Buena Vista. Twin Lakes is close to both of these towns and is an absolutely stunning spot for an elopement! Not too far from Twin Lakes is also an amazing location, Independence Pass.
Another favorite location of mine near Buena Vista is Cottonwood Pass. The 360 views at 12,000 feet are so gorgeous! No matter which way you turn, there is not a bad background for your ceremony. There are also a lot of great hikes in this area that I would love to share with you!
Colorado Springs
Another location that is not far from Denver, and also has it’s own airport, is Colorado Springs! Colorado Springs is most known for Garden of the Gods. Garden of the Gods is an amazing spot for a Colorado elopement. With stunning red rocks and views of Pikes Peak, it makes for a beautiful backdrop for your ceremony.
Garden of the Gods has a few sites designated for ceremonies, but there is no reservation or permit required. This however does mean the areas are first come first serve and you need to have a backup plan if someone else is using the space. Some of my favorites are High Point Overlook and Jaycee Plaza, and I know a few less popular spots as well if your’e up for a little hike!
Any season is perfect for an elopement in Garden of the Gods. The weather is usually pretty nice in all seasons, and if you happen to get a snowy day in the winter, the red rocks look incredible with a blanket of white snow!
Colorado Springs Elopements at Garden of the Gods
Durango and Silverton – The best Colorado elopement spots!
Similar to Telluride and Ouray, Durango and Silverton have those amazing jagged peaks of the San Juan Mountains and the most blue lakes! If you are ready for a long hike, Ice Lake and Island Lake is the absolute best hike near Silverton. If you are willing to make the trek up, and Ice Lake and Island Lake elopement is definitely worth the work! There are also locations accessible by Jeep if you are not much a hiker. Backpacking elopements in the Silverton area are definitely my favorite though!
Summer time is my favorite for the pristine blue lake hikes. Long days give you plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and complete longer hikes and the weather is usually nice to stay out all day! Of course, you should always be prepared for any type of weather in the mountains.
Granby
Granby, home to Lake Granby, is another location in Colorado that is maybe not as highly utilized for elopements, but is so beautiful! One of my favorite hikes to Mirror and Crater Lake is in Granby. While this hike is not very everyone because of it’s 14 mile roundtrip distance, it is a perfect elopement location if you are ready for some adventure and want secluded views all to yourself.
Granby also has a lot of other non-hiking options, along Grand Lake and Lake Granby, to choose for your elopement! It is also not far from the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park. So, if you want to take a scenic drive and stop for photos along the amazing Trail Ridge Road, this is a great way to incorporate both areas into your elopement day!
Check out this epic hiking elopement to one of the best Colorado elopement spots for 2026!
Ski Resorts are the best Colorado elopement spots for 2026!
If you are planning a Colorado ski elopement, there are plenty of ski resorts to choose from! Some of my personal favorite ski resorts for ski elopements include Copper Mountain, Breckenridge, and Vail. Of course you can also elope at many others including Winter Park, Telluride, Loveland, Beaver Creek, Aspen, and many more!
There are a few things to consider when choosing your ski resort for your elopement. The first is whether you already have the Epic or Ikon Pass. Both passes have a lot of great options for Colorado ski resorts. Another thing to consider is where you want to book lodging and whether you will have guests at your elopement. If you plan on having guests, you will need to have your ceremony somewhere off-site. Your ceremony location may dictate which ski resort you choose if you don’t want to drive too far from your ceremony to hit the slopes. The final factor would just be the views you like best. I can help you decide with photo examples from many ski areas!
If you want more information on ski elopements and weddings, reach out here!
Check out some amazing Colorado ski elopements!
leave a comment