Best Winter Elopement Locations

Where to Elope from November – February

If you’re thinking about a winter elopement, you might be picturing snow-covered mountains, frozen lakes, or frosted forests. And while you can absolutely have that kind of winter elopement, getting married during this season doesn’t have to look a certain way.

Your winter elopement could take you into the mountains, across the desert, along a stormy coastline, or even to the other side of the world where it’s already summer. If you’re getting married between November and February, you don’t necessarily have to choose a cold-weather experience. You get to decide what you want your day to feel like and then find the landscape and climate that make sense for you two.

In this guide, we’ll share some of our favorite winter elopement locations, from snowy mountains and desert landscapes to summer destinations in the Southern Hemisphere. We’ll also walk you through what to consider when planning a winter elopement, from weather and daylight to thinking through what type of experience you really want to have.

Top Winter Elopement Destinations

Location	Landscape	Winter Experience
Moab, Utah	Desert + mountains	Mild-to-chilly desert, snow-capped mountains, fewer crowds
Hanksville, Utah	Desert + canyons	Rock climbing, canyoneering, off-roading
Death Valley, California	Desert	Sand dunes, salt flats, colorful rocks, canyons
Sedona, Arizona	Red rocks + desert	Moderate temperatures, occasional snow, red rock views
Page, Arizona	Desert + canyon	Off-roading, desert landscapes, canyon country
Mt. Baker, Washington	Snowy mountains	Snowshoeing, skiing, snow camping, winter adventure
Olympic Peninsula, Washington	Mountains, lakes, beaches + rainforest	Snow, beaches, rainforest, hot springs, lower-elevation flexibility
New Zealand	Mountains + alpine landscapes	Summer conditions, long days, hiking, mountains
Patagonia	Mountains + glaciers	Summer conditions, hiking, horseback riding, glaciers, wind

Why Elope in the Winter

One of the biggest reasons we love winter elopements is you typically have fewer crowds.

Popular hiking destinations have become incredibly busy over the last several years, with summer often being the peak season. The winter months, however, can give you a completely different experience of a place. And depending on where you go, winter can actually be the best time to visit.

If you’re choosing a snowy location, you can also incorporate some fun snow activities. Maybe you’ve connected the most while snowshoeing, skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, or even winter camping. These are all activities you can enjoy together during your elopement day.

And then there is the snow itself. How romantic is a snowy wonderland? Some of the locations you can elope at in the winter are simply stunning because of the snowy landscape and the beauty and stillness that comes with it.

But if snow isn’t your thing, that’s okay too.

Winter elopements don’t have to mean cold temperatures and snowy mountains. Winter is one of our favorite times for desert elopements because the cooler temperatures make it much more enjoyable to spend the day outside. You can also head somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere and trade winter conditions for a summer season.

If you’re still thinking, “Yes, a winter elopement is right for us”, here are a few of our favorite winter elopement locations to consider:

9 Best Winter Elopement Locations 

Desert Winter Elopement Locations

Moab, Utah

If you want to stay in the United States, Moab is one of our favorite winter elopement locations.

Before you go though, it’s important to understand that even though it is the desert, Moab can still be chilly. But in our experience, the lower temperatures are actually what make winter elopements here so special. During the busy season, the national parks around Moab can be incredibly crowded, but they tend to calm down once the winter season hits. You can still hike, off-road, climb, explore canyons, and spend the day outside without the crowds that come with warmer months.

If you’re thinking of a winter elopement in Moab, we recommend planning a sunset elopement over sunrise. This not only allows you to start your day a little later, but it also lets the sun warm things up, so you don’t feel quite as chilled. No matter what time of day you choose though, just layer up and be prepared for the temperatures to change throughout the day.

And if you’re lucky enough to see snow in the desert, we’ll be the first to tell you it is stunning. Even when there isn’t snow on the ground, the La Sal Mountains are often snow-capped in the background of several desert locations, creating that beautiful contrast between red rock and winter landscape.

Best winter elopement activities in Moab: hiking, off-roading, rock climbing, exploring canyons, picnicking, watching the sunset, and stargazing.

If this location is calling you, check out our guide to the Best Places to Elope in Moab

Hanksville, Utah

Hanksville is another great winter location, especially if you’re looking for something a little more adventurous.

If you really want a rock climbing elopement but don’t want your hands freezing while you’re on the ropes, winter is a great time to go canyoneering in Hanksville. You’re still getting that combination of ropes, movement, and adventure, but because it’s the desert, you have a bit more protection from the cold that typically comes with higher elevation areas. 

Hanksville is also a great option if you want a more remote desert experience and don’t need a traditional “wedding venue” type of setting.

Best winter elopement activities in Hanksville: canyoneering, rock climbing, off-roading, hiking, and exploring the desert.

Coming soon: How to Elope in Hanksville

Death Valley, California

Death Valley is actually a location we really only recommend during the winter months. In the summer, visiting can frankly be dangerous with how hot the temperatures get. In the winter, however, it is lovely to be here and—you guessed it—it’s also less busy! You can spend your elopement day exploring mountains, sand dunes, colorful rocks, salt flats, and canyons without trying to survive the heat. It’s also relatively quiet, making it a great option if you want a desert experience without the crowds.

Death Valley is especially convenient if you’re looking for an accessible desert destination. It’s close to Las Vegas, so it’s easy to fly in and out of, and you can make your elopement part of a longer trip. Spend a few days exploring Death Valley National Park, then head to Mammoth to ski, climb in the Alabama Hills, or celebrate in Las Vegas.

Best winter elopement activities in Death Valley: hiking, exploring sand dunes and salt flats, off-roading, watching the sunset, and exploring the canyons.

Sedona, Arizona

Sedona can be a really great place to elope in the winter. The temperatures are generally moderate, and while it has become a year-round destination, winter still tends to offer more privacy than the busiest months.

And if you’re lucky enough to get snow, you can experience something we’ve dubbed, “Snow-dona”. The contrast of red rocks and white snow is incredible, and the best part is that the snow usually doesn’t stick around for long, so it typically doesn’t impact the rest of your adventure.

If you do happen to get snow during your winter elopement in Sedona, there is one thing we always like to preface with couples: if it snows in Sedona, roads can close. It’s rare—Sedona only sees snow a few days out of the year—but if you choose a location that requires driving on a road that closes during winter weather, you need to be prepared to hike in instead or have a backup plan.

This especially applies to popular locations like Merry-Go-Round Rock. If the road to this trail is closed, you won’t be driving up there. You can still hike in, but it will change the experience and the logistics of your day.

Best winter elopement activities in Sedona: hiking, off-roading, exploring red rock formations, watching the sunset, and exploring the surrounding desert.

See our favorite Sedona elopement locations

Page, Arizona

Just a few hours north of Sedona is Page, Arizona—another great winter option, especially if you’re interested in getting off the beaten path.

While we don’t recommend a lake-based experience here during the colder months, there are plenty of off-roading opportunities and desert locations that can make for a really fun winter elopement.

Like Moab and Sedona, winter weather in Page can vary. We’ve even had snow there in February, but it generally doesn’t stick around for long. The important thing is simply being prepared for changing conditions.

Best winter elopement activities in Page: off-roading, hiking, exploring desert landscapes, and canyon adventures.

Read more about eloping in Page, Arizona

Snowy Mountain Winter Elopement Locations

If you want snow, we’re personally fans of the Pacific Northwest. There are some other great winter elopement locations in the U.S. with snowy mountains, like Colorado, but in our experience, the Pacific Northwest generally has milder temperatures. The tradeoff is that this region is usually much cloudier, so it really depends on what you want.

Washington can be sunny and dry in the summer, but winter is a completely different experience. It’s moody, often rainy, and if you think of Twilight when you think of Washington, then you’re thinking winter.

Unlike some other mountain regions of the United States, winters here are pretty mild. We get a lot of snow, but we don’t have super cold temperatures all winter. That combination is one of the reasons we love winter elopements here: you can still have that snowy mountain experience without necessarily spending the entire day battling extreme cold.

Mt Baker, Washington

Mt. Baker can be incredible in the winter, especially if you’re looking for a true snowy mountain elopement.

During the summer, this area is known for Artist Point, but in the winter, it becomes a snow-covered mountain playground. Mt. Baker gets an incredible amount of snow, making it one of our favorite places for winter adventures in Washington. Snowshoeing is a great way to explore the area, and you can also ski, cross-country ski, or even snow camp.

The key to a winter elopement at Mt. Baker is flexibility. If there’s a whiteout at your original location, we can move things around. If conditions make a longer hike unrealistic, we can shorten the adventure. Winter elements in general tend to be shorter, as they have less daylight, but a shorter timeline doesn’t make your experience any less meaningful.

Because it is a popular ski area, the mountain can be busy on weekends, especially after a fresh powder day. Weekdays can be much quieter, which is why we always recommend eloping on a weekday when possible. 

If you’re dreaming about getting married surrounded by snow-covered mountains, Mt. Baker is a hard location to beat. You just need to be prepared for winter conditions and willing to let the day unfold a little differently depending on what the mountain gives you.

To learn more about getting married in this area, read our Mt. Baker Elopement Guide

Olympic Peninsula, Washington 

We love Olympic National Park for winter elopements because of how much variety you have in one place. The park is huge and diverse, so you can experience snow for sure or completely avoid it.

Out of the winter elopement locations in Washington, we tend to prefer Olympic depending on what the couple wants. If we can’t get into the mountains because of snow, there’s still so much to do at lower elevations. You can head to the lakes, beaches, waterfalls, or rainforest instead.

And if conditions are ideal, you can absolutely do it all. You can snowshoe or hike in the mountains, then spend time along the coast, explore the rainforest, or soak in a hot spring. You could have a snowy mountain adventure one day and a moody coastal experience the next.

Best winter elopement activities on the Olympic Peninsula: snowshoeing, hiking, backpacking, exploring beaches, visiting lakes and waterfalls, soaking in hot springs, and exploring the rainforest.

See our favorite Olympic National Park elopement locations

Winter Elopement Locations That Feel Like Summer

And last but not least, winter elopement locations that feel like summer. 

New Zealand

If you want to elope in the winter but you don’t want winter conditions and you want to be up in the mountains, you should go to New Zealand.

100%. That’s what you should do. 

November through February is summer in New Zealand, so while much of the Northern Hemisphere is dealing with winter, you can have long days, warmer conditions, and incredible mountain landscapes.

It’s also a fantastic option if you want your elopement to feel like a bigger adventure. You can hike through the mountains, explore alpine landscapes, and spend your wedding day outside without having to plan around winter conditions. And if you happen to love flowers, this is also the season when the lupins are blooming. And let us tell you, they are STUNNING!

Best winter elopement activities in New Zealand: hiking, exploring mountains and lakes, backpacking, scenic drives, and spending time outdoors in the summer landscape.

Read our guide to eloping in New Zealand

Patagonia

Patagonia is another option if you want to use the Northern Hemisphere winter as an excuse to go somewhere with summer conditions.

The landscape here is absolutely incredible, and there are opportunities for hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, and glacier access.

The biggest thing to be aware of when planning an elopement in Patagonia is the wind. Patagonia can be extremely windy, even though you’re experiencing summer conditions. We don’t think that should necessarily be a deterrent, but it’s something you should know before choosing the destination. If you’re someone who really doesn’t want to deal with wind, it may not be the right fit.

Best winter elopement activities in Patagonia: hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, glacier adventures, and exploring the mountains.

How to Choose the Right Winter Elopement Location

If you already know you want a desert, mountain, or coastal landscape, choosing your elopement location is pretty simple. From there, we can start narrowing things down based on what kind of experience you want to have.

But if you’re simply thinking, “We want to get married between November and February. Where should we go?” we take a slightly different approach.

We’ll start by asking questions like: 

• Do you want snowy mountains or sunny desert? 
• Are you hoping to get out of winter completely? 
• How important is accessibility? 
• Are you bringing family or friends? 
• Do you want to hike, climb, snowshoe, off-road, or do any specific adventure together?

Travel cost can also become a factor, especially if you’re considering an international destination. 

At the end of the day, there isn’t one best winter elopement location, but we will help you find the best winter elopement location for the type of experience you want to have!

How to Prepare for a Winter Elopement 

When it comes to planning your winter elopement, we want you to start in the same place we want you to start when planning any elopement: with your experience.

Planning assistance is a huge part of what we provide our couples, but our expertise and suggestions are always a collaboration. We aren’t here to hand you a perfectly planned day and tell you what your elopement should look like. We’re here to help you figure out what you two actually want to experience together and then build a plan that brings that vision to life.

We recommend setting aside some time together to talk about what you want your day to feel like and what you actually want to do. It doesn’t need to be perfectly mapped out. Think of it as creating a strong framework for the day rather than a minute-by-minute schedule.

And we’re not talking about the details like the color of your suit, the type of bouquet you want, or what your cake topper looks like. Those things can be fun, but we want you to think bigger than that.

What do you want to experience together?

Maybe you want to wake up slowly, make coffee together, and write your vows before heading into the mountains. Maybe you want to spend the afternoon playing in the snow before finding a quiet place to read your vows. Maybe you want to have your closest people with you for your ceremony and then spend the rest of the day exploring somewhere beautiful just the two of you. Winter gives you some especially fun opportunities to build those kinds of moments into your day.

Once we know what you want the experience to be, we can start figuring out how to make it work in winter.

4 Tips for Planning a Winter Elopement

Be Flexible

The biggest thing to understand about winter elopements is that they require a little more flexibility than other times of the year. Weather can change quickly, even in places that are generally mild during the winter. Moab, Sedona, and Page, for example, can be 60 degrees and beautiful one day and chilly with snow the next.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to scrap your entire plan. It may simply mean building in time to warm up between locations, adding an extra layer, or being willing to adjust where you spend part of the day.

If you’re eloping somewhere snowy or mountainous, we might build time into the day for you to get ready and hang out together in a cozy cabin before heading into the mountains. You could spend part of the day outside, come back down to warm up, make some coffee, relax together, and then head back out for another adventure.

That flexibility is a big part of planning a winter elopement. The goal isn’t to tough out the cold for twelve hours because you wanted winter photos. The goal is to have an incredible experience together while adapting to whatever the day gives you.

Consider How Much Daylight You Have

Daylight is another important consideration. In the Northern Hemisphere, winter days are shorter, so we’ll likely build your timeline differently than we would for a summer elopement. We may make better use of midday light, start your day earlier, or plan your outdoor portions around an earlier sunset.

But winter doesn’t mean the same thing everywhere in the world.

If you have to elope during the winter months because of work, family, or another commitment, you don’t necessarily have to choose winter conditions. You can head to the Southern Hemisphere and experience summer instead. New Zealand and Patagonia, for example, have long summer days during our winter months. 

Layer Up

Of course, wherever you go, layers are your friend. Pack clothing that you actually like being photographed in, along with the gear you need to stay comfortable in the conditions you’ll be experiencing. Your warmest jacket doesn’t have to be your least favorite one.

Have a Backup Plan

And if you’re heading into snowy or mountainous terrain, road conditions, trail access, weather, daylight, and safety all need to be part of the plan. Some roads and trails may become inaccessible, and having a backup plan can make the difference between feeling stressed by a weather change and simply rolling with it.

This is another reason having an experienced elopement team can make such a difference. You don’t have to figure all of that out by yourself. We can help you think through the logistics, build flexibility into your timeline, and find ways to preserve the experience you actually wanted even when the weather doesn’t cooperate perfectly.

Because yes, you should 100% choose a location that makes you excited to be there. But the beautiful landscape is only one part of your elopement. The experience you have together is what you’ll carry with you.

We want you to look back at your photos years from now and remember how beautiful the snow was, but also how it felt to drink coffee together that morning, how cold your hands were before you warmed up in the truck, how much you laughed running through the snow, or how peaceful it felt to stand together in the mountains with nobody else around.

Your photos will be a permanent reflection of those moments. We’d much rather have you look back at them with a smile that comes from deep in your heart than be reminded of an experience you simply toughed out to get some pretty images.

Winter Elopement FAQs

Is winter a good time to elope?

Absolutely. Winter can mean snow-covered mountains, quiet desert landscapes, dramatic coastlines, or even summer conditions in the Southern Hemisphere. The best time to elope is less about the season itself and more about choosing a location that gives you the experience you want.

What happens if the weather is unsafe?

We make a plan with flexibility built in from the beginning. If conditions change, we can adjust the location, shorten an adventure, move to a lower elevation, or change the timeline. The goal is never to force you into unsafe conditions just because that was the original plan.

Can you still hike during a winter elopement?

Yes, but the type and length of hike will depend on the location and conditions. A winter hike might mean snowshoeing into the mountains, a shorter trail with a beautiful view, hiking through the desert, or exploring a lower-elevation area when the mountains aren’t accessible.

Are winter elopements cheaper?

Sometimes, but their cost depends entirely on the destination. Some places are much quieter and less expensive during their off season, while others become popular winter destinations because of skiing or other seasonal activities. International travel also comes with a different set of costs. We’d recommend choosing your location based on the experience first, then looking at the travel logistics and overall budget. 

Ready to Plan Your Winter Elopement?

Whether you’re dreaming about snowshoeing through Mt. Baker, watching the sunset in Moab, or trading winter for summer in New Zealand, when it comes to planning a winter elopement, you have lots of options. 

Winter can be quiet and snowy in the mountains, wild and stormy along the coast, or warm and summery on the other side of the world. The important part is figuring out what kind of experience you want to have together and then finding the place and plan that make it possible.

And you don’t have to figure all of those options out on your own.

Planning assistance is a huge part of what we provide our couples. We can help you narrow down locations, think through weather and accessibility, build a flexible timeline, and figure out the logistics that will make sense for the two of you. We’ll help you create a plan that leaves room for the unexpected without losing sight of what you actually want your day to feel like.

Our goal isn’t just to take you somewhere beautiful and photograph you there. We want to help you create a day that feels like yours—one you’ll actually want to remember long after the snow has melted.

Blog post written by Sonder Studio