How to Elope in Olympic National Park
How to elope in Olympic National Park Elopement
by a Washington State Elopement Photographer (Updated for 2026)
If you plan on eloping in Olympic National Park you do not want to miss this guide!
Olympic National Park is in our opinion, the BEST national park to elope at in Washington state.
As local adventure elopement photographers to WA state, we have poured our hearts into this resource for you! After camping, hiking, pack rafting, climbing, and photographing many elopements in this park, we are giving you all our inside knowledge right here!
This guide is here to tell you everything you need to know about how to elope in the National Park.
What is Olympic National Park Known for?
Truly, Olympic National Park is known for its diverse ecosystems. The park has glacier capped mountains, rain forests and rugged rocky coastlines. It feels like three worlds come together to create a magical land.
As far as elopements go, it is specifically known for being slightly less busy than the other National Parks, incredible access to nature, and absolutely show-stopping locations.
We love Olympic for its diversity in adventures to be had, too from climbing, hiking, backpacking, and all things on the water!
Olympic National Park feels like a fairy-tale land. Several of our couples have stood in the mountains and referenced it, looking like a scene out of The Lord of the Rings. It brings a sense of wonder, peace and joy while visiting.
Things to do on during elopement in Olympic National Park for your Elopement
- Camp on the beach
- Surf at Rialto Beach
- Have a picnic
- Look for star fish on the coast
- Kayak, boat, or paddle board on the lake
- Relax in the hot springs
- Backpack to hidden lakes
- Hike to a vista
- See a waterfall or two
- Have a fire on the beach
- Go Fishing
- Go Rock Climbing by the Elwha river
- Enjoy a sunset from a mountain peak or on the shore
- Star gaze under the milky way
- Watch for Eagles
- Have a meal in Port Angeles
- Go Whale Watching from Port Angeles
- Cliff jump at Devil’s Punch Bowl
- Look for banana slugs while hiking through the lush forests
When to Elope in Olympic National Park
The best time to elope in Olympic really depends on what draws you in most from an experience perspective. The park is open year-round, and you can elope here year-round! Most people agree, however, that it’s best to visit from June through Early October.
The landscapes are so diverse with snow capped mountains, moody coast line, crystal clear lakes and moss draped forests. All of these areas have different weather and their own mini ecosystem’s.
Here is a little more insight to each time of the year:
Spring in Olympic National Park
Early Spring in Olympic National Park, it is good to expect rain or even still snow in the mountains. The best places to visit in the park in early spring are the HOH, Lake Crescent, or the coast. Late Spring, you start getting snow melt, allowing more accessibility in the mountains and beautiful blooming wild flowers. Spring in the park is definitely a quieter time to elope than the Summer months.
In our opinion, June 18-21 are some of the best dates in Spring to elope for the flowers and access.
Summer in Olympic National Park
By popular consensus, this is the perfect season to elope in Olympic! The mountains will have thawed out and be plenty accessible, and while the wildflower shows here aren’t quite as magnificent as in Mt. Rainier, they are still stunning in their own right. I typically recommend avoiding the Fourth of July weekend as it is highly celebrated throughout the entire peninsula and very busy. You also want to avoid the weekend crowds during the summer months. It is important to know that if you are thinking of having a fire on the beach, early July is typically when fire bans go into place.
The best dates to elope in the Summer June 23-28 and the month of August.
Fall in Olympic National Park
Early Fall is still quite fantastic in the area! Late Fall you can expect some snow already to be falling in the mountains and sometimes even around the lakes. Certain pockets of the peninsula will have those gorgeous fall color changes (we love when the ferns turn golden!) and the crisp air carries all the charm that comes with the season. The area starts to get less busy during this time.
Early fall is best if you want the best weather opportunity, but if you want fall colors, consider early November.
Winter in Olympic National Park
To see those peaks covered in snow is breathe-taking! Yes, it will likely be moody and rainy, but at the lower elevations near the coast line and in the forests, it isn’t like a north-eastern winter. The coast keeps temperatures between the forties and fifties during the day and often the rain is a drizzle and rarely a downpour. Who knows! You might even get lucky and have some sunshine during your winter elopement!
How to Legally Elope in Olympic National Park
In the state of Washington you will need an officiant and two witnesses to legally become married. We are both ordained and we often officiate for our couples. We understand that finding an officiant to follow you deep into the woods can be challenging, so we include this in all of our elopement packages! The other options are, if you’re having guests, to have one of your elopement guests become ordained and perform your ceremony.
Prior to the ceremony, you will need to apply for your marriage license, which you can do at at the county government’s auditor’s office or online. The only location that we are aware of that will allow someone from out of state to apply online is through Whatcom County. Don’t worry about not getting married in Whatcom county, as a Washington state marriage license is valid across the entire state!
There is a three day waiting period for your marriage license to become valid, so if you plan to apply for your permit in person you will need to be there several days in advance. Furthermore, you must get married within 60 days of obtaining your license, or you’ll need to go back through the entire process again. Fees for your marriage license are different per county, and some are cash only for example, so be sure to have all the information you need before heading in.. After the ceremony has been held and the documents are signed, your officiant is responsible for returning it to the appropriate county clerk.
Olympic National Park Wedding Permit
Currently, if you’re eloping in Olympic National park, the rules are that if you have 5 people or less at your wedding you do not need a permit. This includes anyone associated with your elopement, so the officiant and the photographer do count towards that number 5.
If you are planning to hold your ceremony in the park with 5 or more people, you will need to download the special use permit form on the National Park’s website and either mail or email it in after filling out all of the information requested.
We recommend doing this at least one month in advance of your elopement day. The earlier you apply the better however, as park staff is often limited and the permit officers typically have many roles they need to be in charge of, not just the special use permits (what you may need for your elopement ceremony).
If you are eloping with more than 5 people in your group, you are also limited to specific pre-approved ceremony locations in the park. Some of the location options you will have to choose from are:
- Picnic area at Hurricane Ridge
- Lake Crescent Shoreline
- Certain beaches
We suggest not planning to elope in the park with more than 15 people. We recommend this guest count limit based on the ability to follow Leave No Trace and the logistics you start needing to factor in like parking!
Where to elope in Olympic National park?
There are so many places to consider spending your day in Olympic, but also to hold your elopement ceremony and share your vows!
Here are some of the top 10 places to consider:
- Hurricane Ridge
- Deer Park
- Lake Crescent
- HOH Rainforest
- Rialto Beach
- Ruby Beach
- Second Beach
- Mount Storm King
- Back Country Lakes
- Lake Sutherland
While this blog focuses on how to elope in Olympic, if you want a deeper dive into the location, please visit this resource.
How to Get to Olympic National Park
The park has many access points! Because the park is so big how you get there will really be determined by where you are going in the park. T
The closest airport to fly into is Seatac, which is 2.5 hours away and then Portland which is 4 hours away. Note from these locations you will need to rent a car and drive to the park, you can not get here or around the park easily with public transit.
If you are coming from Seattle and want to cut out some of the drive time, you can take the Washington State Ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island and drive the rest of the way. The ferry is a super great option if you are coming from Bellingham or another area in the Northern part of the state to take the ferry from Coupeville (on Whidbey Island) to Port Townsend.
*** Important Note if you plan to take a ferry! You need to make a reservation online in advance to drive on the ferry. The ferry asks that you arrive an hour prior to boarding to secure your reservation. You’re reservation will be released if you arrive with less than 30 minutes prior to boarding. For making a reservation, they release a portion of booking dates at 2 months, then 2 weeks and then 2 days in advance.
Where to Stay in Olympic National Park for your Elopement
The main regions to consider staying for an Olympic National Park Elopement are:
- Port Angeles – best for mountain + lake access
- Forks – central to the coasts
- Lake Quinault – Southern access
When planning your elopement in Olympic National Park an important factor is where you will stay because the park is so big!
Camping in Olympic National Park
A permit is needed to camp in the park, but this is easily obtained by booking on recreation.gov. Be sure you’re selecting the right campground since the site is for all of the national parks across the country!
Importantly, if you are camping on the beach, make sure you check a tide chart to make sure your tent does not get swept away in the night! Many portions of the coast are only accessible at low tide, so on a serious note, be very aware of the tides if you’re hiking along the coast.
If you want to camp in the park, we highly suggest booking your stay at a minimum of 3 months in advance because rentals can sell out as early as 6 months in advance! Private camping in this area is found on Airbnb and Hipcamp. One of my favorite campgrounds in the area is on an Alpaca Farm just outside of Port Angeles.
If back packing or camping is not your jam check out some of these other stay options in or around the park
- Lake Crescent Lodge
- Lake Quinault Lodge
- Sol Duc Springs Lodge
- Log Cabin Resort
- Three Rivers Resort – Cabins + Camping (also home of a really great burger and shake!)
- This Coastal Airbnb Cabin, that sometimes allows ceremonies in the yard. Note: this is the same cabin the photo to the left was taken 🙂
- This A-frame with a hot tub.
- This perfect home for a group to stay in, complete with it’s own piano located closer to the lake.
Staying in Port Angeles while eloping in Olympic National Park
Let’s circle back to the main areas to consider when it comes to planning your elopement in Olympic National Park. Port Angeles seems to be and is the obvious choice for the majority of people visiting the peninsula. The reason for this is that it is the biggest town (technically a city) with the most amenities. If you’re considering eloping up at Hurricane Ridge or along Lake Crescent, then this area is the perfect since it will place you very close to either of those locations.
There really aren’t any downsides to staying in this area given the access to the coast in town, restaurants, bars, and shopping. The only drawback would be if you planned on including sunset at Ruby beach for example, as that will be over 3.5 hours round trip from your rental to the beach and back.
Staying in Forks while eloping in Olympic National Park
This option offers all the Twilight themed vibes you could ever hope for! In all seriousness though, Forks would be the second most popular area where people stay while visiting Olympic National Park, mostly due to being closer to the popular coastal locations. There is a grocery store and a small number of restaurants and even the cutest coffee hut. This location brings you closer to the coast line for including Rialto or Ruby beach into your elopement and while Lake Crescent’s main parking lot is about a 45 minute drive from Forks, it isn’t in our opinion so far out of the way that it isn’t worth considering this spot as a perfect base camp.
Pro Tip: If drone footage (photo or video) is important to you, one of the only areas a drone can be flown within the Olympic area is on Lake Sutherland. This lake is located between Port Angeles and Lake Crescent. The rentals off of Lake Sutherland typically offer privacy, big docks and sometimes kayaks or paddle boats. We often recommend to our couples to stay in Airbnbs in this area!
What to pack for your elopement trip to Olympic National Park + Other Helpful Tips
- All your basic wedding things like outfits, vows, marriage license, rings, etc
- Rain jacket, extra layers for under or over your clothing for the day
- Your America the Beautiful Pass (this can be purchased upon arrival)
- Service can be very limited so bring a map! Or have the map of the area already downloaded on a phone. One of our favorite map tools to use is GaiaGPS.
- Hiking Boots
- Bug Spray
- Bear Canister if you plan to do any camping
- Headlamp
- Cash to pick up any firewood in the area for a fire
- Snacks + Water because there are limited amenities once inside of the park.
- WAG bags if we will be in locations not near bathrooms.
Frequently Asked Questions Eloping in Olympic National Park
Eloping in a National Park isn’t something that most couples do everyday, so we understand that with the inspiration to plan a wedding day centered around an unforgettable experience comes a fair amount of good questions. Here are three frequently asked questions when it comes to planning an elopement in Olympic National Park.
Will my photographer need a permit to photograph my elopement in Olympic?
The beautiful thing about working on federal lands is that portraiture photography is actually a legally protected activity! That means that as long as you’ve planned an authentic day, in this instance your elopement in Olympic National Park, then you’re able to have the day professionally documented. While photography permits are something we pull all the time in different areas, when working in Olympic, it is one less thing to tick off the checklist.
Can I have drone footage captured while eloping in Olympic National Park?
All national parks restrict the use of drones taking off or landing within the park boundaries, Olympic included. While on a technicality a drone pilot may be able to fly in the airspace above a National Park, they are also required to maintain a visual line of sight of their aircraft which means an area where this is able to be performed won’t be likely. If those epic drone shots are important to you, we totally get it. Look into including a dreamy stay location where there aren’t any airspace restrictions or an area in the national forest.
The important thing to takeaway here is that your photography team is required to hold a Part 107, drone pilots license to capture any form of commercial photography (We have ours!). This technicality is important since it provides the pilot with instant granted access to certain flight restricted areas and also signals they’ll understand when and where they’re able to fly a drone on your elopement day. If you’d love drone coverage, be sure to check in with your photography team to be sure they have all of the legal requirements.
Where are the best places to eat in Olympic National Park?
All the best places to eat in the Olympic area are in Port Angeles. In general, our favorite places to recommend for food in the Olympic are:
- Granny’s Cafe – great quick lunch spot
- Kokopelli Grill – our favorite spot for dinner
- The Black Bird Coffee House – for coffee + breakfast
- Welly’s Ice Cream – fresh New Zealand style ice cream
- Yodelin – great for lunch or dinner, fresh healthy seafood
- Spruce – great for drinks and tapas style dining, don’t skip on the fries + brussels
- Bella Italia – A twilight homage, but really the best Italian food in the area.
For a lot of our elopements, our couples choose to cook or bring in a private chef. A lot of the restaurants in the area do not take large parties so it is important to remember if you are eloping with guests in the area.
During Summer restaurants can be quite busy, so we recommend making reservations in advance.
Can I have a fire in Olympic National Park for my elopement?
The answer to this question isn’t an easy yes or no. Some locations like Rialto beach, Second beach, and ShiShi beach do allow fires on the coast line as long as you’re below the high tide line and given that there are no fire bans in the area. Rialto beach is slightly more challenging as you can not have a campfire within the “front country” area of the park, however if you walk roughly half a mile up the coastline to what’s considered back country, then once you cross that threshold, you may be allowed to have a campfire.
Olympic National Park Elopement Photographer
Olympic is a magical place to get married and we are here to turn your dream into reality! We are a husband and wife team offering photo, video, hands on planning assistance and we are both ordained! We live in the Northern part of Washington state, so we know these mountains well and love sharing the PNW wonder with couples on their wedding day!
We Can’t Wait To Chat About Your Olympic National Park Elopement!
“From the very beginning, they felt like long lost friends. Communication was seamless and the anticipation and excitement up to and on our day was always present. They held our hand through the whole process from beginning to end and left no detail unturned. Their professionalism and preparation are something to admire. Not only did they capture every moment of our day, they took us to dinner the night before our elopement so we could get to know each other. Traci gave us endless recommendations on things to do/see for our trip. Gave us constant updates and reminders. I could go on and on, but to say they go above and beyond for the couples they work with is a complete understatement.
We had never been photographed together and were extremely nervous, but you would never know because Traci and Bill are that good! They were so patient with us and gave us all the guidance we needed. What they do is extremely special…and it takes two genuinely amazing people who are passionate and truly care about their work to create experiences like this for others. They are not only photographers/videographers, they are friends, wedding planners, adventurers, improvisers, problem solvers, always prepared, great at recommendations, active listeners, easy to talk to, and are down for anything!
Bill officiated and put together our ceremony. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. It was beautiful and felt like it was written just for us. So thankful Traci could be one of our witnesses also, considering it was just us. Even after a long eventful day starting on the mountains and ending at the coast, Traci sent me our sneak peaks that night. I also couldn’t believe how fast we received our entire gallery and our elopement video. Seeing our full elopement story on their blog on their website, was truly special and I am still shocked and in awe. I feel like it was just yesterday, even though we got married back in the beginning of August.
– Jackie + Ryan, 2021 Olympic National Park
Meet your team!
Hi – it is Traci, Bill and Malachi
Over the years, we’ve helped hundreds of couples plan and document intentional, meaningful elopements in wild places.
Our blogs are where we share what we’ve learned—location guides, planning tips, real elopement stories, and advice to help you feel confident and inspired as you plan your own day.
Whether you’re just getting started or deep in the details, we’re here to support and inspire you. When you’re ready, reach out to book a free consult call and start planning your day with us.
