Best Trails for your Mount Rainier Elopement
National Park & Pacific Northwest Elopement Photographer
In last week’s blog post I told you all about how you can elope at Mount Rainier National Park! We covered how to get there, where to stay, the logistics of getting married in the park and in the state of Washington.
Did you know that Mount Rainier National Park has 240 trails!? So how in the world do you select a trail to elope on if you have never been to the park or have only hiked a couple of the trials!? Below is a list of just some of the epic trial options fit for an elopement! Please keep in mind that no matter what you must talk to the forest service rangers and pull proper permits for eloping in any area of the park! Outside of this blog post other great places to research the perfect trail for you I suggest using All Trails, reading Day Hike! Mount Rainier, The Outbound, The Outdoor Project or visiting the park! On top of doing your own research, as I always say, communicate with your photographer! This will give you more help on planning for the hike, finding the perfect trail, deciding to hike in before sunrise or at sunset and more! Selecting a trail for your elopement is not just about how many miles you will be traveling, but it is also based on the elopement day experience you wish to have, the view you prefer and more!
Almost all of the trails below are best hiked from July to October. If you are looking for locations to elope with less than a one mile hike or stroll consider Sunrise, Paradise, Tipsoo Lake or Reflections Lake.
Skyline Trail/Upper Skyline
This trail is super popular within the park and well maintained. While it is a busy trail there are some areas you could find a little bit of privacy and the views are unbeatable! My biggest suggestion for this hike on your elopement would be to for sure elope on a week day and hike in at sunrise or back down after sunset. The hike itself takes roughly four hours and is 5.5 mile loop. The trail is accessible from the Paradise parking lot.
*** Bonus!
After you elope if you want to continue your elopement trip you can hike up to camp Muir! This trail is only to be done with the right gear and experience!
Moraine Trail
This trail is roughly 2.2 miles, but you can take it further. It is accessible from the Paradise parking lot from Dead Horse Creek Trail. This trail has great views and is way less crowded than Skyline.
Emmons Moraine
This four mile trail will lead you to a secret lake! There is no exact trail that goes right to it, but you can access it! The trail is accessible from the White River campground on the sunrise side. The trail goes through the woods and then opens up to a river crossing before leading you to the overlook views. This trail can be accessed from the next trail….
Glacier Basin Trail
Also accessible from White River Campground and passing the Emmons trail head this will lead you to beautiful views surrounded by mountain peaks where you can say your vows in a meadow. The trail is 6.2 miles and can be taken further to ever more views and elevation and even less folks. The trail takes about four hours to complete. There is also a campground here you can back pack too!
Frozen Lake/Mount Fremont Lookout
The lookouts in Washington make for really neat elopement locations! This trail takes 5.4 miles and will lead you to Fremont Lookout, but also views of many mountains and other trails. The trail is accessible from the Sunrise parking lot and takes about three hours. Be on the look out for mountain goats on this trail!
Mount Rainier National Park is truly a special place. I will never forget the first hike I did in the park, Glacier Basin, and how romantic the meadows felt surrounded by the tall rocky mountains. Like most National Parks the land is vast. Sometimes it is hard to navigate and plan if you haven’t been to the park before. I truly believe Mt Rainier can offer you a magical wedding day and I am very passionate about helping you plan your perfect elopement, no matter if you have visited the park prior or not!
