15 Best Places to Elope in Washington
Where to Elope in Washington
Eloping in Washington State
If you love the Pacific Northwest as much as I do, you should also check out my other guide on the best places to elope in Oregon! When it comes to where to elope in Washington state, there are truly endless possibilities!
There are multiple national parks, national forests, state parks, and other incredibly beautiful public lands. And there’s truly such a vast variety on the kinds of scenery and experience you have access to!
You’ll find lush forests, moss and greenery, mountain views and epic landscapes, waterfalls and lakes, rivers and ponds, and lots of gorgeous hikes and drive-up spots - I can’t wait to share all my favorite places with you!
Washington Elopement Locations
Places to Elope in Washington
Free Places to Get Married in Washington State
There are TONS of places where it’s nearly free to get married in Washington, or for less than a few hundred dollars if a permit is involved. After lots of travel and in-depth research, I’m so excited to share some of my favorite spots with you all that would be amazing for your Washington elopement! Here is my list of the best spots to elope in Washington! As you can see, this list has definitely grown beyond 15, haha! P.S. As you’re thinking about where to elope, be sure to check out my guide on how to choose your elopement location!
Olympic National Park & Olympic Peninsula
Olympic National Park features so much diverse scenery, like the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, temperate rainforest, glacier-capped peaks, wildflower meadows, valleys of forests, and even hot springs! Thousands of years of human history reside in these lands and it’s an incredible place to visit! Some of my favorite spots listed below include Hurricane Ridge, Cape Flattery, Ruby Beach, and Lake Cushman…
Hurricane Ridge
Hurricane Ridge is an easily accessible mountain area with fantastic views and lots of hiking trails and sunset viewpoints, and you can even go sledding, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing in the winter months! During the springtime, wildflowers are everywhere!
Cape Flattery
Located where the Strait of Juan de Fuca joins the Pacific Ocean, Cape Flattery is a short hike that’s perfect for nature lovers, bird watching, and even a chance to see wildlife. It sits at the furthest northwest tip of the contiguous U.S., and it’s also known for its sunsets! Oh, and you can also check out Shi Shi Beach!
Ruby Beach
You’ve probably seen photos of the iconic Ruby Beach, with its lovely sun-bleached driftwood and unique rock formations that can make beautiful ceremony backdrop! Just south of where the Hoh River meets the Pacific Ocean, Ruby Beach offers beautiful moody beach vibes and you can even see some sea life among the tide pools!
Lake Cushman
Lake Cushman is a beautiful alpine lake spot that offers paddling, cliff jumping, camping, and gorgeous green and blue mountain views! It’s a great spot for a weekend getaway!
Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
One of the most visited forests in the United States, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest features glacier-covered peaks, magical mountain meadows, and awesome hiking opportunities! It extends over 100 miles along the Cascade Range, and Mount Baker offers incredible views!
Artist Point
Artist Point is a magnificent and very accessible scenic viewpoint that offers some glorious mountain views of Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan and features access to a variety of trails, and is typically open in summer (usually July to September). At sunset, the alpenglow is glorious at Huntoon Point on the trail!
Gold Creek Pond
Gold Creek Pond offers a beautiful reflection of a gorgeous forest background and is an easy paved hike around a picturesque mountain pond atop Snoqualmie Pass - short hikes with high rewards are everywhere in Washington! The pond itself is crystal clear and deep blue, and there’s even picnic grounds nearby!
Franklin Falls
Located near Snoqualmie Pass, Franklin Falls is a magical waterfall, with a lovely short hike to get there, and offers quintessential PNW moody vibes! This spot is really special to me because it’s where Santiago and I took our 3-Year Anniversary photos [blog post coming soon]! We try to do an Anniversary Session every year - which I highly recommend - and we were lucky enough to have Henry Tieu capture these for us!
Snoqualmie Falls
The trek to Snoqualmie Falls is another short hike with high reward! With the enchanting waterfalls, unique rock formations, moody atmosphere, and greenery, it’s one of the most beautiful and iconic waterfalls in the PNW and an incredible spot to elope in Washington!
North Cascades National Park
Known for its beautiful peaks and glaciers, North Cascades National Park is such a beautifully quintessential Washington elopement spot! Some amazing options there are Washington Pass, Cascade Pass Area, and Diablo Lake (which is gorgeous enough to have its own section below)!
Diablo Lake
One of the gems of the North Cascades, Diablo Lake sits between Ross Lake and Gorge Lake and is known for its fantastic aqua blue waters. One of the most awe-inspiring views is at Diablo Lake Overlook, where you’ll get that gorgeous lake scenery and surrounding mountain views!
Mt. Rainier National Park
I actually have an entire Mt. Rainier Elopement Guide here - feel free to check it out! Mt. Rainier stands over 14,000 feet tall and is so prominent, you can see it from your airplane on the way into Washington! There’s so many incredible hikes and viewpoints to choose from, like some of my personal favorites described below: Reflection Lakes, fire lookout spots, and beautiful A-frame cabins! This is one of my favorite elopement locations whether you want to be able to drive up to your ceremony spot or hike to a beautiful overlook. Check out this beautiful Mt. Rainier Elopement for some inspiration!
Reflection Lakes
Found in the Paradise area - which is definitely fit for its name! - the hike to Reflection Lakes offers one of the best views of Mt. Rainier! In summer, it is bordered with wildflowers, and gorgeous fall colors in autumn! With colorful blooms, wildlife, and breathtaking views of mountain peaks and alpine lakes, this is a perfect spot to elope in Washington! You can even drive up to this beautiful spot (which also makes it easy to include loved ones if you’re planning to, and then do a nearby short (or long) hike together like this Mt. Rainier Elopement at Reflection Lakes!
Fire Lookouts
Because of some devastating forest fires in the early 1900’s, fire protection became high priority to the Forest Service, which means there’s lots of fire lookout spots in Washington! Since these are high on mountaintops, they offer some beautiful sunrise and sunset views! There’s so many options, but just to name a few: Red top Lookout, Suntop Lookout, Mt. Fremont Lookout, Tolmie Peak Fire Lookout, and High Rock Lookout.
A-Frame Cabins
Renting a cozy cabin is always a great idea for an adventurous Washington elopement! Not only are they the perfect spot to get ready in and make a little vacation out of your elopement, there’s a lot of unique ones that make great ceremony backdrops, and are a great way to include loved ones if you want to! Whether you want that geometric A-Frame cabin look or just a cute cabin, there’s lots around Mt. Rainier like The Little Owl Cabin, Cozy River Cabin, Chateau Marmot, Uncommon Bear Cabin, Knotty Cedars Retreat, The Little Blu, Four Stone Lodge, or this huge private family home near Crystal!
More Beautiful Washington Elopement Locations
Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Gifford Pinchot National Forest offers mountain views, waterfalls, meadows, river valleys, and forest vibes! There’s High Rock Lookout - an incredible spot to watch the sunset - is actually one of the Fire Lookouts I mentioned above. One of my favorite spots is Panther Creek Falls, one of the most unique waterfalls in the area with multiple roaring falls all in one spot surrounded by beautiful green moss. You’ll also find Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and Mount Adams!
Rattlesnake Ridge
Rattlesnake Ridge is the ridge of Rattlesnake Mountain in North Bend, Washington. Above is a rock outcropping, a beautiful viewpoint called Rattlesnake Ledge and a popular hiking destination! This spot offers beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and lakes, including Mount Si, Mount Washington, Rattlesnake Lake, Chester Morse Lake, and more! Rattlesnake Lake is also a beautiful spot to elope at!
Lake Crescent & Marymere Falls
From Lake Crescent Lodge, you can walk up to the shores of Lake Crescent or to the end of the boardwalk there for an incredible ceremony backdrop of the mountains and lake behind you! Nearby is a beautiful and easy hike through a forest that takes you to the glorious Marymere Falls, a majestic waterfall surrounded by green moss with moody PNW vibes!
Hoh Rainforest
The Hoh Rainforest is a beautiful temperate rainforest lush with greenery, beautiful ferns, huge trees, and the famous Hall of Mosses – one of the spots we visited during our first trip to Washington! Seriously, moss and enchanting trees everywhere you look, it’s honestly unreal! If you like the idea of a forest elopement, you can check out this snowy Washington Elopement in the forest!
La Push Beach
Obviously I had to mention La Push Beach! If you’ve seen Twilight, you’re definitely familiar with this one. La Push offers quintessential moody Pacific Northwest vibes and features epic fallen trees that make beautiful ceremony backdrops!
Washington Elopement
As you can see, there’s so many breathtaking spots to choose from if you want to elope in WA! It was honestly so hard to narrow it down to just these 20 spots to elope in Washington! Wherever you choose for your Pacific Northwest elopement, it’s going to be magical!
P.S. Before you go, check out these gorgeous spots as some honorable mentions that I just couldn’t bare not to list here!
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