How to Elope in Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is truly one of the most spectacular locations I’ve ever been to and is an epic place to elope — but how do you go about it?
I’m here to answer your most asked questions about eloping in Yosemite, including:
Where are the best places to have your ceremony in Yosemite?
When is the best time of year to get married in Yosemite?
Where are the most iconic locations for wedding portraits?
How much does it cost to get married in Yosemite?
How much time do you need on your wedding day?
What else do you need to know about visiting Yosemite?
WHERE ARE THE BEST PLACES TO HAVE YOUR CEREMONY IN YOSEMITE?
There are a few rules as to where you’re allowed to have your wedding ceremony within the park, which totally makes sense as it’s so important to preserve the natural landscape. By limiting where larger ceremonies take place, park guests and wedding guests are better able to follow leave no trace principles and have a minimal impact on the land.
If your entire party is 11 guests or more (including you, your partner, and your photographer) then you can have your wedding ceremony at any of the locations below on a first-come first-served basis. Keep in mind that once you get a permit for your ceremony location, that doesn’t mean you get full run of the area, so be prepared for other park guests to potentially be around. To help avoid crowds, Yosemite National Park’s website recommends having your ceremony in the morning.
In Yosemite Valley:
Cascades Picnic Area
Lower Yosemite Fall Paved Trail *
Swinging Bridge Picnic Area *
Cathedral Beach Picnic Area
Sentinel Beach Picnic Area *
Bridalveil Fall *
Glacier Point and near Wawona:
Glacier Point Amphitheater *
Chilnualna Falls Trailhead
Tuolumne Meadows side and off of Highway 120:
Tenaya Lake Beach
Tuolumne Meadows Lodge Area
Tuolumne Grove
Merced Grove
(* ADA accessible)
What makes Yosemite National Park one of the best places to ELOPE specifically is that if your whole party is under 11 people (including you, your partner, and your photographer), then you can get married pretty much ANYWHERE IN THE PARK. That leaves a whole lot of beautiful park open to you and your partner to share your vows together!
There are so many hidden gems I’ve discovered over the years visiting Yosemite; I love scouting new locations and finding epic spots that are away from the crowds. Finding that perfect location to exchange your wedding vows is such a personal choice and one of my favorite parts of helping couples plan their elopement!
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME OF YEAR TO GET MARRIED IN YOSEMITE?
Yosemite is truly beautiful any time of year, but there are seasonal differences to consider:
Summer: Yosemite’s most popular season for visitors, especially the Valley. Even early mornings can be busy in places.
Fall: Less visitors than summer and you’ll still get great weather. Early snow storms can occur, but are rare.
Winter: Given its elevation, Yosemite gets hit with snow every winter. This will close down the higher elevation roads like Tioga Road to Tuolumne Meadows and Glacier Point Road, but the Valley will be open.
Spring: Temperatures can still be cool, but as the snow melts you’ll see the best Yosemite’s waterfalls have to offer.
So, when is the best time to get married? I would recommend late Spring or early Fall, depending on where exactly you’d like your ceremony to be.
WHERE ARE THE MOST ICONIC LOCATIONS FOR WEDDING PORTRAITS?
Yosemite has no shortage of gorgeous scenery, so when it comes to deciding where you’d like to take your wedding day portraits, the biggest problem you’ll have is narrowing down the list. The most important consideration when choosing your portrait locations is, of course, timing and logistics.
It’s important to keep in mind the drive times in between some of these epic locations. For example, it would be easy to do Taft Point and Glacier Point around the same time since they’re close together, but it would take much longer to try to do Tuolumne Meadows and Glacier Point back to back. Best to keep to one section of the park if your time is short, or be strategic about when you go to different locations based on the lighting at different times of day.
Glacier Point: best at sunrise when there are less people, pull up and park, restrooms
Taft Point: perfect for sunset, includes a short and beautiful hike through the forest to get to the point, restrooms at trailhead
Tunnel View: pretty much always has a crowd, beautiful iconic view of the valley (Pro Tip: there’s a 2 mile hike nearby that will give you the same view but is way less crowded!)
Yosemite Valley: the busiest section of the park with the most amenities, lots of the meadows can be great at sunset as many guests aim to leave before it gets dark, beautiful view of Half Dome and the surrounding cliffs
Tuolumne Meadows: lots of beautiful scenery on this side of the park and far fewer crowds
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO GET MARRIED IN YOSEMITE?
While the base cost is pretty low compared to traditional wedding venues, there are other costs to keep in mind when eloping in Yosemite.
First things first, there’s the park entrance fees for everyone in your wedding party: $35 per vehicle or you can use your National Parks Pass ($80 for 12 months)
Next, you’ll need to get a special use permit which is $150 (info here) which you must apply for at least three weeks before your date or up to a year beforehand.
The next major cost to consider is lodging. You can stay within the park, but overnight costs will be higher than if you stay outside the park.
According to Airbnb:
Average nightly cost for two within the park is around $450
Average nightly cost for two outside the park is around $200
The cost difference may be worth the time you’ll save driving from outside the park, though, so weigh your options accordingly.
If we use Yosemite Village in the Valley as our central destination, and take into consideration possible traffic, drive times are as follows:
From The Ahwahnee Hotel (in the Valley) = 5 minutes
From Yosemite West (in the park) = 30 - 45 minutes
From Oakhurst, Mariposa, or Coulterville (outside the park) = 1 hour 20 minutes - 1 hour 45 minutes
HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU NEED ON YOUR WEDDING DAY?
If there’s one thing you don’t want to feel on your wedding day, it’s rushed for time. Keep in mind Yosemite National Park is a popular destination and the roads are limited (often single lane) so traffic regularly occurs. Plan accordingly, give yourself and your loved ones plenty of time to get anywhere, and you’ll be fine.
Pro Tip: to really avoid the crowds and save time sitting in traffic, pick your locations and timing strategically; sunrise and early morning ceremonies on a weekday are your best bet.
So, how much time do you need on your wedding day? Understandably, the answer is: “It depends.” When it comes to Yosemite, it truly does depend on how you’ll be spending your wedding day. Some questions to consider:
Are you planning on doing any hiking?
How many locations do you want to visit?
Where are you staying?
Here are two sample timelines below to give you an idea of how much time you might need for you elopement in Yosemite.
FALL ELOPEMENT WITH SUNRISE CEREMONY + SUNSET PORTRAITS (10 HOURS OF PHOTOGRAPHY):
05:00am Getting ready photos at Airbnb in Yosemite West
05:30am Leave Airbnb
06:15am Meet at Glacier Point for sunrise first look
06:45am Sunrise + portraits
07:45am Family arrives for ceremony
08:00am Ceremony
08:30am Group photos
09:00am Head back to Airbnb
09:45am Brunch at Airbnb
11:00am Photo coverage ends for now
Mid-day break!
04:30pm Meet at Taft Point trailhead
05:30pm Sunset portraits at Taft Point
07:00pm Sunset
08:30pm Photo coverage ends for the day
LATE SPRING HIKING ELOPEMENT WITH OVERNIGHT CAMPING (11 HOURS OF PHOTOGRAPHY):
01:00pm Meet at trailhead for 3.5 mile hike
04:00pm Set up camp
05:00pm Change into wedding clothes, getting ready photos
06:00pm First look
06:30pm Vow exchange with Half Dome in the background
08:20pm Sunset
09:00pm Star photos with the Milky Way
10:00pm Photo coverage ends for the day
05:00am Sunrise portraits
05:30am Sunrise
06:00am Breakfast by the campfire
07:00am Photo coverage ends
WHAT ELSE DO you NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VISITING YOSEMITE?
As I’ve mentioned already, Yosemite is a very popular destination so prepare yourself for certain areas, like the Valley and Glacier Point, to be busy during peak periods.
If you’ve never been to Yosemite before, you’ll want a minimum of three days just to check out the highlights. Here’s my recommended three day itinerary for first time visitors:
DAY ONE, YOSEMITE VALLEY:
Tunnel View
Yosemite Bridalveil Falls (short walk)
Vernal Falls (moderate 3.5 mile hike)
Visitor’s Center, Ansel Adams Gallery, lunch in Yosemite Village
Lower Yosemite Falls (short walk)
Merced River (fun to float on in the summer months)
Ahwahnee Hotel (check out the dining room!)
DAY TWO, GLACIER POINT ROAD:
Glacier Point (as early as possible, great for sunrise)
Washburn Point
Hike to Sentinel Dome, Roosevelt Point, and Taft Point (moderate 5 mile hike)
DAY THREE, TUOLUMNE MEADOWS + TIOGA ROAD:
Olmsted Point
Tenaya Lake
Tuolumne Meadows
Lembert Dome
So many great hikes here, pick your favorite!
If you’ve been to Yosemite before, I would recommend skipping the Valley and doing some longer hikes to explore more of the park and avoid the crowds. The Tuolumne Meadows side of the park has so many spectacular areas to check out; I usually find myself drawn to that area whenever I’m back in Yosemite.
However you plan to spend your time in Yosemite, I know you’ll find epic scenery all around you!