A Location Guide To Get Your Ideas Flowing

If you’re here, that means you’re trying to figure out where in Utah you want to elope. Finding the perfect location can be the trickiest part of planning an elopement for sure, but that doesn’t mean it has to be stressful.

When you start thinking about where you want to elope, look at the things you and your partner love to do together. Go back to that perfect day you’ve dreamed up and come up with a list of your “needs” and “wants” for your elopement day. If you love greenery and wildflowers, picking a spot in the desert wouldn’t make much sense. On the flip side, eloping in the mountains probably won’t make you happy if you love red canyons and sagebrush.

Choose your location based off of the things you love and activities you want to do, rather than choosing the location and picking activities later. Keep in mind, though, that if your location is what is most important to you, then it’s totally fine to do it the other way around. It’s super easy to start narrowing down locations once you determine what you want to do and the type of scenery that you can imagine you and your partner in. 

When you’re looking for a photographer, be sure to ask them about how they’ll be able to help you with finding a location. Look for one who has a good variety of locations in their pictures, and before you book make sure you talk to them about the ideas you already have about where you want to elope. Your photographer should be able to help you find the perfect location based on your ideas. Your elopement day should be exactly how you envision it, so if a photographer is pressuring you to elope somewhere you don’t want to, we highly suggest finding someone else.

This list is certainly not exhaustive, but will get your ideas flowing about where you want to elope. Our clients have access to our extensive list of 50+ specific locations in Utah alone, so when you book with us you’ll have a wide range of options to pick from! Until then, take a look through this list to get some inspiration for your Utah elopement location!

Utah Elopement Location Ideas

Moab

Moab is a gorgeous desert town that is known for it’s wide variety of scenery and activities. In the Moab area you can find arches and natural rock formations, expansive fields of sagebrush and juniper, red slot canyons, and much more. Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Dead Horse Point State Park are all in Moab, and they all offer a variety of desert scenery. The Colorado River runs through Moab and is perfect for things like kayaking, tubing, and rafting. There are many companies that offer boat tours of the river, so if you’d feel more comfortable with a guide there are plenty of options for that as well.

The La Sal mountains are right outside of Moab, so if you want some mountain activities as well as desert ones, Moab is a great option! Also, there’s basically an endless amount of dirt roads to explore, which makes for some epic Jeeping. There are plenty of Jeep tour companies that can give you the thrill of Jeeping down a bumpy dirt road to an epic overlook, so if you don’t have experience or don’t feel comfortable driving by yourself, no worries!

As you can see, the Moab area has so much to offer, so if you’re interested in a desert elopement, Moab is a great place to check out.

Wasatch Mountains

If snow-capped mountains, green grass, and wildflowers are your jam, the Wasatch mountains could be the perfect place to elope! This mountain range extends through most of central and northern Utah, so there’s a wide variety of things available to do. As far as hiking goes, there’s lots of short hikes to rolling hills, long hikes to mountain peaks, and everything in between. There’s also plenty of gorgeous spots that require little to no walking, which is great for those with limited mobility.

The Wastach mountains offer a wide variety of rock climbing routes so if you’re into climbing, the Wastach could be perfect! If you want to elope in the winter and are a fan of snow, there’s basically an infinite number of snowshoeing trails in these mountains. There are also a ton of skiing and snowboarding opportunities, both at resorts and in the backcountry. The Wasatch mountains offer a super diverse variety of landscapes and activities, so there’s pretty much something for everyone here!

Kanab

Kanab is a super small desert town in Southern Utah that a lot of people have never heard of, and that’s totally understandable! It’s often overlooked because of it’s size and the fact that it’s pretty remote, but don’t be fooled— Kanab is the perfect hub for all things desert. It is basically smack dab in between Zion National Park and Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona, so if you know anything about those places I’m sure you can imagine how beautiful it must be.

The Kanab area offers sand dunes, slot canyons, and plenty of unique desert rock formations. Lake Powell is a short drive away so if you’re looking for desert scenery but want to add in some water activities, Kanab is perfect! Lake Powell is a great place for water recreation because the coastline is so extensive, which means you’re almost certain to find a spot with nobody else around. There are a few marinas and plenty of companies who do equipment rentals for things like canoes, kayaks, SUP boards, and rafts. If you’re interested in motor boating on your elopement day, there’s companies who offer things like guided tours of the lake and dinner boat cruises.

Kanab is also close to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, so the opportunities for desert adventures are endless.

San Rafael Swell

The San Rafael Swell, also known as “The Swell” by locals, is an often overlooked area of desert in this state! Most of The Swell is pretty remote, which is great for elopements because you’re unlikely to see many people on your elopement day adventures. The San Rafael Swell is covered in miles and miles of dirt roads, many of which lead to awesome overlooks. All of these dirt roads also means it’s an awesome area for Jeeping and four-wheeling, if you’re into that!

This area is also known for having great rock climbing, and there are a wide range of climbing styles, difficulties, and terrains to choose from which means that if you’re interested in climbing, there’s most likely something for you in The Swell!

The San Rafael River runs through the Swell, along with many smaller creeks, so if you’re interested in river activities the Swell is great because, as I mentioned before, you’ll probably see very few other people there. This river (and the creeks that flow into it) are pretty shallow and slow-flowing most of the year which makes it perfect for those looking for a more relaxed, casual river experience. Rafting, canoeing, and kayaking are perfect options in The Swell.

West Desert

Utah’s West Desert is another area that is overlooked by many people when planning adventures in Utah, but just because it’s remote doesn’t mean it’s boring! The West Desert consists of basically everything west of the Great Salt Lake. This area is home to the world-famous Bonneville Salt Flats, a 30,000 acre expanse of salty desert that is dry most of the year, giving the ground a super unique texture and appearance. In addition to the Salt Flats, the West Desert is filled with endless fields of sagebrush, giving it a really cool Western film vibe.

There are also multiple mountain ranges in this area which offer a huge variety of hiking, Jeeping, four wheeling, and rock climbing options. Also, there are a few really cool activities you can do on the Great Salt Lake and the islands within it. You can visit The Great Salt Lake State Park, or walk around on a huge earthwork sculpture made of basalt rocks, salt crystals, and mud. There are also many areas of sandy beaches that almost make you feel like you’re at the ocean, which is a cool addition to the scenery offered in this area.

As you can see, there are SO many places to choose from if you’re eloping in Utah. When you’re thinking about where you want to elope, make sure to keep in mind that perfect day you’ve dreamed up. This will help you figure out exactly what type of scenery and activities you’re looking for. We hope that this list has given you some good ideas about your elopement day. We would LOVE to help you take those ideas and turn them into your perfect elopement day, so if you’re interested in working with us, head over to our contact form and send us a message so we can get started planning your dream elopement!

Hey friend! Thanks for joining us. We photograph adventure elopements and small weddings, and our ultimate goal is to create experiences that allow you and your partner to find peace in nature on your wedding day, in a way that works best for you and your unique story. We love the idea of making the best day of your life into the day that you want to have, and we do that by helping you design a powerful, intentional, emotional elopement experience that’s just as special as your relationship. We use our skills, knowledge, and passion to help you plan your dream day and we’re there to help you every step along the way. We’re so stoked to help you plan yours!