Mt. Rainier National Park is a beautiful choice for an elopement in the Pacific Northwest. This sunrise elopement took place in the northern area of the park called Sunrise. While this particular day started off a bit gloomy, it soon gave way to sunshine. Choosing to have a Mt. Rainier National Park sunrise elopement means you will have more time to yourselves without the crowds. Dreaming of your own Mt. Rainier National Park Sunrise Elopement day? Find more information below for planning your own!

Location

Mt. Rainier National Park is located southeast of Seattle, WA in west-central Washington state. Multiple major Washington cities including Seattle, Tacoma, Yakima and Portland, OR are all within 200 miles of the park. With multiple entrances, Mt. Rainier is accessible from multiple directions but do check road closures in advance as some areas of the park are the most accessible via a specific entrance. For example, if going to the Sunrise Visitor area you would enter either at the NE or SE entrance. If wanting to visit Paradise, you would enter at the Nisqually (SW) entrance.

“One of the most visited national parks, Mount Rainier is the most prominent peak in the Cascade Range. It’s also one of the oldest national parks.

Mount Rainier was established in 1899. At 14,410 feet, it dominates the landscape of a large part of western Washington State. The mountain is several miles taller than the lowlands to the west and one and one-half miles higher than the adjacent mountains! An active volcano, Mount Rainier last erupted approximately 150 years ago. Nearly two million visitors a year come to Mount Rainier National Park for hiking, moutain climbing, backpacking, and more.”

National Park Foundation

Beginning 2024, you will also need a timed entry reservation in order to enter. You can find more information about that HERE. Looking for an extra resource for planning your trip to Mt. Rainier? Find it HERE.

Leave No Trace

When eloping or enjoying the great outdoors, don’t forget to follow Leave No Trace Principles (LNT). The seven principles of LNT are:

• Plan Ahead and Prepare
• Travel & Camp on Durable Surfaces
• Dispose of Waste Properly
• Leave what you Find
• Minimize Campfire Impacts
• Respect Wildlife
• Be Considerate of Others

From these principles, the most common ones to keep in mind on your elopement day are ‘Pack it in, Pack it out,’ Stay on the Trail, and be considerate of others by not blocking the trail or preventing others from enjoying the national park. When planning your day, LNT will be taken into account to ensure your day is low impact while being an amazing experience.

How to Elope at Mt. Rainier National Park

Dreaming of eloping at Mt. Rainier? Here is a quick glimpse of steps to take for your own elopement day:

• Select a weekday date during Mid to Late July – early October for best accessibility within the park.
• Reach out to your dream elopement photographer (I would love to be considered!) who can provide planning assistance and more for your unique day.
• Reach out to Mt. Rainier National Park to apply for a Special Use Permit to have your ceremony within the park. Find more info and to apply for this permit HERE. (Allow at least 4 weeks for processing but this can easily take longer.)
• Plan your day with your available ceremony location in mind (as per the park) and incorporate your favorite activities into your dream day!
• And finally, after months of preparing – enjoy your LNT day at Mt. Rainier!

Their Day

Spencer & Alma began their day early at the Sunrise area of Mt. Rainier National Park. Despite the moody PNW weather, having an early start (sunrise) was still a great plan as we had many of the areas to ourselves without other hikers passing by. We hiked out to a specific overlook area where they were able to do finishing touches of getting ready before their first look on the trail. After some sweet moments, we continued on to enjoy the mountain views before looping back as we made our way to the ceremony location.

This day was all about enjoying the place, the beautiful views and time together. This meant a few short hikes and overlooks before arriving to the chosen ceremony location. The sun also began to peak through the clouds during their ceremony leaving them with beautiful sunshine to enjoy the rest of their day. This is also an example of a shorter, partial elopement day. Looking for a full day and experience at Mt. Rainier? I got you!

Choosing Mt. Rainier for your elopement destination and looking for your own PNW based elopement photographer? I would love to be considered! You can learn more and reach out below:

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