Summit County Elopement Locations

Lucy’s Favorite Summit County Elopement Locations

Hold on to your butts! I’m about to reveal my favorite Summit County Elopement locations! The area comprises the towns of Keystone, Dillon, Silverthorne, Breckenridge, Frisco, Copper Mountain, Blue River, and Heeney. Accessible by a 1 to 2 hour drive from Denver airport, this area is popular and for good reason. High mountain passes, stunning lake hikes, and drive-up mountain views are all over. It’s one of my favorite places to plan and shoot elopements in Colorado. Read on to get inspired by the many great locations here, and contact me below to start planning!

Here is my Summit County elopement map:

This map is like a virtual tour of Summit County, Colorado with color photos I’ve taken of each place. So you can see all the great spots without without leaving your living room. If you’re planning from afar, this is a great visual key to picking out the elopement spot that works for you. Details like what seasons and time of day are best for each location are included. It will help you plan your activities, accommodations, and your day’s itinerary. Lastly, it’s easy to have a great backup location picked out with this map in front of you. Having that Plan B in your back pocket will keep your planning stress-free!

Get the map & start planning your Summit County Elopement Photography with me!

Seasons To Elope in Summit County

Summer is paradise here in Summit county. It’s hiking season and my personal favorite for a summit county elopement. Summer brings clear mornings, afternoon thunderstorms and dramatic skies at sunset. It’s a great time to be photographed under the stars and with wildflowers. In fall, summit county is a very popular destination for leaf peeping. Because of its proximity to Denver, the weekends in September are packed with autumn lovers. Winter brings massive amounts of skiers and riders to Summit.

Loveland Pass Elopement

The eastern gate of Summit County is Loveland Pass. At over 11,900 feet, it’s the highest paved road in the US that’s open year round. If you want a mountain view elopement, a Loveland Pass Elopement is for you! The northern gate is the seldom-visited Ute Pass, with a huge view of the rugged peaks of the Eagles Nest Wilderness. Vail pass to the west is another huge climb, and the unpaved road leads to epic trailheads in the summer. The southernmost point of Summit county is over Hoosier pass. Hoosier is also a hiking destination – and great for snowmobiling to big mountain views in the winter. There are many more passes with various degrees of accessibility ranging for jeeps and 4x4s. See an elopement on Boreas pass here!

Breckenridge Elopement Locations

Truly, Breckenridge could have an elopement location guide all on it’s own. Locals just call it “Breck”. It’s home to some off-roading trails leading up to high elevations. There are hidden mines, lakes and waterfalls. The trails vary from easy for beginners to hard & long treks. So if you want to hike, a Breckenridge Elopement is the first place you should look. The town is quaint and has everything you could need. So if you’re looking for an after-ceremony dinner, or a cheese board, or some ice cream – let Breck be the place.

New Rules for Eloping at Blue Lakes in Breckenridge

New rules established in mid 2023 now prevent elopements from taking place at Blue Lakes in Breckenridge.

Places to Elope in Vail Colorado

Vail, Colorado, is to the west of Breckenridge and east of Glenwood Springs. This city is tucked into a valley that is accessed by i-70. It’s a popular place for winter sports, but because it’s in a valley, there aren’t a lot of options that offer mountain views. The options that exist are not easy to find online! My favorites places to elope in Vail Colorado are up in the mountains, away from the town. Anything near Mt of the holy cross, Shrine pass, or Piney River Ranch are stunning. See Izzy & Nate’s Vail Colorado Elopement.

Sapphire Point Elopement Photographer

Sapphire Point is a very popular and accessible overlook that perches above Lake Dillon with views of Tenmile and Buffalo peaks. This has been one of the most popular spots to elope in Colorado for years – and for good reason. It’s gorgeous! However, being so popular, it’s not very private. In fact, it’s downright crowded and chaotic. It’s best in the morning, on weekdays, and in the less popular months of November to May. Click here for the Sapphire Point wedding permit. You must make a reservation to have an elopement at sapphire point. If you love these views but aren’t attached to the easy access of Sapphire, I’ve got plenty of lookalike spots that will fulfil your vision!

Elope in Breckenridge CO

There are so many alternatives to Sapphire Point! If you consider yourselves outdoorsy, come offroad with me and choose a place to Elope in Breckenridge CO that isn’t the most popular. The views will be similarly mind blowing and your experience will be more fantastic and memorable.

Breckenridge Elopement Photographers

A recent Breckenridge Elopement brought joy to my heart – and Christian and Curtis’s! They picked one of the best places to elope in Colorado. And they had the best dang time doing it! They started by riding the Silver Plume Railroad, continued on to the Breckenridge Gondola before their Breckenridge elopement at a lake. Take this as your sign – you need to elope in Breckenridge CO!

Summit County Gulches

When you start to research Summit County elopement locations, you’ll find a lot of gulches. So, what’s in a gulch? These are essentially deep valleys that end in a wall of mountains. They make great places for elopement ceremonies. Often you will find mining cabins and other historic buildings. Some gulch locations are just steps from the parking area, some are accessible with 4WD, others require hiking. Definitely consider eloping in a gulch if you want those mountain peak views without the high winds of a peak or pass. The more hiking you do, the more privacy you can expect!

Places you can Reserve for your Colorado Elopement

Aside from Sapphire point, if you’re having a group of more than 10 guests or desire a private spot, there are some amazing options! The Dillon Marina Pavilion is a simple shelter on the north shore of the lake. The Lodge at Breck is a hotel with a deck that often hosts elopements and weddings. And there’s even an ice room inside the Dillon Ice Castles that would make a very unique spot for an elopement in the winter. Horse drawn wagons in Keystone, an observation deck on the way to Vail and Yoko’s Hut at Copper Mountain round out my list of great reserve-able elopement places. There are also a dozen campgrounds and ski resorts with great views! Other than these spots – MOST places in summit county don’t require any sort of permit to elope here!

Best Colorado Lake Elopement Locations

Lakes are very popular Colorado elopement locations, and for good reason! A hike to an alpine lake provides a great focal point to any Colorado elopement. Plus, you can use these water bodies for paddleboarding, canoeing, and other relaxing water activities. Lake Dillon, while technically a reservoir, is the central jewel to Summit County. It’s so large that you really want to know where the great spots are on the shore. Green mountain reservoir to the north is an interesting alternative. And many lakes dot the mountains if you’re up for a hike! If anyone is interested in eloping on a sailboat or an island on Lake Dillon.. CALL ME!

Summit County Elopement Photographer

As you can see, there are dozens and dozens of great places to elope in Summit County. It’s one of my very favorite places in Colorado. You can take a ski lift up Keystone or Breckenridge or Vail in summer. Camp out under the stars or hike as far as you want. Go windsurfing, horseback riding, snowmobiling, sledding and even dogsledding! If you want to find out more about all these spots and make me your Summit County elopement photographer, just shoot me a message!

I offer full day, 1.5 day and 2 day elopement photography in Summit County, Vail, Breckenridge, Loveland Pass and the wild lands outside of them. See my pricing and package details here. I would love to chat with you and help see if an elopement with me is what you’ve been dreaming of. Get in touch below!

More Colorado Elopement Location Guides

–Mt. Evans Elopement Guide
–Black Canyon of the Gunnison Elopement Guide
–Ouray, CO Elopement Guide
–Telluride, CO Elopement Guide
–Garden of the Gods Elopement Guide
– Crested Butte Elopement Guide
–Great Sand Dunes Elopement Guide
–Rocky Mountain National Park Elopement Guide
–Boulder, CO Elopement Guide
–Colorado National Monument Elopement Guide
–Maroon Bells Elopement Guide
–Aspen Elopement Guide