Mt Rainier National Park is one of the MOST gorgeous, jaw-dropping locations in the entire state of Washington! From moss-covered forests to crystal clear lakes, it has it ALL. You seriously cannot go wrong picking Mt Rainier as your Washington elopement location. The hardest part is, how do you choose WHERE in the park to elope?! Lucky for you I’m giving you 5 of the best places on Mt Rainier for your elopement. Keep on reading to find out which one is your dream adventure elopement location!

5 of the Best Places to Elope in Mt Rainier National Park

1. The Forest

The Forest in the Mt Rainier National Park is one of the most insane spots inside this park. If you are a forest lover you HAVE to consider this spot for your ceremony.

The Location

This forest is surrounding the mountain and at all of the entrances to the park. It’s about a two hour drive from Seattle and less than an hour from Tacoma.

The Landscape

Okayyyyyy I will NEVER get over how unique this forest is. You probably already know PNW forests are a dreamcometrue, but this one takes it up a level. The Forest is filled with trees covered in the most beautiful green moss. Which creates an absolutely incredible green canopy everywhere you look. It’s as LUSH as you could ever dream of, plus there are the most interesting tree roots & shapes everywhere you go.

The Climate

Now we all know how much rain the PNW gets. That’s exactly why this forest is so damn green and lush. It gets an average of 140 inches of precipitation each year. There’s a high likelihood you’ll get rained on if you visit the forest no matter what time of year, the resulting greenery is pure magic. Isn’t rain on your wedding day good luck anyway? 😉

Forest Elopement Inspiration

Moriah and Lionel visited the forest on their elopement day, check out some of their stunning ceremony photos below! We took the Twin Firs trail and it is short enough and flat enough that you can totally hike it in your wedding clothes!

2. Paradise

Paradise is the most popular place on Mt Rainier and for GOOD REASON!! A beautiful valley at the foot of a gorgeous glacier, Paradise gets the most wildflowers of anywhere on the mountain and you don’t really have to hike very far at all to see some amazing views!

Paradise is definitely one of the best places on Mt Rainier for your elopement!

The Location

Paradise, located on the south side of the park, and features meadows, the Visitor Center, the historic Paradise Inn, and some gorgeous mountain views. Paradise is 2.5 hours from Seattle and 2 hours from the Seatac airport.

The Landscape

The views from Paradise are to DIE for. Especially since you aren’t required to hike 10 miles to get to the top of a hike! You can literally drive up Paradise Road, step out of your car, and be right where you get the incredible views! The skyline trail, the Alta vista trail and the Moraine Trail are some of the most popular trails that begin at Paradise!

The Climate

The weather patterns at Mount Rainier are mostly influenced by the Pacific Ocean, elevation, and latitude. The climate is generally cool and rainy, with summer highs in the 60s and 70s. While July and August are the sunniest months of the year, rain is always possible, and very likely in spring, fall, and winter. BASICALLY anytime NOT the summer haha!

Paradise Elopement Inspiration

Check out some photos from some recent elopements!

3. Sunrise

If you’re looking for an easily accessible location with incredible views then this is the place for you!

The Location

Sunrise is located 60 miles northeast of the Nisqually Entrance and 14 miles northwest of the Sunrise/White River turnoff on State Route 410

The Landscape

The long and curvy road that leads to Sunrise is probably one of the most beautiful drives in the state. On your way up, make sure to pull over at Sunrise Point where you can see some sweeping alpine views that include five mountains; Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Adams and Mount Hood. The half mile Sunrise Rim Trail and .8 mile nearly level Silver Forest Trail provide mouth-dropping views of the entire length of the Emmons Glacier from Mount Rainier’s 14,411-foot summit to its terminus at the White River Valley below.

The Climate

The weather on Sunrise is very similar to the weather found on Paradise. Sometimes though, the weather will only be affecting one side of the mountain or the other! The climate is generally cool and rainy, with summer highs in the 60s and 70s. While July and August are the months with the most sun, rain is always a possibility, and very likely in spring, fall, and winter.

Sunrise Elopement Inspiration

Check out some pics from this gorgeous location!

4. Mt Rainier Lakes

The lakes in the national park are definitely one of the best places on Mt Rainier for your elopement!

Mt Rainier not only has stunning meadows, it also has some gorgeous lakes! Some are a drive up and some are a bit of a hike to get to!

The Location

The most popular lake on Tipsoo, is located at Chinook Pass along State Route 410. Another popular one is Reflection Lakes. Reflection Lakes is located along Stevens Canyon Road which is usually open to vehicles only during the summer!

The Landscape

There are 400 mapped lakes on Mt Rainier, all with a vast variety of views and landscape. A lake on Mt Rainier would definitely be one of the best places on Mt Rainier for your elopement!

Mt Rainier Lake Elopement Inspiration

5. Mt Rainier Lookouts

Didn’t I tell you that this park has it all?! Glaciers, lakes, rainforests, and even waterfalls!! But the best views of the mountain are found in the lookouts!

The Location

All of the lookouts require a hike to get to, but all offer amazing views of the mountain and surrounding areas!

The Landscape

Most of the lookouts are at the end up hikes through forests that end in gorgeous views! Lookouts are great places for elopements because usually there is a clear area for a ceremony without leaving the trail. There are four main lookouts within the park, but there are many that surround the park and offer views of Mt Rainier.

Mt Rainier lookout elopement inspiration

An iconic fire lookout would definitely be the best places on Mt Rainier for your elopement!

One thing to keep in mind: travel between locations

To finish off this blog post, remember that you’ll need to plan for travel time between locations if you plan on hitting up multiple spots! Not every location I mentioned is super close to the others. You will need to look at a map and plan for how much time it’ll take to travel between the locations. Don’t worry-I can help ya out with this and we can always do a day after adventure session if we can’t quite fit all the locations you wanna visit into one day!!

And with that – happy location-picking! Let me know if you need a talented, experienced photog to tag along with ya and help you pick your dream Mt Rainier National Park elopement location 😉