Photo: Courtesy of The National Park Service
If you have your heart set on having your wedding in the great outdoors, but aren’t sure where to start when it comes to finding just the right spot, look no further than one of America’s National Parks. With 58 parks across the country, from the world-renowned Grand Canyon in Arizona and Yosemite in California to the off-the-beaten-path Congaree (on the Congaree River in South Carolina) and the Gates of the Arctic (the northernmost National Park, in Alaska), the choice of dramatic scenery to serve as the backdrop for your wedding ceremony is nearly endless. Whether you’re an outdoor enthusiast with every park on your bucket list or are simply a sucker for a great view, here are some of our favorite places in the National Parks where you can get married. Don’t forget the camera!
Acadia National Park, Maine
With towering granite cliffs, rugged coastline, and the tallest peak on the East Coast, Acadia boasts an incredible variety of options for your wedding ceremony — and your permit is good for anywhere you can access using the park’s roads and hiking trails. In fact, if you’ll be a group of 10 or less, you don’t even need a permit! Head to the Schoodic Peninsula [above], which is usually less crowded than the main part of the park on Mount Desert Island. Drive along the Schoodic Loop Road to Arey Cove Road, which will take you to Schoodic Point for stunning views of Mount Desert Island across the bay.
Photo: Courtesy of The National Park Service
Redwood National Park, California
While you might come for the trees, there’s a lot more to Redwood National Park than the tallest trees on Earth: rugged coastline, sprawling prairies, and rambling rivers are woven between the trunks. Head toward the Stout Memorial Grove, an easy walk that gets you up close and personal with old growth trees towering hundreds of feet overhead. Surrounded by waist-high ferns, the lush and oversized greenery is a wedding setting straight out of a fairy tale.
See more: How to Create Your Wedding Ceremony from Scratch
Photo: Courtesy of The National Park Service
Arches National Park, Utah
Who wouldn’t want to say “I do” beneath the natural sandstone arches scattered throughout the park? Hike out to the Double Arch, a short half a mile walk that takes you to the base where these two arches meet. You could also head to one of the Delicate Arch viewpoints (the hike to the arch itself is incredibly strenuous and will take around two and a half hours) and exchange vows with the iconic structure in the background. If you and your group plan to camp overnight in the park, head to the same viewpoint after dark for the most incredible stars you’ve ever seen. Who needs an altar?
Photo: Courtesy of The National Park Service
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
If you haven’t seen the Grand Canyon yet, check it off your bucket list and tie the knot at the same time. A number of overlooks provide truly spectacular settings for a wedding ceremony, but make sure to do your research: When applying for a permit, you must choose one of the designated ceremony locations offered by the park. Shoshone Point is an isolated spot (accessible by a dirt road) that is the the only viewpoint in the park that is available for outdoor receptions as well as wedding ceremonies. The views of the Canyon? You’ll have to see them to believe them.