Moab Elopement Locations I’d Love to Shoot in 2022 | Moab Elopement Photographer
It’s difficult to find a place around here that isn’t drop dead gorgeous, but Moab elopement photographers definitely have their own favorite locations. For me, that tends to be Canyonlands - between the complex canyons, towering cliffs, and spectacular views, it’s (almost) impossible not to love this place.
I’ve found that a lot of people (the grooms, actually!) aren’t stoked on heights though, so capturing comfortable, authentic wedding photos in Canyonlands can be a bit of a challenge. So I’ve come up with a list of places I’d love to shoot in 2022, some with cliffs, some much more mellow, but with all of the same WOW factor.
A few of these are outside of Moab - I know, I talk a big game about booking local wedding photographers over traveling photographers, but let me say this: if you’ve explored Moab, you’ve most likely explored other parts of southern Utah. This still gives you a measure of expertise that the photographers from New York and California and Washington aren’t going to have.
I might even love some of these places even more than Moab (shhh). So if I can also be a Capitol Reef elopement photographer, Green River elopement photographer, Grand Teton elopement photographer, Monticello elopement photographer, Bluff elopement photographer, etc, I’d be pretty over the moon.
Arches National Park Adventure Elopements
Adventurous couples only! This canyoneering route about Park Avenue has one of the best views I’ve seen in Arches, and I’ve explored that entire park (including the remote area near the Dome Plateau). The lighting at sunset is beyond beautiful, and you’re above all of the crowds and have the place to yourself.
Sand Dunes Elopements
The sand dunes are probably a little closer to Green River than Moab, but still within a reasonable driving time. You’ll want a high clearance vehicle to park right at the dunes, but a passenger car can get most of the way there.
I saw images of this place on Instagram and scoured the Google earth to find them, and they were worth the effort. The color of the sand dunes at sunset is just unbelievable.
Canyonlands Needles District Elopements
The Needles district of Canyonlands is nearest and dearest to my heart. I hiked through it on the Hayduke Trail and was simultaneously amazed and in a terrible mood because of the gloomy weather. I quickly got over my mood once I started seeing the beautiful Ancestral Puebloan ruins and pictographs in Salt Creek and have been in love with the Needles ever since.
Every year I try to get a ranger application in and every year the application disappears within hours or I never get the notification email and it kills me. So if I can’t work here in an official capacity, I’d love to at least shoot some beautiful elopements in the Needles!
How does the Needles differ from the rest of Canyonlands? Each district is a little different. All of the districts are divided by the Green and Colorado Rivers, creating three separate sections (four if you count Horseshoe Canyon, which you should also visit, but very much not an elopement kind of place). Parts of the Maze look a bit like The Needles, but the maze is rowdy and wild and sort of combines the best features of both districts. Island in the Sky is an enormous mesa with jaw dropping cliffs and views of the Abajos, the Henrys, the Maze, and more.
But the Needles is perfect for those folks who don’t like heights but want some incredible landscapes in the background, minus the crowds. The hoodoos and spires are unreal, and the arches are just bizarre - nothing like you’ve seen in Arches National Park. I love it, I love it, I love it, and I’m sure you will too.
Capitol Reef Elopements
I just really hyped up the Needles, but I’ve got to say that Capitol Reef is pushing really hard for first place as well. It’s not quite as divided as the Canyonlands districts, but the different parts are by no means easy to get to in one day. The Burr Trail is simply incredible, but it’s quit a ways south from the Cathedral district. And I can’t get over the cliff formations near Torrey and the Fruita district, but they’re not particularly close to either.
Nonetheless, an engagement session at the Temple of the Sun and Moon would be stunning. And a perfect excuse to pick up some of the best cheeses you’ve ever had at Mesa Farm Market :)
Grand Teton National Park Elopements
My partner worked as a river guide and lived in the park for 8 years. I lived in my truck about town and worked at Teton Mountaineering for two, so we know a lot about the Tetons. We’re thinking about going back to river guiding in 2022, so I would just love to become a Grand Teton elopement photographer.
I don’t think I need to explain much about the Tetons because just look at this view, but I can say that there are a ton of excellent viewpoints right off the road in the park and the road outside the park. There are also a handful of easy hikes and tons of more challenging hikes, whatever your vibe is. Either way, you’re going to get some fantastic photos after our elopement session.
Other National Park Destination Weddings:
Zion National Park - the Hayduke Trail ended here and I lived in Kanab, UT, for a bit so I know this area pretty well. I would just love to be a Zion elopement photographer as well.
Yosemite National Park - I hiked through the western outskirts on the Sierra High Route and visited the more traditional areas in 2021, and it was so much better than I expected. I can be very snobby about the Sierra after traveling so much of the high Sierra by foot, but okay guys, I get the hype about Yosemite. An elopement session at Glacier Point, Taft Point, or even in one of the beautiful meadows below would be incredible.
