Arches National Park Elopement Guide

Updated for 2024

Parks are for lovers

How to Get Married in Arches National Park

Informational guide to eloping, having a micro wedding or vow renewal in the park

Arches National Park is one of the most picturesque locations in the world for an elopement or wedding. The park features landscapes that display an extraordinary contrast of landforms, textures and colors. Every trail, sunrise, and sunset will leave you awestruck. If you’re looking for an elopement backdrop full of pinnacles, rock fins, and a selection of over 2,000 natural stone arches, then this is the place. 

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How to Plan Your Elopement in Arches National Park:

  • Pick the time of year you want to get married based off of weather

  • Decide if you’re eloping just you two or bringing family or friends

  • Contact me to start planning! I can help you with exact locations, timeline, and vendor referrals

  • Next we’ll choose your location (must also be based off of guest size, see below)

  • Apply for a permit if needed

  • Book other vendors (HMUA, florist, officiant, stylist, caterer, etc)

  • I’ll create a timeline for you (or a variety of timeline options based on your photography package)

  • Plan your other activities in the area, start packing and get excited!!!

Things to Know About Arches National Park

Weather & Seasons

The region around Arches National Park is called a “high desert” in forecasting terms. This means it can experience crazy fluctuations in temperature, reaching over 40 degrees in one day. The most stable weather months are between April and May and in September and October. These are the best months to elope at Arches National Park as the high temperature is between 60 and 80 and the lows between 30 and 50 — all manageable. In the summer, temperatures will go above 100, so walking around isn’t very pleasant. And this is also the monsoon season, so flash floods and road closures are possible. Winter brings temperatures ranging from 0 to 50 and the snowfall and ice often take trails and roads out of commission

Time of Day

Sunrise is the optimal time window for planning your wedding, elopement, or couples session in the park to avoid crowds.

The temperatures are much cooler — it’s easier to put on a jacket than to remove clothing. And most people arrive at the park by mid-day, so it’s much less crowded. From a photography standpoint, the crowds are a factor, as you don’t want people in the background. But sunrise and sunset are also more photogenic because of the lighting on the arches and rocks. Overall, the timing makes everything easier and puts everyone at ease during the ceremony and portraits.

Entrance Fee

Everyone in your party will need to pay an entrance fee to enter the park, and If you’re going between April and October, you’ll also need a Timed Entry Reservation — see next section.

The fees are:

  • $30 - Private, non-commercial vehicle, up to 15 passengers (all occupants included)

  • $80 interagency pass (Gets you in to all national parks)

  • $25 - Motorcycles

  • $15 - One individual with no car

Timed Entry Reservation System

Arches National Park implemented a reservation system between April and October. Your reservation gives you a one hour window to enter the park. Upon entering, you can stay as long as you want, and you can exit and re-enter the park as long as you get your ticket validated. Each non-refundable reservation costs $2 and is per vehicle — 15 passengers max. It gives everyone in the vehicle access to the park, but you still have to pay the entrance fee.

The best way to make a reservation is through the Arches National Park reservation site. **You cannot make a reservation at the park entrance station or the office. You can only pay the entrance fee.**

Leave No Trace

Like any park, it’s important to do your part to keep the environment pristine for future generations. Keeping Arches National Park in this condition is a huge undertaking, as over 1.5 million people visit each year. To help keep the park beautiful, follow the Leave No Trace Principles minimize the impact of your visit. 

Cryptobiotic Soil

The plant life within Arches National Park depends upon cryptobiotic crusts — or biological soil crusts. Communities of green algae, lichens, fungi, mosses, cyanobacteria, and other microscopic organisms create the crust on top of the sand. This crust creates nutrients and keeps moisture that allow grass and shrubs to begin their growth in the sand. When people damage the crust, it can take years to grow back. And with more vulnerability to the environment, other elements can wipe out additional crust in the area. The park takes a lot of precautions to protect these crusts, so it’s important to always stay on the trails and walk on bare rock or dry areas.

Pets

We all want our furry friends to be able to experience the outdoors with us, but National Parks are not the place to do so. Pets are not allowed on any trails, at any overlooks, or at the visitor center. The only place your pets can be is at established campgrounds and on paved roads or parking lots. For more info on pets in the park, click here.

Drive Time

The full, scenic drive in Arches is 45 miles round-trip. If you’re making multiple stops and cruising the entire road, it’ll take four to five hours to make the entire journey.

Wait Time in Line

March to October are the busiest times for the park, and wait times can go beyond thirty minutes — especially until 2pm. Also, the lots at the trailheads fill up early, and don’t expect many spots to open up.

Best Hikes


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Permits & Ceremony Sites

Permits

Planning a wedding at Arches isn’t hard, but the process starts with scheduling a date and securing a special use permit which costs $185. The permit takes four weeks to process — at minimum — so don’t wait until the last minute to submit your application. Arches allows you to schedule your wedding up to one year in advance and third parties cannot request a special use permit for you. 

To plan for your wedding, you’ll need to submit a Form 10-930s and a payment confirmation from Pay.gov to: seug_commercialservices@nps.gov.

The fee for a wedding permit has recently been increased to $385.

To make a payment through Pay.gov follow these instructions:

  • Search ‘Arch’ in the search window

  • Make your payment at: Canyonlands and Arches NP & Natural Bridges and Hovenweep NM Special Use Permit – click “Continue."

  • Double check Arches is the designated park for your permit and then, under ‘Permit Fee’, select Wedding.

  • Enter a total dollar amount of $185 for the type of Special Use Permit you are requesting

  • Follow the on-screen instructions and fill out the forms.

  • Be sure to save your payment confirmation as you must submit it with your application.

When choosing a date for your elopement or wedding, be mindful of holidays and traditionally busy weekends.

Please note that a permit does not give you exclusive access to the site. It is still open to the public, which means privacy in the park can be hard to find. I recommend a sunrise ceremony for this reason - less tourists. In general I tend to suggest couples do their ceremony elsewhere, and only come into the park for portraits.

Ceremony Locations

**The park will consider other locations, but it requires a compliance review.**

Rules

  • You can only be under or near arches for 10 minutes at a time when other visitors or present and allow visitors 10 minutes of unobstructed viewing time for photography.

  • The park evaluates folding chair usage case-by-case.

  • You are responsible for cleaning the site.

  • The group must follow park regulations and all wedding activities must occur in maintained areas of the park.

  • Your group cannot occupy more than half of a parking lot and must allow free traffic flow.

Prohibited Items

  • Rice, birdseed, or any non-native plant seed.

  • Releasing ANY wildlife

  • Conducting a wedding within any cultural resource site.

  • Establishing tents, caterers, sound systems, tables, etc.

  • Alcohol

  • Musical instruments

  • Amplified sound

Moab Packages

  • Half Day $6,000

    4 hours of coverage

    2-3 location

    Consecutive coverage or $250 extra for split

    Includes any necessary photography permits

    Includes ALL TRAVEL FEES to get here

    Vendor referrals, location recommendations, help planning your timeline

  • Full Day $8,000

    7 hours of coverage

    3-5 locations + capturing any activities you do

    Split or consecutive coverage

    Includes any necessary photography permits

    Includes ALL TRAVEL FEES to get here

    Vendor referrals, location recommendations, help planning your timeline

Let’s work together.

Fill out this form as detailed as possible and we’ll be planning together in no time!