Rocky Mountain National Park allows ceremonies at thirteen designated sites and nowhere else. Start with the RMNP wedding permit guide, which explains the $300 permit, the application calendar and the rules that apply everywhere. This companion page compares the sites so you can pick one before you apply, because the application asks for a specific site, date and two hour window.
Everything below comes from the park’s wedding page and its individual site pages. Where the park is silent, we do not guess.
The comparison table
Group limits count everyone, including the couple, infants, the officiant and the photographer. Summer limits run from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend through the second Monday in October.
| Site | Side | Max people / vehicles | Accessible (NPS) | NPS visitation | Season notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3M Curve | East | 15 / 3 | No | Moderate | No restrooms at the site |
| Alluvial Fan | East | 20 / 5 | Yes | Heavy | Off Endovalley Road |
| Bear Lake | East | 20 / 5 | Winter conditions vary | Heavy | Winter only, no weekends |
| Copeland Lake | East | 30 / 10 | No | Moderate | Unpaved Wild Basin Road |
| Harbison Meadows | West | 30 / 10 | Yes | Moderate | Lot plowed in winter |
| Hidden Valley | East | 30 / 10 | Yes | Moderate | Popular winter sledding area |
| Lily Lake Dock | East | 10 / 3 | Yes | Heavy | Smallest site in the park |
| Lily Lake Trail | East | 20 / 5 | Yes | Heavy | Not on the dock |
| Lily Lake Southside Picnic Area | East | 30 / 10 | No | Heavy | Only site allowing a simple reception |
| Moraine Park Discovery Center Amphitheater | East | 30 / 10 | No | Light | Only site allowing an arch |
| Sprague Lake | East | 15 / 3 summer, 30 / 10 winter | Yes | Heavy | Bigger in winter |
| Timber Creek Campground Amphitheater | West | 20 / 5 | Yes | Light | Closed in winter |
| Upper Beaver Meadows | East | 30 / 10 | Yes | Moderate | Road closed about mid October to mid May |
Timed entry and the Bear Lake Road corridor
From late May to mid October the park requires timed entry reservations: from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the park in general, including outlying areas like Lily Lake, and from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the Bear Lake Road corridor, which holds Moraine Park, Sprague Lake and Bear Lake. You do not need to book either one. The park says your signed permit is your reservation ticket, valid from two hours before your ceremony and for the rest of the day for portraits. Show it at each entrance and at the Bear Lake checkpoint. Entrance fees still apply to every vehicle, and if guests arrive in separate cars, confirm with the Commercial Services Office how they get in.
A note on light
East side sites look west toward the Continental Divide, so morning sun lands on the peaks in front of you and evening sun drops behind them. The park’s own photos show 3M Curve and Bear Lake at sunrise.
The sites, one by one
Sprague Lake
On Bear Lake Road about 6 miles from Highway 36, with views of the Continental Divide, a dock a quarter mile from the trailhead, a boardwalk and two bridges. Rated accessible, with vault toilets plus flush restrooms in summer. The summer cap of 15 people and 3 vehicles doubles in winter. The summer shuttle stops here.
3M Curve
A rock outcrop overlooking meadows and moraines, 3.6 miles from Beaver Meadows Visitor Center. The park places it at a pullout halfway between Upper Beaver Meadows and Deer Ridge Junction. No restrooms and not recommended for anyone with mobility concerns. The park pictures the lot under snow before plowing, which tells you it is a winter option.
Lily Lake: Dock, Trail and Southside Picnic Area
Off Highway 7 about 6.4 miles from Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, with Longs Peak and Twin Sisters in view. These are three separate permits. The Dock is 12 by 8 feet, holds 10, and is wheelchair accessible. The Trail holds 20 at bench pullouts along the loop, not on the dock. The Southside Picnic Area holds 30 on an uneven knoll reached by a rocky dirt path, so the park rates it not accessible. It is also the only site where a simple food reception is possible, with a second permit.
Upper Beaver Meadows
An open meadow 1.5 miles from Beaver Meadows Visitor Center with Continental Divide views; any spot along the dirt road works if you do not block traffic or trails. The road typically closes to cars from mid October to mid May, though you can walk in from Highway 36. From September through October, elk rut closures shut the meadows to foot travel from 5 p.m. to 10 a.m.
Moraine Park Discovery Center Amphitheater
More than 30 benches in a semicircle above Moraine Park, reached by 16 uneven stone steps, so it is not accessible. It is the only site where the park allows an arch, and one of three where leashed dogs can join. Restrooms are open only when the Discovery Center is.
Bear Lake
At the end of Bear Lake Road, offered only in winter and never on weekends. Sections of the short trail can be steep and icy, and the park recommends traction.
Hidden Valley, Alluvial Fan and Copeland Lake
Hidden Valley, 6 miles up Trail Ridge Road, has accessible restrooms with running water and three footbridges; the warming hut is off limits. Alluvial Fan is a boulder field cascade off Endovalley Road with an accessible paved path to a Horseshoe Falls viewpoint. Copeland Lake, in Wild Basin near Allenspark, lets you use any spot along the shore but is not accessible.
The west side sites
Harbison Meadows sits 0.7 miles inside the Grand Lake Entrance, and Timber Creek Campground Amphitheater is 8.5 miles north of Grand Lake, closed with the campground in winter. Both allow leashed dogs. Our Grand Lake elopement guide covers them in detail.
Common questions
What is the most accessible wedding site in Rocky Mountain National Park?
The park rates eight sites accessible. Sprague Lake, Lily Lake Dock, Lily Lake Trail and Hidden Valley are the most straightforward, and Hidden Valley has flush restrooms. Up to six portable chairs are allowed for guests who cannot stand.
Can we get married at Bear Lake in summer?
No. Bear Lake is a winter only site with no weekend ceremonies. Sprague Lake and Moraine Park are the summer options in the same corridor.
Which RMNP sites allow dogs?
Only Moraine Park Discovery Center Amphitheater, Timber Creek Campground Amphitheater and Harbison Meadows, on leash. See our guide to eloping with kids and dogs.
Which sites work for 30 people?
Copeland Lake, Harbison Meadows, Hidden Valley, Lily Lake Southside Picnic Area, Moraine Park and Upper Beaver Meadows, plus Sprague Lake in winter. Thirty is the park maximum.
Vendors and next steps
Apply using the RMNP wedding permit guide, and read the winter elopement guide if Bear Lake appeals. Photographers and officiants who work these sites are in our Estes Park region, and if your list is over 30, the Estes Park venues page is the next stop.
