Eloping at Garden of the Gods in Colorado is probably one of the easiest places to elope. There are very minimal restrictions and permits that you need in order to elope here and the location is absolutely stunning no matter where you go. Plus there are SO MANY adventures in the park and in the area surrounding, that you can have a wedding weekend adventure, which let’s be honest is the absolute dreammm!

Okay, so here we’re going to talk about the best times to elope at Garden of the Gods, the permits you need, the little bit of rules the park does have, going into detail on the different locations you can elope at the park, and some of my favvv adventure activities in the park/surrounding area!

1. THE BEST TIME TO ELOPE AT GARDEN OF THE GODS

Have your ceremony at sunrise, getting married on a weekday, and think through the seasons as well – to put everything point blankly. Because this location is such a gorgeous place, there are MANY people coming through these red rocks. So if you are wanting a more intimate and just the two of you kind of vibes I would highly suggest looking into other times ceremony times than just sunset in the spring or fall.

Sunset is probably the most popular time for people to be at Garden of the Gods because it’s an easier time to commit to and because it super goldeny and just stunning all around. However sunrise is another perfect time to have your ceremony because it’s just as gorgeous and golden, but you will have a bit more privacy than you would at sunset. Plus you can enjoy some good coffee with one another and watch the sunrise come up, like who wouldn’t want to do that with the love of their lives?!

Getting married on a weekday should be something else you could consider. Sometimes vendors will even give you a discount if you are getting married on the weekday, since they don’t have as many weddings happening throughout those days. It’s an easier time for vendors to commit to. So that’s one definite plus. But another one would be that again you will have less people coming in and out of Garden of the Gods, so you will have a bit more of the intimate surrounding you may desire.

And lastly look into the different seasons you would want to get married. I personally think that any season would be stunning at Garden of the Gods because the red rocks just really amplify any colors around you whether that’s snow, spring/pastel colors, summer warmth, or fall florals. But I will say that park will get fairly busy in April, July, and August. These are the high tourist months, so it will also be more expensive for booking accommodations as well.

Check out this website for more info on the best times/season to visit Garden of the Gods according to weather and tourism!

2. PERMITS

The awesome thing about Garden of the Gods is that you don’t need a permit to get married on their land AND you don’t need a permit for elopement photography!! Getting married in a park, there are typically permits needed for one or the other and sometimes both. So the fact that you don’t need to apply for any permits and don’t have to pay for any permits makes getting married A WHOLE LOT easier!! If you are wanting to double check the permits needed for eloping in Garden of the Gods, check out their official website on film permits here.

If you are wanting to boulder or climb in the area either for your elopement day or while you are in the area, you will need to apply for a permit. However, those permits are free! Here’s where you can apply for those type of permits!

3. GENERAL RULES

The rules are pretty basic for eloping at Garden of the Gods. They are pretty much your general park rules you’ll find anywhere, but it’s always good to take a perusing through the rules just to make sure we’re respecting the land well.

• Weddings at the Garden of the Gods are allowed provided they are small, brief ceremonies.
• No receptions are allowed in the park unless you are having a picnic at the Scotsman or South Spring Canyon Picnic areas.
• Absolutely no alcoholic beverages are allowed.
• Please care for the natural environment–only bring in chairs for the elderly or disabled.  Do not bring in any tables, tents, arches, trellises, etc. Do not release birds, butterflies, balloons, throw rice or confetti.  No decorations allowed.
• Blocking off areas, including parking, is not permitted.
• Please stay on established trails and do not disturb the tundra.
• Tourists and other groups may be at the same site.  Please be respectful of other park users.

(Rules found at Colorado Spring official website)

4. LOCATIONS

There are 6 designated areas where you can hold your ceremony at! You are not allowed to have a reception at the park unless you are having a picnic at the Scotsman or the South Spring Canyon picnic areas. However, Garden of the God’s is super close to town so you can also figure out a bigger reception area at a local restaurant or venue if you prefer.

Jaycee Plaza (50 people) – This is a very accessible location as it’s fairly close to the parking lot and is structured well if you are hoping to have seating in the area. I will say that this location is stunning, although since it is right next to a main parking lot there can be a lot of tourist traffic coming and going.

Sentinel Plaza (25 people) – This location is a much more intimate setting being closer to the actual red rocks themselves. Although this location is again another highly trafficked area, so be mindful of the time you would be getting married here.

Three Graces Plaza (25 people) – This location has stunning red rocks all around you. You can walk and climb to very stunning red rock formations at this location. This place is a little tucked into the garden so there’s less foot traffic, but it’s definitely still easily accessible for more intimate ceremonies.

High Point (50 people) – This is one of the best designated spots to elope in the park because it has the best views around you, especially if you climb on top of a some rocks you can view Pike’s Peak, the entire park, and Cheyenne Mountain. I will say that if you are having more guests at this ceremony, there is not really any place for seating and for larger groups of people. Even though 50 people is it’s max, I would say that this area is better suited for more intentional smaller groups.

Scotsman Picnic Area (25 people) – This location doesn’t necessarily have the best views in the park, but this does have seating because of the picnic tables. This location is also easily handicap accessible and a great location to eat for a little picnic with close family and friends.

South Spring Canyon Area (50 people) – This location is probably the least popular out of these 6 locations as there is very little to no shade here and doesn’t have as great of views as the other locations. However, there is great seating available here!

5. HAVE FUN + MAKE IT A WHOLE DAMN ADVENTURE!

There are SO MANY activities you can do within the park itself biking, climbing, bouldering, and hiking. But there’s also really great surrounding hikes, climbs, coffee, and food!

My fav hikes/walks in Garden of the God’s itself (you can easily find all these on AllTrails, which will help you navigate throughout the park):

• Palmer, Buckskin-Charley, Niobrara, and Bretag Trail Loop – this is a 4 mile loop that’s fairly heavily trafficked but has stunning wildflowers in the summer time. This loop will take you through all the main formations that the Garden of the Gods has, so if you’re looking for a trail to show you it all then this one is it.
• Palmer to Siamese Twins Trail – This is an out and back trail that is about 0.8 miles that is an easy trail with amazing views of the rock formations. Again this trail is fairly heavily trafficked, but it’s worth it for the incredible rock formations.

Climbing in the Garden itself I know can be fun, but I personally have never climbed in the park itself. I’ve always gone outside of the park. But I know you can find some good routes looking through the Mountain Project.

My favvv places/hikes outside of the park:

Coffee – check out Building Three Coffee Roasters, they have amazing craft coffee and an awesome staff!

Breakfast – I’m personally gluten free and love a good pancake when I can get one. So Snooze AM Eatery is an awesome place that has great gluten free options, but is also damn delicious for regular breakfast eaters too.

Tacos – After I shot an elopement shoot in Garden of the Gods we went out for some tacos afterwards and it was really bomb. So go check out Fuzzy’s Taco Shop!

Dinner – Okay, so my favvv restaurants right now are the new eateries popping up everywhere because I love that you can get so many different options that can cater to so many peoples tastes. So Ivy Wild is an old school building turned into an incredible eatery full of so many different options like: burgers, pizza, beer, cocktails, tacos, empanadas, pasta, and gelato. I highly recommend this place for dinner!!

Hikes – A great park to checkout in the area is North Cheyenne Cañon Park, there are TONS of places you can explore here and there’s also some good climbs in this park too! I would highly suggest having a map or using AllTrails because we ran into a couple people who got lost because some the trails loops meet together and end up making a giant circle around the park. So just be mindful of the trails you’re taking.

If you are wanting to look into some more ideas and adventures, here’s Garden of the Gods Colorado’s official list of things to do in Colorado Springs!

Alright my friends, this blog was jammed and packed full of tons of research and really awesome insight on how to elope at Garden of the Gods and some fun little places to checkout in Colorado Springs as well. I hope that this truly helps you on your journey of either eloping in the park or exploring the area!!

If you want more help planning out your elopement at Garden of the Gods, that is something I am so passionate about helping my clients with throughout their planning process. I never want you to feel like you are planning your elopement alone, cause girl I am on your side and I am here to make it a DAMN GOOD TIME. So please reach out, fill out the contact form below and let’s get planning together my friend!!