Best Places to Elope in Arizona

The Ultimate Guide for
Picking The Best Elopement
Locations In Arizona

Arizona at a Glance

Where will you choose?

Deep chasms carved by the Colorado River, miles and miles of land flecked with patches of Ponderosa Pine, cactus-filled deserts, snow-covered mountain tops, hidden slot canyons, sparkling lakes, and a landscape so diverse and robust your wild heart can’t help but feel free. Welcome to our guide on the best places to elope in Arizona.

This is Arizona—and it’s full of breathtaking places that are perfect for adventurous, eloping couples just like you.

What’s the most beautiful part about Arizona? It’s never just one thing. Whether you and your love desire the vastness of a desert, the grandness of a mile-deep canyon, the wonder of sandstone ridges, ancient arches, epic buttes, or craggy cliffs—there’s a region here that will speak to you.

You don’t have to just take our word for it, you can see for yourself—join us as we uncover some of the best places to elope in Arizona.

Welcome to

OUR BEST PLACES
TO ELOPE IN ARIZONA DATABASE

Arizona has plenty of well-known, gorgeous spots (like Grand Canyon National Park and Horseshoe Bend), but this state also has over 12.2 million acres of public land, over 30 state parks, and 24 national parks, monuments, and recreation areas. Translation? Arizona is full of private, intimate, and jaw-dropping places to explore that can be all yours on your just us elopement day.

Choosing Your Arizona Elopement Location

Arizona is so stunningly diverse—from stretches of wide-open desert to rocky, painted badlands to mountains dusted with sparkling snow to high-altitude limestone ridges, there’s no one defining feature Arizona has to offer. There are three basic geographic regions in Arizona—the Colorado Plateau, the Desert Basin and Ridge Region, and the Transition Zone. As you might expect, the Desert Basin and Ridge Region (which encompasses the southern and western part of the state) is filled with epic deserts (like the Sonoran, Mojave, Painted, and Chihuahuan), but it also is home to almost 200 diverse mountain ranges. The Colorado Plateau is home to the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon, and breathtaking landscape cut by the river showcasing canyons exposing billions of years of rock layers. The Transition Zone runs from the southeast to the northwest of the state and features a wild mixture of desert basins, river canyons, mountain passes, and dazzling landscape just itching to be explored on your elopement day.

Landscape & Seasonality

The Best Time of Year to Elope in Arizona

Arizona might be famous for its sunshine, high temperatures, and dry weather—but that’s not all this gorgeous state has to offer. Just as this state is wildly diverse in its landscape, Arizona’s climate and weather are pretty darn distinct, too.

Peak fall foliage (yes, Fall is one of the best times to elope in Arizona!) start appearing in the northern section (think Flagstaff, the Santa Catalina Mountains, the Coconino National Forest, and even Sedona) in mid-to-late October. Winter in Arizona is a gorgeous season for outdoor elopements—depending on the region, you’ll see mild temperatures (that drop substantially when the sun goes down, especially in the desert) and snow in the mountains. Of course, with spring comes flowering deserts, alpine meadows in the mountains, and wildflowers everywhere.

1

Fall

Arizona has an amazing (and long!) Fall season. Depending on where you are in the state, you’ll see stunning pops of gold, red, and orange throughout the season, but peak leaf-peeping season begins in mid-to-late October in the northern region of Arizona. 

Months: September – December

Activities: Hiking, mountain biking

2

Spring

Don’t let the desert thing fool you—Arizona has plenty of springtime blooms! Not only does the desert come alive with bright pops of color, the mountains, ridges, and basins have their own epic take on wildflower season, too.

Months: March – June

Activities: Hiking, biking,

3

Winter

An Arizona winter is (usually) very mild. Expect dry climate and average temps of 70 Fahrenheit throughout the day and sharp drops at night (especially in the mountains and the desert). Depending on where you are in Arizona, you can expect snow! (Wintertime activities are a definite must—can you say mountain snowshoe elopement?)

(Pro tip: this is the best time to visit the desert areas if you’re not interested in high-temps!)

Months: December – March

Activities: Hiking, mountain biking

4

Summer

If you like sunshine, dry weather, and toasty temps, you’ll love Arizona in the summer. We definitely recommend exploring the high altitude sections of Arizona during the hottest months! 

Months: June – September

Activities: Slot Canyons, Boating, helicopters

Best Places to

Elope in Arizona

Mountain ranges, deep-cut canyons, ancient arches, painted deserts, high-altitude ridges—the diversity and beauty of Arizona has no end. Whether you and your partner love to hike, off-road badass vehicles, backpack, hike, snowshoe, camp, ski, stare in wonder, or explore your own way to your heart’s content, there’s no limit on best places to elope in Arizona.


Best Places to

Elope in Arizona

Glen Canyon and Lake Powell

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and the Lake Powell areas offer gorgeous vistas, epic orange cliffs, and panoramic views of both Arizona and Utah (did we mention Glen Canyon spans the state lines? It’s like eloping in two places at once). Filled with gorgeous backcountry just begging to be explored, the vast, 1.25-million-acre recreation area has something for everyone—rappelling, backpacking, camping, hiking, water sports, and more! The best part? There’s plenty of swaths of nearby public land that’s free to roam on your epic elopement day. 

Arches and Red Rocks of Sedona

An Arizona desert town famous for its steep canyons, red rocks, and pine forests, Sedona is an incredible mix of gorgeous hiking, epic off-roading, and of course, take-your-breath-away vistas. Whether you can’t help but gawk at the stunning contrast of a red rock canyon against a blue Arizona sky or your heart skips a beat every time you hike beneath rock arches and formations, you’re sure to find your dream elopement location in Sedona. BONUS POINTS: the town itself is absolutely adorable and filled with quaint restaurants, shops, bars, inns, and more.

Salt River Canyon Wilderness

They don’t call this the mini Grand Canyon for nothin’. The Salt River Canyon Wilderness is a 32,000+ plus acre region located in the Tonto National Forest that features a deep, river-cut canyon that bisects the entire length of the wilderness. It features rugged geology, jagged mountains, and one of the only rivers to flow through the saguaro cactus forests of the Sonoran Desert. It’s exotic, it’s epic, it’s ethereal—it’s an out-of-this-world spot for an Arizona elopement. 

PRO TIP: The three spots we just mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg! There are thousands (that’s right, thousands) of intimate, amazing, adventurous places in Arizona all waiting for you and your love to discover them. (BONUS SPOTS: Check out the Petrified Forest, Mogollon Rim, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, Havasupai Falls, and more!)  The best part? We could talk about this for hours on end (and we’re so excited to share these epic locations with you!)

AMANGIRI RESORT

Blended into the gorgeous red rock landscape and desert aesthetic is the Amangiri Resort, merely a 10 min drive across the Arizona border into Utah. A resort dedicated to connecting with nature in solitude and luxury where you can view canyons, mesas, and gorgeous from every window, private pool, and balcony (it’s beyond dreamy). Amangiri is a perfect place to experience equal parts comfort and adventure. Whether you want to relax at the spa, go on a guided horseback riding tour, or visit one of the surrounding national parks there is something for everyone’s dream desert elopement! 

your dream arizona

Desert Elopement Location

The four spots we just mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg! There are thousands (that’s right, thousands) of intimate, amazing, adventurous places in Arizona all waiting for you and your love to discover them. (BONUS SPOTS: Check out the Petrified Forest, Mogollon Rim, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, Havasupai Falls, and more!)  The best part? We could talk about this for hours on end and we’re so excited to share these epic locations with you!

Find your location

Ready to begin
planning your
own adventure
elopement?

You can Download The Ultimate Guide to Planning Your Elopement to begin digging deep into your own goals for your wedding celebration, or contact us so we can help you narrow down your options!

If you’re looking for further information on elopements, check out this blog all about the cost of elopements & how you can budget for an epic day!

We firmly believe you deserve to celebrate your marriage in whatever way feels perfectly you – maybe you’ve found inspiration here that’s pointed you in the right direction, or maybe you vision something else entirely!

Whatever your goals, reach out! We can’t wait to hear all about your dream elopement adventure!