With Flathead lake and surrounding mountains as the backdrop, this evening’s elopement was a dream. We continue to fall in love with Montana over and over again. This land is the epitome of “the West”. The dramatic landscapes include mountains, high-altitude plateaus, and dense forests. Montana is off the charts when it comes to beauty. If you are lucky enough, a mountain goat might slowly pass by as you promise your love to each other. We were lucky enough! If you want your elopement day to be remembered for generations, then a Montana adventure elopement is definitely the right move!

As mentioned in the title, this elopement is located in the Flathead National Forest. Although this is not a national park, you will still need a special use permit to elope in the National Forest. The good news is that this permit allows you to elope in the Forest and doesn’t limit the location for your ceremony like Glacier National Park.

The beauty of eloping in a national forest is that there are usually fewer people than in the national park but still offers incredible views. When thinking about places to elope many people think about national parks. With good reason, they are gorgeous. I want to encourage you to think about other locations outside the parks. 9 times out of 10 they are just as beautiful and not as busy, regulated, or expensive to access.

On this day Flathead National Forest, Shiloe and Kiowa met us at the trailhead after a long drive on a winding backroad into the high alpine wilderness. We hiked 2 miles to this overlook and let me tell you, we were at high elevations, but it was so worth it. Anticipate an oxygen shortage if you choose a Montana adventure elopement and are traveling from lower altitudes. Once we reached the summit, they changed out of their hiking clothes, and well the rest is displayed in the following images.