This Ouray Jeep Elopement Guide will help you plan the most incredible adventure elopement in the San Juan mountains. Ouray is known as the “Switzerland of America” due to it’s incredible mountain views. This area of Colorado offers endless elopement location options, all with stunning mountain views!

Unlike most of Colorado, where you have to hike to beautiful views, Ouray is filled with 4x4 off-roading trails. So, no physical effort is required to get to many of the iconic spots. Due to being able to drive to remote mountain locations, it makes it an excellent option for your elopement day. If you’ve never been off-roading or don’t feel comfortable driving through steep mountain passes, don’t worry! In this blog, I help you navigate all the factors in having an Ouray Jeep elopement!

Keep reading to learn all the details for planning an epic adventure elopement in Ouray!

Ouray Jeep Elopement Guide

Why a Jeep Elopement?

Jeep elopements are a unique experience that’s perfect for your adventure elopement! If you love mountain views but don’t like or don’t want to hike, this is the best way to get the best of both worlds. Jeeping makes some of the most stunning locations accessible to anyone with a 4x4 vehicle. Ouray is rare in that a majority of the iconic views are only accessible by 4x4 off-road jeeping trails. Instead of stressing about hiking in wedding attire or sweating off your makeup hiking to get to your ceremony spot, you can drive there (or be driven there)!

Not only is it more accessible and less stressful than hiking, but it’s also easier to include a few close family members and friends! Since the locations are “walk-ups,” after Jeeping there, it’s easy for people of all ages and skill levels to join. If you’re wondering how ten people will fit in a Jeep, keep reading for more tips and details about Jeeping on your elopement day!

Best Time of Year

Summer into early fall is the best time to elope in Ouray! Depending on the exact location you are wanting, the later in the summer is usually better [late July into August]. Since Ouray and the entire area of the San Juans sit at such a high elevation, there can be snow on the trails until late July. Every year, trails' conditions and opening times vary slightly depending on how much snow they had in the winter before.

August is one of my favorite months for mountain elopements because * usually * all the snow has melted, and there are beautiful wildflowers! If you are looking for fall foliage, September is the best month. Again, depending on the year, the peak weeks at higher elevations are mid to late September. Nothing quite like the bright yellow Aspens with mountain backdrops on your elopement day!

“How to” Logistics

As I mentioned above, many places to elope in Ouray require driving on a 4x4 off-roading trail to get there. The journey there is half the fun! That being said, some of the locations require somewhat sketchy drives, from steep drop-offs to extremely rough road conditions. Unless you have previously gone off-roading in the mountains and feel comfortable, I highly recommend hiring a driver to take you to the locations! Learning for the first time on your wedding day is NOT ideal - you want to be relaxed, not stressed about a thing!

Switzerland of America is my favorite team to work with for Ouray Jeep elopements. Their team are experts in driving on these 4x4 mountain off-roading trails. It takes all the stress out of getting there; you can truly sit back and enjoy the views! This is also a better option if you have a few family members and friends joining you since their private Jeep safaris can fit up to 12 people!

When it comes to exact elopement locations in Ouray, if you book me as your photographer, I've got you covered! I love being able to assist my couples in the location-scouting process. I help find you the perfect elopement location by considering all the factors - what you want regarding distance, accessibility, views, weather, etc. This goes for any couple eloping, not just those considering an Ouray Jeep elopement!

Side note: If you’re wondering if an officiant would be willing to go off-roading to get to your ceremony, no need to worry. I have the perfect officiant in mind - my husband! He officiates elopements (which he did for this one pictured), which can be added to any of my photography packages.

Ouray Jeep Elopement

Hanna and Kyle’s Ouray elopement was filled with beautiful wildflowers and incredible jeeping locations, which was no surprise as it’s what Ouray is known for.

When they reached out to me, they were still unsure where to elope but after debating between North Carolina or Colorado they decided on Colorado. From there they had the task of narrowing down where in Colorado, which is pretty tough since there are so many incredible places. We chatted back and forth and ultimately they landed on Ouray, a little hidden gem in the Southwest.

Come wedding day, we had perfect weather and they were buzzing with excitement. With a few of their close friends and family everyone piled into the jeeps and enjoyed the adventurous ride up to their ceremony spot which we had jeeped to and scouted the day before.

The day was smooth and effortless with these two, even though Kyle was not at all excited to be photographed and claimed he was nervous about it - he may have been fooling me considering the whole day he was so willing and participatory in the experience. I know being photographed isn’t easy - everyone gets nervous I promise! But as long as you’re willing, I promise to make the experience as easy and comfortable as possible. Kyle even said, “It really wasn’t that bad!”, as most of the grooms tell me after the fact! Kyle just focused on Hanna and the views and while they explored around I was easily able to capture beautiful photos of them.

One special thing you’ll notice through their day is their adorable dog, Sadie. While she couldn’t be there in person on their elopement day, since they traveled from Michigan, they wanted to incorporate her as much as possible - the socks, cake topper, and even signing the marriage license with a stamp of her paw print from Etsy. As a dog mom myself, I can totally relate to their obsession with their dog and wanting to include her in their special day. They let me know this from the get go and were most stoked to hear that your dog can be your witness!

It was an honor to be trusted with not only documenting their day but also officiating it. We are forever grateful to be a part of Hanna and Kyle’s day.

Here is what they had to say:

“I wish I could give Erika 10+ stars! There are no words to properly express how fantastic she was! When we first consulted with her she asked how we wanted to feel on our wedding day, we felt that and then some! She made our day seamless, eased all of our anxiety, and captured our day better than we ever could have imagined. Erika and Jake have become a part of our family and we are so thankful to have had them to capture our day! We will treasure these pictures for the rest of our lives!”

Keep scrolling to be inspired by all the photos from this dreamy, adventure elopement!