How to Plan a Telluride Elopement (Updated for 2025)
Telluride is a little mountain town located in the San Juan mountains near the southwest corner of Colorado, a good 6 or so hour drive from Denver, making it one of the most beautiful and least crowded mountain towns in Colorado for this reason. Telluride has multiple waterfalls right in town, Jeeping trails to epic views, excellent upscale restaurants, beautiful vacation rentals, alpine lakes within a short driving distance, and natural beauty to explore in every season.
Whatever extra driving time it might take to get here from Denver makes it all the more worth the trek when you get to take in the craggy peaks of the pristine mountains that surround this paradise. If you’re considering getting married in Telluride, here’s everything you need to know!
Table of Contents
Elopement locations in Telluride
Wedding venues in Telluride
Jeeping trails
Hiking trails
Locations that don’t require a hike or Jeep rental
Why elope in Telluride?
No Permits Needed
Generally speaking, most places in and around Telluride don’t require a permit or reservation to elope at. A lot of the land in and around Telluride is private, unfortunately, so there’s a ton of amazing views we can’t take photos at, but there’s some amazing lakes, waterfalls, and hiking trails with epic views that are always amazing.
Stunning Accommodations
Telluride is a very boujee town (not quite as bad as Aspen) where celebs often vacation, which means there’s some really beautiful, modern cabins and chalets where you stay. You can spend your elopement day in a beautiful spot waking up with your love, making breakfast or dinner together, getting ready, or enjoying some hot cocoa by the fireplace after the day is over.
Endless hiking and Jeeping trails
The hiking trails in Telluride are typically pretty steep, but they’re so worth it for the destinations at the end. There are bright blue alpine lakes, beautiful cascading waterfalls, and expansive views of the valley and mountains that you can’t find anywhere else in Colorado. If you don’t want to sweat, you can always rent a Jeep and go on one of the many mountain trails to breathtaking views instead- keep in mind, though, these trails are no joke! You need a specialized vehicle to get you up these mountains and a confident driver.
No Crowds
Unlike the more popular destinations closer to Denver, like Rocky Mountain National Park, Garden of the Gods, or areas around Breckenridge, Telluride is comparatively very quiet and crowds are sparse. There’s no timed entry systems to navigate or reservations needed to get someplace gorgeous, you’ll likely be alone wherever you are if you plan the timing right. Things pick up in the summer and especially around festivals, but parking lots aren’t overflowing and you can find a quiet moment to share with your significant other fairly easily.
Tons of Adventure Elopement Activities
Hiking and off-roading are the biggest activities people usually choose to do for their elopement in Telluride, but there’s tons of other activities year round. If you prefer winter sports like skiing and snowmobiling, that’s always an option, and in the summer time, you can ride the gondola for free, so you can mountain bike, walk, or just take in the views from above town however much you want. There’s plenty of swimming holes, waterfalls to ice climb, and rock walls to scale right around town.
The Best Views
Telluride is considered the most beautiful town in Colorado, and for good reason. It’s downright stunning, has Colorado’s tallest waterfall right in town, looks gorgeous in any season, has a lovely walkable downtown, and the nature around Telluride is just unbeatable in terms of beauty. The sunlight looks beautiful in the valley, there are great vistas all over the roads and hiking g trails, and the mountains here are just so rugged and steep, it’s like something from the Sound of Music. You’d be hard pressed to find a better place to elope than Telluride.
How to get to Telluride?
To get to Telluride, you can either:
Fly to Denver and drive the 6(ish) hours to one of the below towns to get there, which is definitely the longest route, but as someone who’s made this drive many times, it’s stunning and lets you see much of the most beautiful parts of the state if that’s something you’ve never done before. Local tip: Take the route that goes through Gunnison instead of the route that takes you through Grand Junction — it’s prettier in my opinion and you spend less time on I70.
The second option is to fly into Montrose. It’s a small regional airport, so sometimes this can be a little bit more expensive, but in my experience, the prices haven’t been wildly different from flying into Denver. Prices will vary on the time of year and when you book. Montrose is just outside of Ridgway and about an hour drive (through beautiful mountain views) from Telluride.
The third option is to fly into Durango. Durango is also a little regional airport to the south of the San Juans, about 2 hours from Telluride. I’d recommend the Montrose airport over Durango, because Durango is the most expensive option usually, but this is another option if the other two don’t work out.
Best time of year to elope in Telluride
Summer: Late June-August
Summer is always my favorite time. I love the green mountains, the wildflowers, the warm weather. The only drawback of summer is the weather, which can be unpredictable and stormy in the afternoons.
Most times, if you just wait a little, the storm will pass, but occasionally, there will be torrential downpour/hail/lightning that will make hiking or jeeping at high elevations unsafe, so that’s something to keep in mind for your date.
Fall: September-early October
The weather in fall is usually much more predictably sunny than in summer, and if you plan your dates right, you can catch the aspens turning gold. Fall is also a good time for waterfalls because the snow runoff from the summer has slowed down.
The best time to schedule for leaf peeping is a narrow window in the last week of September and the first week of October. In the first couple of weeks of September, trees will still be green, and after the first week or two of October, the leaves will be gone. Access to some roads and trails will be closed after the first couple of weeks in October.
Winter: November-March
In winter, most unpaved roads and trails will all be closed and inaccessible, limiting which locations are possible for an elopement. If you like skiing and snowboarding, though, that’s when the slopes will be open.
January and February are the most reliably snowy months if you’re looking for a winter wonderland, but snow is unpredictable, and it melts off trees and patches of the ground quickly, since Colorado is so sunny and dry.
March is usually when Colorado gets the most snow, but spring snow is very off and on — blizzarding one day, and completely warm and sunny the following week after. Predicting when it will actually look like a winter landscape can be difficult.
Spring: April-early June
To be perfectly honest, I just don’t recommend springtime in Colorado. It can still blizzard out of the middle of nowhere after warm sunny days, there are still patches of snow on the ground, making everything muddy, and nothing is green or has bloomed yet. Very few to no trails or off-roading is open yet due to snow and mud.
Fewer people visit during this time but that also means many businesses are closed down or have limited hours. I’d suggest fall if you’re trying to beat the high season but still want accessibility and good weather.
Activities for your Telluride elopement
Hiking
The San Juans are home to some of the most beautiful hiking trails and alpine lakes out there. You can find bright blue water from glacial runoff long ago, wildflower meadows, and waterfalls all over. Keep in mind though, hiking around Telluride is no joke- the elevation really makes an impact, and there’s very few trails that are particularly short or flat- these mountains are steep!
Jeeping/Off-Roading
The great thing about towns like Telluride in the San Juans is that there’s tons of Jeeping trails you can take to epic views all around the mountains in the area. These trails are a great option if you’re not looking for a hike, but want a spot that’s less busy with tourists than places closer to town. The views are really unmatched when it comes to the views from off roading trails in the San Juans.
Via Ferrata
A via ferrata is like an obstacle course created out of the natural features of cliffs and mountains. It involves a bit of rock climbing, balancing, and no fears of heights. You’ll likely have to hire a guide, but if you’re into unique adventurous activities, this is a great one unique to the area.
Skiing/Snowboarding
Telluride is, of course, known for its skiing opportunities. Even if you aren’t skiing, you can take the free gondola from town up to the mountain. You can spend the day shredding powder and then retreat to your cozy cabin with a warm fireplace, sipping hot cocoa under a blanket.
Horseback riding
Telluride Sleighs and Wagons is a great option in both summer and winter for horseback riding and romantic horse drawn wagons. This is a great option if you don’t like hiking, but want to go to beautiful views like Lizard Head and other like it. You can ride a horse while taking in epic scenery without sweating in the process.
Ice climbing
This is an activity reserved for winter, but perfect for those with an adventurous spirit. There’s multiple waterfalls both big and small for people of varying experience to practice their ice climbing skills on. If you prefer to watch, however, there’s always an opportunity for that as well, as it’s a popular activity among locals.
Festivals
Telluride has a bluegrass festival and a film festival every year in June and Septemberwhich is a fun time for anyone who’s a fan of music or movies. If you want to avoid the crowds this festival attracts, though, keep in mind the dates they’re on when choosing your elopement date.
Where to elope in Telluride
My favorite Telluride wedding venues
If you’re having a wedding of more than 15 people, you need to reserve a wedding venue in the San Juan Mountains. If you’d like to see a full list of various venues for elopements and micro weddings all over Colorado, check out my 100+ Small Wedding Venues in Colorado blog.
Telluride elopement locations
Jeeping Trails
Ophir Pass
Imogene Pass
Tomboy Ghost Town
Last Dollar Road
Hiking Trails
Blue Lakes
Columbine Lake
Hope Lake
Lizard Head
Cornet Creek Falls
Lower Bridal Veil Falls
Locations that don’t require hiking or a Jeep
Bridal Veil Falls
Alta Lakes
Trout Lake
Ski resort mountain lookouts
Accommodations In Telluride
Need A Photographer For Your Telluride elopement?
I was born and raised in Colorado and still spend my summers camping all around Telluride and the San Juans in my van. At this point I basically know everyone in town, and I’d love to show you all my favorite spots where you and your love can say your vows. Reach out and we can plan something epic.
