We all know how obsessed I am with Washington, Oregon, & Montana, but there’s one place that hasn’t made an appearance on my blog yet: Idaho!! I personally think that Idaho is such an underrated destination for elopements – most couples immediately think of WA/OR/MT when they think of eloping in the northwest. But Idaho has sooo many places that are usually less busy AND just as beautiful as many of the spots in WA/OR. So I put together this guide to the 10 best places to elope in Idaho to show you just how many awesome options there are if you’re looking to elope in Idaho!
Idaho is an incredible option for couples who want to have a forest or river elopement, as there are SO many rivers and lush forests to explore, that typically don’t have as many crowds as most of your options in Washington. It’s a really gorgeous state that not enough couples give a chance to when it comes to searching for elopement locations in the northwest!
I’ll mainly be focusing on elopement locations in Northern Idaho (the Panhandle), as that’s where I don’t charge travel fees for elopements. However, I’ve included a couple other locations I love outside of the area as well! Enjoy :)
10 Best Places to Elope in Idaho
1. Priest Lake
Priest Lake has to be one of the top tourist destinations in Idaho, thanks to the gorgeous scenery, abundant outdoor activities, and cozy places to stay. Located in the northernmost area of the Idaho Panhandle, Priest Lake is absolutely breathtaking and is an awesome elopement location for couples who want to incorporate outdoor adventures into their elopement. You can enjoy a day out on the water, go hiking in the state park, check out one of the mountain biking trails, or just enjoy a picnic by the lake!
Entry requirement: Idaho State Parks Passport ($10 for residents) or Motor Vehicle Entry Fee ($7 per day, $80 annual) for out-of-state visitors
Elopement permit needed: Contact the park directly for info
Best Priest Lake elopement locations:
Roosevelt Grove of Ancient Cedars Granite Falls Trail #301
- Difficulty: Easy
- Length: 1 mi
- Type: Loop
- Difficulty: Easy
- Length: 2.5 mi
- Type: Loop
- Difficulty: Easy
- Length: 3.1 mi
- Elevation gain: 459 ft
- Type: Out & back
- Length: 4.5 mi
- Type: Out & back
Woodrat Trail #235 to Beach Trail #48 Loop
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Length: 9 mi
- Elevation gain: 1,131 ft
- Type: Loop
2. Coeur d’ Alene
Coeur d’ Alene is probably next on the list of places you’d go if you were looking for the most popular tourist destinations in Idaho. It’s an adorable city in northwest Idaho, close to Spokane, with tons of trails, water sports, lakeside areas, and a huge resort + golf course. CDA is a really fun little town to walk around, and it’s so easy to find spots with beautiful scenery + awesome recreation opportunities. Whether you want to stay in a luxury resort or find a small Airbnb, go mountain biking or boating out on the water, there are options for every couple to elope in Coeur d’ Alene!
Best Coeur d’ Alene elopement locations:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Length: 2 mi
- Elevation gain: 291 ft
- Type: Loop
Mineral Ridge National Recreation Trail
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Length: 3 mi
- Elevation gain: 767 ft
- Type: Loop
Trail 8, Penn, and Cave Trail Loop
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Length: 3.8 mi
- Elevation gain: 941 ft
- Type: Loop
Canfield Mountain Trails 1562, D, and 3 Loop
- Difficulty: Hard
- Length: 5.3 mi
- Elevation gain: 1,541 ft
- Type: Loop
3. Ponderosa State Park
Located on the northeast edge of McCall, Idaho, Ponderosa State Park covers 1,000 acres of a beautiful peninsula at Payette Lake. It’s a great park to go camping at, either at a standard campsite or in a cabin with your group of guests! The mountain + lake views are stunning, and there are multiple marshy trails you can check out for a nice afternoon adventure. You can also rent a canoe or kayak to head out on the North Fork of the Payette River if you’re eloping in the summer!
Entry requirement: Idaho State Parks Passport ($10 for residents) or Motor Vehicle Entry Fee ($7 per day, $80 annual) for out-of-state visitors
Elopement permit needed: Contact the park directly for info
Best Ponderosa State Park elopement locations:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Length: 2.3 mi
- Elevation gain: 196 ft
- Type: Out & back
- Difficulty: Easy
- Length: 4 mi
- Elevation gain: 121 ft
- Type: Out & back
Huckleberry, Fox Run, and Peninsula Trails Loop
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Length: 4.9 mi
- Elevation gain: 515 ft
- Type: Loop
4. Round Lake State Park
Round Lake State Park sits on the edge of – you guessed it – Round Lake, in the northern Idaho Panhandle. It’s a much smaller park, but the forest is gorgeous and has been left fairly undeveloped! I definitely recommend checking out the beautiful forested trails, where you might find some wildlife, or booking a campsite to enjoy the area overnight with your friends & fam.
Entry requirement: Idaho State Parks Passport ($10 for residents) or Motor Vehicle Entry Fee ($7 per day, $80 annual) for out-of-state visitors
Elopement permit needed: Contact the park directly for info
Best Round Lake State Park elopement locations:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Length: 1.8 mi
- Elevation gain: 45 ft
- Type: Loop
- Difficulty: Easy
- Length: 1.9 mi
- Type: Loop
- Difficulty: Easy
- Length: 2.1 mi
- Type: Point-to-point
5. Farragut State Park
Farragut State Park is one of the prettiest parks in northern Idaho, boasting gorgeous forested areas + mountain views, a 40+ mile trail system, and tons of opportunities for outdoor recreation. There are plenty of individual camping sites, group camps, and camping cabins if you want to stay in the great outdoors, as well as endless spots for picnicking, biking, hiking, boating, fishing, horseback riding, and even disc golfing if that’s your thing!
Entry requirement: Idaho State Parks Passport ($10 for residents) or Motor Vehicle Entry Fee ($7 per day, $80 annual) for out-of-state visitors
Elopement permit needed: Contact the park directly for info
Best Farragut State Park elopement locations:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Length: 2.1 mi
- Elevation gain: 154 ft
- Type: Loop
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Length: 2.3 mi
- Elevation gain: 538 ft
- Type: Loop
- Difficulty: Easy
- Length: 3.3 mi
- Elevation gain: 318 ft
- Type: Out & back
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Length: 4 mi
- Elevation gain: 1,135 ft
- Type: Out & back
- Difficulty: Easy
- Length: 7.4 mi
- Elevation gain: 410 ft
- Type: Loop
6. Kaniksu National Forest
Kaniksu National Forest technically covers some of the other locations mentioned on this list, but I wanted to give it its own section since there are sooo many gorgeous trails to explore throughout the forest. The forest actually stretches into northeastern Washington and northwestern Montana, as well as the Idaho Panhandle, and is home to many stunning wilderness areas such as the Kootenai River Valley. Encompassing over a million acres of land, there are tons of trails to explore that take you to stunning viewpoints, breathtaking lakes, and through beautiful cedar forests.
Entry requirement: Park N’ Ski pass or America the Beautiful Pass
Elopement permit needed: Special Use Permit may be needed; contact forest office directly for info
Best Kaniksu National Forest elopement locations:
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Length: 2.2 mi
- Elevation gain: 583 ft
- Type: Out & back
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Length: 4 mi
- Elevation gain: 725 ft
- Type: Out & back
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Length: 4.6 mi
- Elevation gain: 1,437 ft
- Type: Out & back
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Length: 7.2 mi
- Elevation gain: 2,060 ft
- Type: Out & back
7. Priest River
Like I said, Idaho has SO many really gorgeous rivers – Priest River being one of them! The town of Priest River is bordered on the east by the Priest River, and is a charming town with world-class fishing, gorgeous hikes, skiing, golfing, boating, and more! It’s definitely one of the more underrated parts of Idaho with fewer crowds than places like Coeur d’ Alene, and, nestled in the Selkirk Mountain Range, the views are just as beautiful.
8. Salmon River
Need another river option for your Idaho elopement? I got you – Salmon River (also known as “The River of No Return”) is a great option. I can’t give you that (kinda creepy?) alternate name without explaining it: apparently, a while back, many boats could navigate down the river but couldn’t get back up because of the fast water + rapids! But don’t worry – jet boats nowadays have no problem with it, so you’re free to explore the river all you want. Originating in the Sawtooth + Lemhi Valleys, Salmon River is home to lots of wildlife, great opportunities for floating, boating, white water rafting, and fishing, and plenty of hiking trails, of course! The views of the Sawtooth Mountains from the Lower Stanley area are sooo stunning.
9. Stanley
Stanley isn’t quite in the Idaho Panhandle, but I wanted to include it because it’s an absolutely gorgeous area for elopements if you’re down to travel a little further south! Located in the Sawtooth Valley of central Idaho, Stanley is a town surrounded by more than 1,000 miles of open, untouched wilderness that is just breathtaking. The pristine scenery is unbeatable for adventure elopements in Idaho, along with the many places to stay and tons of opportunities for outdoor recreation. It’s a super quaint little area with SO much natural beauty everywhere you look, whether you want to explore the landscape via hiking trails, you want to go cross country skiing in the winter, or you’d rather walk around the little town!
Best Stanley elopement locations:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Length: 4.5 mi
- Elevation gain: 288 ft
- Type: Out & back
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Length: 5.3 mi
- Elevation gain: 364 ft
- Type: Out & back
Alpine Lake via Trail 640 and Alpine Way Trail
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Length: 7.4 mi
- Elevation gain: 1,240 ft
- Type: Out & back
Goat Lake and Goat Falls via Iron Creek Trail, Alpine Way Trail
- Difficulty: Hard
- Length: 8.1 mi
- Elevation gain: 1,768 ft
- Type: Out & back
Sawtooth Lake via Iron Creek Stanley Lake Trail
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Length: 10 mi
- Elevation gain: 1,873 ft
- Type: Out & back
10. Driggs
If you liked the sound of Stanley, you are going to LOVE Driggs, a small town located in Teton County, just west of the Idaho-Wyoming border. It is a freaking unreal destination for couples who love being in the mountains, situated at just over 6,000 feet in elevation + boasting epic mountain views all around. Whether you want to go skiing, hiking, biking, fishing, OR you just want to enjoy some gourmet cuisine with gorgeous views, Driggs is a really great place to spend a few days exploring!
Best Driggs elopement locations:
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Length: 4.2 mi
- Elevation gain: 810 ft
- Type: Out & back
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Length: 10.7 mi
- Elevation gain: 1,614 ft
- Type: Loop
Idaho Elopement Photographer
All that talk about Idaho elopements is just making me want to take another trip and explore all the amazing places that Idaho has to offer! I would LOVE to show you around some of my favorite places and help you plan your dream Idaho elopement itinerary, no matter which of the best places to elope in Idaho you choose. You can check out my Idaho elopement pricing + packages here, and contact me here when you’re ready to begin your adventure!
If you’re still considering all of your options but know you want to stick to locations in the northwest U.S., check out the other guides I’ve got to my favorite elopement locations in Washington, Oregon, & Montana!
