elopement at badlands national park

This Spring, I had the honor to plan a styled shoot with a friend at Badlands National Park located in South Dakota. The inspiration was for an elopement at Badlands National Park. A dream of mine is to visit as many National Parks as I can in my lifetime, so I was so excited when my friend and I planned this trip to South Dakota to visit the Badlands!

Elopement Styled Shoot at Badlands

To begin, we started off the elopement shoot at Badlands hiking along the trailhead ‘The Door Trail‘. We would stop at certain points along the trailhead to soak in the views together. I felt that no matter where we stopped along the way for photos, every spot had a different but beautiful view of the park! Augusta and Skylar had two different outfits for inspiration, so we made sure to allot for time for both outfits during the photoshoot. We ended the photoshoot with a beautiful sunset, and running along the highway together under the starry night sky! We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful spring, sunny day for their elopement photoshoot!

Fees at Badlands National Park

If you are planning a wedding or elopement at Badlands National Park, here are some helpful tips on fees that you should know about in advance! Your wedding and/or elopement permit will be separate from your entrance fee. You can buy your day pass upon entry, and it is usually about $30.00 per vehicle. The application fee for your wedding or elopement fee is usually around $100.00 and you will have to pay for that separately. You can find how to apply for your application online here!

About Badlands National Park

Badlands is an American national park located in southwestern South Dakota. This park is known for its dramatic rock formations and steep canyons. I remember just being in awe of the towering rocks for miles and miles. Hiking, star gazing, and sunrise/sunset viewing are some of the favorite things to do at Badlands. In fact, I read that Badlands is one of the best national parks for stargazing in the U.S.!

In addition, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and bison are some of the wildlife you can view at this park. My friend and I saw some Bison along our drive, and we saw lots of prairie dogs too! Depending on the time of the year and weather conditions, they say it is possible to see the northern lights at Badlands National Park. I am so excited to share that my friend and I got to see the northern lights during our visit to this park. It was truly breathtaking and an incredible experience.

Lodging for your elopement at Badlands

While planning your Badlands elopement, you will need a place to stay! This park offers several cabins and campgrounds within the park. In addition, there are plenty of lodging options outside the park as well. Rapid City is a city located outside of the park, and it is right at about 1-hour drive from the park. A lodging place that offers cabins for people to stay in at Badlands National Park, is called Cedar Pass Lodge! Their 2023 season dates last from 4/21/2023 – 10/23/2023. Be sure to check it out!

Ready to plan your National Park Elopement?

Are you ready to start planning your National Park Elopement? I am a Photographer based in Colorado, and I am absolutely willing to travel to any National Park to capture your love story! It is my goal as your Colorado Elopement Photographer to make sure that your day is stress free, and filled with lots of fun! If you are ready to start planning your adventurous elopement at a beautiful destination that our country has to offer, please contact me now!