Romantic Northern Michigan Spots for Your Elopement Adventure

Elopement adventures and love stories have a very unique way of unfolding against the natural backdrops that can only be found in Northern Michigan, regardless of the season. If you are someone who adores the idea of eloping within the serenity that is offered by vast forests, the Great Lakes, remote hiking trails, or secluded lakes that can only be found deep within the wilderness, Northern Michigan is the place you want to be. And we’re here to help you locate some of these amazing Northern Michigan spots to help you plan your elopement adventure!

Within this guide, we want to introduce you to some of our favorite locations within Northern Michigan for intimate elopement adventures, while also helping you to understand why an adventure elopement might be perfect for your love story. Of course, we also want to offer some of our best tips in case you are already in the process of making your dreamy elopement a reality.

Why Northern Michigan is the Perfect Elopement Choice

Aside from the obvious beauty that can be found within Northern Michigan on a general basis, you may be surprised at just how few people there are on the trails. You may also be surprised at the stunning locations that can only be found with a bit of hiking too. So, if you are hoping to spend the day with your spouse-to-be, having a grand adventure without the mess or fuss of tourists, traffic and noise, countless permits, and travel logistics for guests of your wedding day, Northern Michigan is certainly an area you won’t want to miss out on.

You can find a variety of scenery to compliment your sense of adventure, especially if the cold of winter doesn’t bother you. For example, Northern Michigan is home to waterfalls, lakes, ponds, forests, sand dunes, waterfalls, rivers, streams, sandy beaches, caves, and more. You can hike, ski, kayak, canoe, ice climb, swim, tube, and more on countless trails, lakes, and frozen landscapes.

As native Michiganders, and local Northern Michigan residents, we are always thrilled and amazed at how these seemingly standard locations transform ordinary portrait experiences into timeless stories of adventure and fun. Especially for our intimate elopement couples.

Our Best Places to Elope in Michigan…

Adventure Elopement Spot #1 | Negwegon State Park, Alcona County, Michigan

Okay, so we might be a little biased here, because Negwegon State Park is in our home county of Alcona, however, there is a real reason why we absolutely love this place for Adventure Elopements! It’s simply so versatile, offering a combination of both vast wooded trails and also miles of sandy and rocky beaches along Lake Huron. Simply getting to this Michigan State Park is an adventure in of itself, and it truly sets the tone for the rest of the time spent in the park itself.

During the week, you will more often than not, find the park empty, or with one or two cars in the parking lot. However, even when the parking lot is full (on weekends mostly), you will rarely see people if you venture forth on the wooded trail systems, versus spending time on the beach of Lake Huron. And the cool thing about the wooded trail systems in Negwegon, is that some of them were once old Indian (Native American) trail systems.

While hiking along the trails, you will see all sorts of trees, flowers, meadows, and likely wildlife too. Personally we have seen porcupine on the trails, while also hearing the Eagles (yes, Bald Eagles) flying above us. It’s such a magical place and one we highly recommend for those who truly love spending time in the woods.

We also don’t want you to skip out on the scenes that this park offers by being right along the Lake Huron shoreline! Not only the main beach, spanning for a few miles in either direction, being sandy with dune grass on parts, but also throughout the park’s trail system. While hiking you will come to spots that allow access to the shoreline (either via campsites, or deer trails), which allows for stunning views.

All in all, if you’re hoping to stay in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, while also keeping away from the crowds that seem to plague the western side of the state nowadays, then Negwegon State Park is truly the place to be for your intimate Adventure Elopement.

Adventure Elopement Spot #2 | Munising, Michigan

Our second favorite spot for Adventure Elopements would have to be Munising, Michigan. Not only does this Upper Peninsula town offer numerous waterfalls to explore, but it also sits on Lake Superior, and the world famous, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. This town offers so many various scenery options, that it truly is impossible to capture everything you can explore in a single day. So, some planning here for what you would like to experience is highly recommended.

Our favorite things are the waterfalls to explore. Not only does Munising offer numerous waterfalls, but most of them are easily accessible for anyone. But beware, because of this ease of access, during the weekends they are more crowded to be sure. We highly recommend doing your Adventure Elopement here for waterfalls during the week to avoid the crowds of tourists. However, if you truly want to go on a waterfall adventure, then we can share some waterfalls that require a bit of hiking to get to, that will help deter the tourists conundrum, should a weekend Adventure Elopement still be your desire. Just know, that these particular hiking and waterfall combination adventures will take more time to access, with both drive time and hiking time.

You could also, to further avoid tourists, plan for an Adventure Elopement to take place during the fall or winter seasons as well. We’ve done both and both seasons offer their own challenges, but the photos still turned out stunningly beautiful. Some of our favorite spots to visit during these Adventure Elopements are Scott Falls, Munising Falls, Wagner Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Lake Superior, Miner’s Castle, and all the surrounding forest trails and vistas.

Adventure Elopement Spot #3 | Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Michigan

Our third recommendation for your Adventure Elopement to consider, is one of our all time favorite locations in all of Michigan—The Porcupine Mountains. We have dreamed of encountering a couple adventurous enough to brave these mountains with us, and have yet as of writing this article, to find such a couple. But we haven’t given up hope! Let us tell you of some of what you can expect if you brave these wild trails.

First, we would recommend at least a full day experience in the Porcupine Mountains with us, if not two full days. Trust us, there is a lot of ground to cover here, and it’s all worth the travel. The Porcupine Mountains are truly a wilderness area, which means that this Michigan State Park has not been significantly modified by human activity. The Porcupine Mountains, or the Porkies as they’re known locally, holds the largest stand of old growth northern hardwood forest in North America west of the Adirondack Mountains. There are scenic vistas, hidden ruins, seasonal and regularly flowing waterfalls, and countless backcountry trail systems to explore.

The Porcupine Mountains are not for the faint of heart, and only those who truly wish to delve into an adventure with few people, and fewer amenities would dare to brave these spectacular and wild mountains! However, after many trips there for our own personal vacations, we have always dreamed of guiding a similarly adventurous couple through some of these remote locations, and capturing them in the unparalleled beauty of these pristine forests.

Tips for Planning Your Northern Michigan Adventure Elopement

1. Start with WHY You want to Adventure

The first thing you should consider while planning your Northern Michigan Adventure Elopement, is why you are eloping. Are you eloping to escape the traditional “big wedding” day? Or, are you eloping to have your day be filled with adventure with only your spouse-to-be? Maybe you’re hoping for something a little more in the middle? Perhaps you are simply wanting to cut costs or simply splurge on an experience that truly takes your breath away? Whatever your reasons are, the rest of your planning will go easier once you know why you are seeking an adventure elopement.

2. Decide WHERE You Want to Adventure

The second thing you should take under consideration, is where you want to adventure in Northern Michigan. This will help you plan on other elements like how many guests to bring, if any, what you will want to pack, and how long you’ll want to be with your photographer. This will also help you to determine the season in which you want to adventure as well, as some areas like the Porcupine Mountains are inaccessible in winter, versus the waterfalls found in Munising. Also, if you know your why, then it’ll further help you to decide where to elope.

3. Plan Roughly WHEN Your Adventure Will Take Place

The next step will be to plan when you want to adventure in your chosen location. If you know that you want to elope in summer, then you can further lock in your dates depending on where you want to elope. For example, Munising in the summer months are full of tourists on the weekends more than during the week. So, you might want to consider a weekday elopement. Or, if you know that you want to bring a few guests, you will know to try to plan the time that they will be available to attend. Also, if you’re hoping for sunsets or sunrises, knowing when the sun will rise and set on your date will help too. Of course, your photographer can help you determine when a good time will be for those things.

4. Determine WHAT is Important to Your Love Story & Adventure

You’ll also want to take into consideration what things that make your love story and adventure, you. If you and your spouse-to-be are avid hikers, then you’ll likely want to do a hiking adventure, with some beautiful photos showcasing your favorite pair of hiking boots. Or, if you love sightseeing waterfalls, then you’ll want to consider having a day adventure seeing all the waterfalls you can. So long as you know what is important to your dream elopement adventure, then you are sure to have an experience unlike any other.

5. Consider WHO Will be Attending Your Elopement Adventure

Once you know why, where, when, and what your adventure elopement will look like, then knowing who to invite will be easier to deal with. If you’ve planned a two day trip to the Porcupine Mountains, you will know that bringing your 90 year old Grandmother to the hidden gem of Greenstone Falls, simply won’t be possible. However, if you’re doing an elopement at Wagner Falls in Munising, you’ll know that it is wheelchair accessible and she might be able to be there with you. Knowing who to bring to your adventure day, even if it’s simply you and your spouse-to-be to be, in another key step in making sure your adventure elopement in Northern Michigan will be a success!

6. Finalizing HOW To Put it all Together for the Ultimate Adventure Elopement

Finally, you’ll want to consider the experience and expertise of your chosen Adventure Elopement Photographer to help you figure out how to put your adventure all together. Your photographer may offer other services too, like videography and officiating, like we do, or they may only offer photography. However, whomever you choose to adventure with, they need to be knowledgeable about how to guide you. This way you can experience the ultimate stress-free adventure elopement you’ve been dreaming of.

Choosing Framed by Nature Photography for Your Northern Michigan Adventure Elopement

Shameless plug here. We would love to be your chosen guides, photographers, videographers, and/or officiants for your adventure elopement in Northern Michigan. We have extensive experience with photographing wedding, and we are working on building up our videography portfolio for adventure elopements too. Our Northern Michigan Adventure Elopement packages are all unique and customizable while starting at only $900 (local 2 hour elopements). We love hiking and exploring the beautiful nature that Michigan has to offer and we would love to help you and your spouse-to-be to have the best elopement adventure of all time.

So, if you’re ready to start planning your own Northern Michigan Adventure Elopement, we invite you to chat with us, so we can assist you with creating your timeless love story into an experience you won’t ever forget. Send us an email at hello@framedbynaturephotography.com or visit our Northern Michigan Elopement Portfolio to see more of our work.

Jess & Jeff
Framed by Nature Photography
Capturing your Northern Michigan love stories, one adventure at a time.