Timber Creek Overlook Elopement Location
Zion National Park
Hidden Elopement Gem
Timber Creek Overlook is a beautiful place. It is one of the five locations in Zion National Park that you can have a wedding. You will need a Special Use Permit (SUP) from the park (see my post on how to get a SUP if you want to learn more).
Timber Creek Overlook is unique among the five wedding locations in Zion National Park because it is both easy to access and remote from the rest of the park. The main section of the park is accessed by Utah State Route 9, that runs through the park east and west connecting two sides of the state. Timber Creek is part of the Kolob canyon section of the park accessed from Interstate 15 near Cedar City. The roads in this section do not connect to the main section. The trail head is the last stop of a dead end road. There is traffic to the trail head but only those going to the trail and no cross traffic. Because the campsites, museum, and visitor’s center are all in the main section of the park, Kolob Canyon is relatively quiet and lightly traveled. The overlook is at the end of the trail too, so there is truly no cross traffic at the end of the trail.
The View
The beauty of the place is that it is an overlook. It is the only overlook that you can get married at in Zion National Park. The views are amazing. From the overlook you can see over a hundred miles, all the way to the Grand Canyon. Mount Trumbull is visible sitting at the north rim of the Grand Canyon. How perfect to say you got married in Zion National Park with the Grand Canyon National Park in the background?
The overlook itself offers unique places for a wedding ceremony. There are a few cedar trees nearby, standing between the trees makes a cute natural arbor for the ceremony. Just up from the trees are large flat rocks that make for a great place for the ceremony; particularly if it has been rainy and the dirt is muddy in the spring. The rocks are slightly higher and give a huge view. My favorite place is at the very end at the edge of the overlook. The striking background and the vast space all around can make you feel small. At the same time, the greatness of the view makes it seem like the couple is the only thing that matters in the world at that moment.
The Lighting
The high cliffs in the distant east make Timber Creek Overlook a perfect place for a sunrise ceremony. The sky glows softly and warms the light before the sun breaks the horizon. It is a breath taking light show. The usable “golden hour” light lasts a very long time. It is perfect for bridal portraits before and after the ceremony.
The terrain to the west is relatively lower than the eastern landscape. This makes sunsets much shorter than the sunrises. A sunset ceremony, while beautiful, will be more abrupt.
The Hike
The hike from the parking lot to the overlook is not strenuous, only .5 mile each way with 100 feet in altitude gain. The path is fairly wide and large groups of ten or more could travel together. The trail does get muddy after rain. The park has done a great job of making it passable and maintained, but you will not want to wear your wedding dress shoes for the hike. It is best to carry those and change at the overlook.
The Heights
The elevation of Timber Creek Overlook is 6250 feet, one of the higher trails in Zion National Park. The famous Angel’s Landing has an elevation of 5770 feet, 520 lower than Timber Creek Overlook. If you are not used to elevations over a mile and a quarter above sea level you will want to take things slow and maybe rest in the parking lot for a bit before hiking up. Elevation sickness can happen if you are from lower elevations. The elevation also means that a casual check of weather forecasted for a nearby town will not reflect the weather at the overlook. In the spring and fall you will want to check snow elevations. In the winter the road to the trail head is closed. In the summer time it is a great escape from the heat of the lower canyon. St. George is just over 2000 feet and even Cedar City is around 6000 feet, so the weather at Timber Creek will be cooler year round.
If you have not yet, I encourage you to submit your permit application to use Timber Creek Overlook for your elopement.
