3 Desert Locations to Elope in This Spring

Thinking you want to elope this spring but aren’t sure where? Take a peek at these 3 totally EPIC desert locations that are perfect for a spring elopement destination!

Did you know that spring in the desert is literally the best thing ever?! Ok I might be a little biased, but hear me out! I’m a firm believer that nothing beats the spring magic the desert offers when it’s at its peak! From mysteriously towering Joshua Trees, to brilliant Red Rock, to Saguaro Forests, and Rugged Mountains - the desert is where you want to elope… Trust me!

First - The weather. It’s a dream. With high’s ranging from the mid-60’s to 80’s (depending on if it is the high desert or low desert) and low’s in the 40’s to 50’s. Pretty much it’s not too hot or too cold, but rather perfect to be out exploring and taking in the otherworldly landscape around you! As always, Mother Nature is impossible to predict, but in Arizona the rainy season is typically during the hot summer months from mid-June to mid-September, so the likelihood of rain is lower than some other parts of the country during the spring season. Arizona is notorious for having beautiful blue-bird winter and spring skies!

Second - The desert is unique! And its beauty shares an almost spiritual experience with you while you’re there. “The desert” is truly one of the most transcendental and magical landscapes on the planet. There’s a reason philosophers, poets, and truth-seekers have always escaped to the desert.

“The magic of the desert is hard to define”

-Henno Martin, The Sheltering Desert

Third - You want your story together to start — now. You’re ready to start this next chapter and you’re ready to be married. You want to celebrate in an intentional way, surrounded by those closest to you, in a location that is beautiful, uplifting, and inspiring. So don’t worry, I got you!

Joshua Tree National Park, California

The Center of the Universe and a kaleidoscope of everything the desert is about

Joshua Tree has long been known as a place of multiple energy vortices and it is believed that these energies magnify everything we bring to it - emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally.

Joshua Tree is really for those who want to explore the remoteness that the desert has to offer while still having the amenities of town nearby. The nearby towns of Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms border the National Park and make visiting easy even though the National Park is quite remote and extremely vast.

It’s for the free-spirits, the deep thinkers, and the bougie campers

It has a plethora of upscale (as well as quirky and oddball) vacation rentals that vary from unique glamping experiences to luxury wabi sabi aesthetics to full on extraterrestrial-conspiracy-believing-desert-dwellings that provide visitors with out of this world stays.

“Night comes to the desert all at once”

-Joyce Carol Oates

Sedona, Arizona

Sedona is all about the Red Rock

Nothing can quite prepare you for when you finally make it to that turn in the highway where the views suddenly open up and you’re blessed with iconic sweeping views of desert buttes crested in deep reds

Sedona, like Joshua Tree, is known for its powerful vortices.

The four hikes with the most well known vortexes are Airport Mesa, Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, and Boynton Canyon.

Some of these vortexes channel energy down through the earth, while others flow energy upward towards the sky.

Getting to experience even just one of these powerful energies Sedona has to offer on your wedding day makes for a more spiritual and cathartic space that enables you and your partner to feel more present in. It’s a space that allows for a deeper connection.

Sedona offers some world renowned sanctuary resorts that are tucked deep into the red rock buttes. Along with those resorts there are also eccentric shops, quaint small businesses, and adventure experiences.

Have you ever wanted to take a professional 4x4 Jeep tour? What about a scenic helicopter ride? Well you can do both on your elopement day in Sedona!

“I’ve Never met a desert sunset I didn’t like”

The Superstition Mountains, Arizona

The Superstitions or “The Supes” are my favorite mountain range in Arizona. They also, happen to be, my favorite location for desert elopements!

rugged yet beautiful. mysterious yet teasingly accessible.

Located just east of Phoenix, the Superstition Mountains are a prominent feature on the horizon. With their proximity to the greater Phoenix area, they are remarkably accessible and within a 45 minute drive from the East Valley (Gilbert & Mesa areas). This makes it convenient to stay in vacation rentals large enough to house not only you and your partner, but also your intentionally invited guests! Making for an epic wedding weekend with your people!

The Superstition Mountains are in the heart of the Sonoran Desert. This desert differs from both that of Joshua Tree and Sedona since those are considered to be “high desert” locations. High desert refers to the elevation in which they are located at. Both Sedona and Joshua Tree top out at around 5,000ft above sea level which means in the winter they may receive a dusting of snow and hiking can be a little more taxing if you are coming from sea-level.

The flora and fauna are also vastly different between high-desert and low-desert locations. Many non-Arizonians aren’t aware that the classic saguaro cactus is only found in the Sonoran Desert and is not naturally found in the high desert of Sedona! So if you are craving those endless cactus views,

The Superstitions are the perfect location

(or Saguaro National Park near Tucson, AZ which is also part of the Sonoran Desert, but I’ll leave that for another blog post 😜).

I’ll leave you with this:

“What draws us into the desert is the search for something intimate in the remote.”

-Edward Abbey

Whatever your reason, the desert is the place to find yourself and lose yourself. It gently encourages a deeper connection to yourself, your partner, and the land on your elopement day, and since there is no better time to start than — now — why not?

Inquire about your elopement day here