How to Elope at Craggy Gardens

Craggy Gardens is a well-known landmark on the Blue Ridge Parkway, known for it’s blooming rhododendrons, the pinnacle tunnel, and stunning mountain views. The stone overlooks, wildflowers, and enchanting trees along the trail make Craggy Gardens a beautiful place to get married! Located only a 40 minute drive from downtown Asheville, Craggy Gardens is also one of the more convenient elopement locations. If you’re wondering how to get married at Craggy Gardens or it it’s the right location for you, you’ve come to the right place! Keep reading for everything you need to know about eloping at Craggy Gardens.

How to Elope at Craggy Gardens

Eloping at Craggy Gardens requires some light hiking to reach the overlooks you’ll see in the photos below! There are 2 trails – Craggy Gardens Trail, and Craggy Pinnacle Trail. The most important thing to note about eloping at Craggy Gardens is that the Blue Ridge Parkway allows ceremonies at the Craggy Flats Bald with a special use permit, but does not issue permits for ceremonies at Craggy Pinnacle. You can, however, take portraits at Craggy Pinnacle without a permit. Here are the key differences between the 2 trails:

Craggy Gardens Trail – 2.2 miles Roundtrip

The Craggy Gardens Trail Trailhead is located at the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center. This trail leads to the Gazebo Overlook and Craggy Flats Bald. The trail is rocky in some spots with the occasional incline, but overall not strenuous and doable in wedding attire. Ceremonies are permitted at the Craggy Flats Bald, more on that in the next section!

Craggy Pinnacle Trail – 1 mile Roundtrip

Craggy Pinnacle is located just up the road from the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center. There is a decent size parking lot here as well. This hike leads to 2 stone overlooks, the half-moon overlook and the square overlooks, these are unofficial names that I use to differentiate them 😉 When you reach a fork in the trail, you can continue right to the half-moon shaped overlook, or continue left to the big square overlooks at the top. Ceremonies are not permitted at Craggy Pinnacle, you can however use this trail for portraits. The Blue Ridge Parkway does not require a permit for portraits only.

Craggy Gardens Wedding Permit

Here is what you need to know about acquiring a permit for a ceremony at Craggy Gardens:

The guest limit for the Craggy Flats Bald is 25 people, this includes vendors and all other participants.
Ceremonies are not permitted at Craggy Pinnacle.
Permits can be obtained at any point throughout the planning process, and they suggest applying at least 30 days before your elopement day to account for processing time.
There are some BRP-specific rules you will need to read and follow. For example, live flowers and bouquets are not allowed. You can read the full list of rules and restrictions here.

Apply for a Permit Here

When to Elope at Craggy Gardens

If possible, I highly recommend eloping here on a weekday. Tuesday-Thursday are going to be the least busy days year round. If privacy is really important to you, sunrise and mornings are generally the quietest times of day to visit a popular spot like Craggy Gardens.
The rhododendrons bloom May-June, so that is a beautiful time of year to get married at Craggy Gardens.
Fall can be really busy, especially in October, so I recommend avoid the peak foliage weeks and opting for September or November instead.
Craggy Gardens may not be accessible in the winter months. Road closures change daily based on current weather conditions. Due to snow and ice at the higher elevations, access to Craggy is often closed from late November-March.