Lost Dutchman State Park Weddings
Getting Married at Lost Dutchman—
In our opinion, it is the most scenic public land in the Phoenix area. This, compared with the incredibly accommodating ranger team at Lost Dutchman State Park, located in the Apache Junction area of the Valley, make it the ideal place to get married if you’re looking for an outdoor setting for your Phoenix wedding or elopement. In this article we’ll share everything we’ve learned about getting married at Lost Dutchman, from permit information to the best time of year to visit. As Phoenix based, Arizona elopement photographers, we visit this park just about every other week, whether it be for elopements or engagement sessions. We know a thing or two, and would love to help make your experience more of a breeze! Keep reading if you’re planning a wedding at this scenic state park in the East Valley! I’ll end this article by sharing a few galleries from recent Lost Dutchman elopements we’ve photographed, so you can compare different times of year in the park.
Traveling to Phoenix
Flying—
Phoenix is one of the biggest cities in the United States, and is served by two airports that make it wildly easy to travel here.
Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport is the main airport in the area, located just a few minutes from downtown. Sky Harbor is a hub for both Southwest and American Airlines, meaning you can catch a direct flight here (or, at most, a one stop journey) from almost anywhere in the US! Because this airport is so centrally located, you have easy access to virtually every part of the Valley and beyond, whether you want to start your wedding adventure at one of Scottsdale’s resorts, or more remotely.
Phoenix also boasts a smaller airport, Mesa Gateway (AZA), serviced by budget airlines like Allegiant, with flights to smaller cities in the US not commonly serviced by the Sky Harbor airlines. Mesa Gateway airport is located in the east Valley, away from downtown, BUT very close to Lost Dutchman! While most budget airports are a bit more inconvenient and out of the way, we love that this one puts you basically adjacent to Lost Dutchman. For reference, this airport is located about 40 minutes from downtown Phoenix.
One of the biggest reasons we chose to live in Phoenix is because of how easy it is to get in and out of here. If you’ll be inviting guests to your wedding, they’ll be able to conveniently travel here too. Because this city is so big, there are so many unique hotels and Airbnbs scattered throughout the Valley, making for the ultimate wedding destination.
Staying—
Lost Dutchman State Park is located at the very east end of the Phoenix valley, in a more remote town called Apache Junction. There is not a ton in this area in the way of hotels and restaurants, but there is ample space for camping on the many miles of scenic National Forest and BLM land out this way. For our couples envisioning a more adventurous wedding or elopement experience, sleeping under the stars on public land close to or inside Lost Dutchman (camping reservations can be made here) is ideal. We also highly recommend Saguaro Lake Guest Ranch for a more rustic, yet off grid experience near the park (30 minutes), or Gold Canyon Golf Resort for a full resort experience near the park (20 minutes).
Many of our couples opt to stay in the more populous areas of the Valley like Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Tempe, and Central Phoenix when they travel to Lost Dutchman for their wedding, especially if they are joined by friends and family. These areas of the city offer much more in terms of hotel and vacation rental options, dining, bars, golf, and other entertainment. The group heads out to the park for the wedding ceremony and a light celebration after, before returning to the city for greater celebration. Most of these popular areas of the city are located a 30-45 minute drive from Lost Dutchman.
How to Get Legally Married in Arizona
Your Marriage License— Before your Lost Dutchman wedding, you’ll need to get a marriage license of these from one of Arizona’s Superior Court Clerk offices up to twelve months before you are married, regardless if you live in Arizona or elsewhere. If you’ll be getting married at Lost Dutchman (or anywhere in Phoenix), you’ll find it most convenient to visit one of the four Maricopa County Clerk Offices scattered throughout the Valley. You are able to use a Maricopa County marriage license at Lost Dutchman, which is technically in Pinal County. Marriage licenses are typically given by appointment only, and the application will need to be filled out in person if you aren’t a resident of Arizona (Arizona residents are able to apply online). To be legally married, you’ll need an officiant’s signature, as well as that of two witnesses (your photographer counts as one of those!). After your wedding, you’ll mail the license back to the clerk’s office for processing, and then you’ll be legally wed!
Permits— Lost Dutchman does require a permit to get married within state park boundaries, whether or not you reserve a ramada (more about ramadas later!). You must apply for your own permit, your photographer cannot complete this step for you. Wedding permit application can be found here.
Eloping on Public Land
As an Arizona elopement photographer, I could not be more grateful that we are allowed to photograph weddings at Lost Dutchman, however, these privileges can be taken away at any point. To prevent this from happening, all eloping couples, their guests, and their vendors must Leave No Trace when using the park and other public lands for celebrations. This means taking a number of things into consideration—
When you’re planning your wedding, please abide by all the rules created by the governing bodies of the land you choose. These rules exist for a reason, often to protect the natural habitats present on these lands. Please, stay on marked trails, don’t bring an excess amount of decor (especially confetti), clean up after yourselves, don’t play loud music (Lost Dutchman does not allow amplified music!), and do your best not to introduce non-native plants to the environments. Leave No Trace goes so far beyond these simple things, and some of the basics can be referenced here as you prepare for your wedding.
The Best Time to Get Married at Lost Dutchman
Phoenix is the desert, and time of year definitely is something to consider when traveling to the area to get married (and in general). My favorite seasons here are the early spring and late fall. Winter also tends to be gorgeous here, though some of the desert plants do go dormant this time of year. Here are the average high and low temperatures by month in Phoenix. If we experience a rainy winter in the Valley, Lost Dutchman has all kinds of colorful wildflowers in March and April, and the golden light we enjoy in October and November make fall an incredible season around here too. Late spring through early fall are rattle snake season here in the desert, so if this makes you uncomfortable in any way, I would recommend opting for a wedding date before mid April or after mid October. If there is any one thing to note, Phoenix (and the desert as a whole) offers vibrant, colorful sunsets year round, so you can never go wrong with this place! Though I would not recommend a summer wedding, people still do get married this time of year, and enjoy a much less crowded park during this season. For summer weddings, I would suggest sunrise weddings only to reduce the risk of heat stroke!
In this section, I also find it best to discuss when to elope at Lost Dutchman if you are looking for as private an experience as possible. Because this park is beautiful and, well, public, it brings in tons of visitors every year. To mitigate crowds, I would suggest eloping on a weekday as opposed to the weekend. The park also opens at sunrise, and if getting up early to exchange vows is your idea of the perfect day, this is another incredible way to avoid random people watching you get married. Because the Superstition Mountains are to the East, you’ll have beautiful back-lit photos if you choose to hold your ceremony at sunrise! You’ll see photos below from weddings held in the afternoon and at sunset, which is beautiful too! This does mean you will be in direct sunlight for your ceremony, but still a gorgeous option if waking up before dawn isn’t your thing.
The Ins and Outs of Lost Dutchman Weddings
Now that you have all this information, I’d love to share some location specific details that pertain to the park. I highly suggest most couples make a ramada ceremony reservation, for the added security of having a reserved, unobstructed space for their ceremony and the photos that follow. These can be made through Lost Dutchman’s website. A number of ramadas (picnic areas) and group camp sites are available for reservation, and I personally think the Cholla ramada is the best vantage point of the Superstitions. There is close parking, especially if less mobile guests are attending, and offers a few options of open spaces that back up to the Superstitions. After the ceremony and family photos conclude, I will usually hike back further with my couples for their bridal portraits from the adjacent trailhead.
As I mentioned before, a sunrise or morning wedding will be backlit (think glowy, golden hour light), while an afternoon or sunset ceremony will be front lit (think direct sunlight). Both times of day are incredible, and your decision can be made based on your vision for your photos, or on how much you enjoy waking up early vs. sleeping in. The park does get more crowded as the day goes on, and many visitors go for a sunset hike. This park is also a very popular place for family, engagement, and graduation photos, especially at sunset. With a ramada reservation, you will have your own reserved space to avoid being bothered by photo sessions, as well as frequently passing hikers and trail runners.
Lost Dutchman Wedding Photos
Here is a small collection of photographs from a few Lost Dutchman weddings and elopements I’ve had the privilege of capturing. I tried to include a mix of everything, from an intimate elopement (just the couple and us as witnesses), to a larger gathering (about 40 people). There are options for everyone at this park, whether your wedding day vision is small or big! These weddings all happened between February and May, at sunset, and at the Cholla ramada. Some couples choose to decorate, others choose to let the Superstitions be the sole, natural backdrop. Chair rentals are independent of the park, though many Phoenix event rental companies serve Lost Dutchman. Enjoy!
Hi there! We’re Katie & Joseph, a husband and wife team, and Arizona elopement photographers.
We are big fans of documenting marriage in an unposed, raw, genuine, and honest way that allows our couples to maximize their experience on their day while also receiving a gallery full of stunning images that communicate how it felt to be there.
Though we’re based in Phoenix, we’ll travel anywhere for a good love story. We invite you to follow the links below to learn more about us and our services, and to get in contact with us!
