Backpacking Elopement ~ Montana Backcountry

When Kade and Addie reached out about their 4-wheeler-only access to a secluded lake tucked deep in Montana’s untouched mountains, I didn’t hesitate for a second. Having a place like that entirely to ourselves sounded like an adventure photographer’s dream.

We loaded up our vehicles and made our way up what was technically called a road—but felt far more like a rugged trail—before hiking higher into the mountains. The path wound upward to a lake hidden in a bowl of shale, quiet and untouched.

As evening settled in, Kade and Addie exchanged vows with their two sweet dogs as witnesses. We watched the sun slip behind the mountains as the stars slowly revealed themselves overhead. We talked about the stories these mountains hold and the origins of their ominous name, wrapped in the stillness that only places like this offer.

Before dawn, Kade and Addie were up again to catch the sunrise spilling over the grand, jagged peaks. We wandered to a waterfall cascading from the lake and explored a rocky valley that felt entirely otherworldly. To top off the morning, they capped it all with a Notebook-style swim in the icy lake.

Backpacking elopements are relaxed, intimate, and deeply meaningful—an experience I can’t recommend enough.