Ice Lake Colorado Adventure Elopement

Approximately 60 miles North of Durango on Highway 550, and about an hour and a half of driving, there is a hiking trail known as Ice Lake Basin. This hike has become renowned since the advent of social media, but it is still spectacular and makes for an incredible place to elope in Colorado. As a Durango photographer photos in this area are some of my favorites in the whole region of my southwest photography scope. 

Most Durango photographers are familiar with this place, but choose to take their photos in places that are more easily accessible; however, Colorado elopement packages booked here are some of my favorite! Yes, the hike is a bit grueling, yet it is so worth it. Elopement photography here is about as good as it gets in my opinion and I am always anxious to return.

For those of you who haven't been here let's talk logistics. The nearest town is Silverton, which is only about 15 minutes from the trailhead. Silverton in itself is an incredibly beautiful old mining town surrounded by majestic high-mountain basins filled with excellent opportunities for adventure elopements. Unfortunately, Silverton does not have an airport. The easiest option is to fly into Durango (a rather small airport), rent a car, and drive up from there. Otherwise, you could fly into Montrose (an even smaller airport), which is North of Silverton about an hour and a half's drive. The drive from either direction is beautiful, but some folks would probably prefer not to have to drive over Red Mountain Pass (because it is scary). For more info on that click here: Red Mountain Pass

The hike itself is steep and strenuous. The route is about 7.5 miles round trip to the infamous Ice Lake and back along the most direct path, and the vertical gain along the way is roughly 2,400 feet up to 12,000 ft in elevation. On this particular day we started hiking just after the sunrise to avoid afternoon monsoons. Lucky and his fiancee carried their wedding attire in backpacks, along with some champagne, and changed into their clothes at the lake in order to look fresh. As with any Colorado hikes above treeline it is important to consider summer thunderstorms and elevation sickness. There are several other beautiful lakes in the surrounding basin that add more vertical gain and length to your itinerary, but they are all worth it if you feel up to it (and the weather is holding out)! Hike info and stats: Ice Lake Trail

I would love to help you plan and execute your perfect day up in this basin! To contact me click here: Contact
For more wedding and elopement photography from me click here: Wedding / Elopement Gallery