April and Joe | Handies Peak Elopement
Savannah Chandler Photography | 14er Hiking Elopement Photographer
April and Joe had reached out with a plan to come out to Colorado and elope at 14,000 ft. Living in Tennessee, they hike the Smokey mountains but were incredibly excited about seeing Colorado’s rugged wilderness.
We settled on Handies Peak in the San Juan Mountains:
• Easy Access (relatively speaking) with a 4×4
• Short Trail – just under 6 miles roundtrip
• Stunning views, including at the Trailhead
• An easier and well defined trail to hike than many 14,000′ peaks
Many years, I would not be recommending a 14er in June, however, 2026 was the lowest snow pack that we’ve seen here in Colorado. If you’re considering a summit elopement, most years early July is going to be when the trails melt out and I would personally recommend looking at as an earliest time of year to make the trek.
Hiking a 14er for Sunrise
We all started making our way up the trail well before the sun came up. Something I always offer to couples on hiking elopements is that our time together starts when we meet up – so if you feel comfortable route finding/hiking up, I always suggest doing so as it gives us much more photographic time. April and Joe decided to hike up and meet at the summit – which also lets everyone hike at the pace that they feel comfortable and not feel like they’re holding anyone up.
Just as my second shooter Natalie and I made the crest at Sloan’s Lake, we saw two little headlamps bobbing up above us, and I knew that had to be April and Joe.
The trail it’s self is rather easy to navigate – it’s mostly a tracked out single trail with a few steeper sections and then a final summit push on some not-so-super-fun looser tiny pebble rock. We did see a TON of animal eyes on our hike – which were all deer in groups having a wonderful time hanging out in the tundra. I personally like to make noise when I hike in the dark – hiking with another person always helps as you can chat and let animals know that you’re approaching.
We all arrived at the summit at nearly the same moment! I came up behind April and Joe just as they hit 14,000, and we all marveled at the beauty that is the San Juan mountain range.
One thing of note is that even though we had an AMAZING weather window, it’s cold that high up. And any wind that whips across feels even colder. With how cold the air temp felt, we shifted our plans a little and skipped a first look and took portraits for a few moments to give April and Joe the chance to warm up a little.
Just as we approached the overlook where they were going to say their vows – the wind cut out. For those glorious 10 minutes where they had their mountaintop ceremony, we had comfortable weather and no witnesses except the surrounding peaks. After their nuptials, they shared communion as a married couple (which is actually a first for me at elopements, even after 16 years photographing!).
As we made our way back down to the American Basin trailhead, we stopped at a few stunning spots along the way to snag a few portraits.
Congratulations again, April and Joe! I’m still so incredibly proud of you hiking up to 14,000′ with all your wedding attire <3
Cheers-
