Our Favorite Denver Area Engagement Session Locations
If you just got engaged, congratulations. The first question almost every couple asks us is where we should shoot. After 18 years and more than 800 weddings photographed around Denver, we have a short list we come back to again and again.
These are the places that give you real Colorado without a two hour drive. Each one photographs differently, so the right pick depends on what you want your photos to feel like. Below is what each spot actually looks like through a lens, when to go, and what to know before you get there.
Mount Falcon Park, Morrison
Mount Falcon is the one we recommend most, and it is the one we have photographed more than any other engagement location. It sits about 30 minutes from downtown Denver and gives you mountain top views without a single switchback. You park, you walk a few minutes, and the whole front range opens up in front of you.
That combination is rare. Most places near Denver make you choose between the drive and the view. Mount Falcon gives you both, which is why it works so well for couples who are squeezing a session in after work or flying in for a weekend.
Upper versus Lower Mount Falcon
There are two ways in, and they photograph differently.
- Upper Mount Falcon is the one you want if you do not want to hike. The upper lot puts you close to the open meadows and the big overlooks, so you are shooting within minutes of parking. This is where we go for the sweeping mountain views.
- Lower Mount Falcon, off the Morrison side, is more wooded. Dense pines, shaded trails, rocky outcrops and tighter, moodier frames. Good if you want something more intimate and less panoramic.
Most of our sessions use the upper park. If you want variety in one hour, we can move between the meadow, the tree line and the overlook without much walking.
When to go
Golden hour, and it is not close. The light comes in sideways across the meadows and the whole place turns warm. We usually start about 90 minutes before sunset.
Mount Falcon is open year round and every season looks different. We have shot Chris and KaLynn in deep snow, Melanie and Luke in October when the sky was showing off, and Jack and Sarah in spring, who brought a bottle of champagne to open at the top. Winter sessions here are genuinely underrated. Fewer people, and the snow bounces light back up into your faces.
Bring layers. It is always cooler and windier up there than it is in the city, even in summer.
South Valley Park, Ken Caryl
South Valley is our quiet favorite. You get red rock formations that look a lot like Red Rocks, except you can actually shoot there without a permit line, a crowd, or a hundred people doing stadium stairs behind you.
The park has red rock fins rising straight out of open meadow, wide easy dirt trails, foothills in the background and a pond. In early summer the grass comes in tall and green, which against the red rock is one of the best color combinations we shoot anywhere in Colorado.
We photographed Taylor and Greg here on an evening in June, starting around 7:15 and shooting straight through sunset. Deer wandered through the meadow while we worked, which happens often enough here that you should expect it rather than be surprised by it.
It is also a great option if you are getting ready nearby. Ashley and Chad used South Valley for their first look and full bridal party photos before their reception at Ashley Ridge, and it handled a large group easily.
Good to know: the trails are flat and wide, so this is one of the easier locations if anyone in your group has mobility concerns or you are shooting in a dress you do not want dragging through brush.
Daniels Park, Castle Pines
Daniels Park is a hidden oasis with the best sunset views of the front range we know of on the south end of town. The panorama runs uninterrupted across the whole range, and when the light goes it goes big.
The park sits on a bluff, so you are shooting out over the valley rather than up at the mountains. Rolling meadow, scattered rock outcrops, and a lot of sky. There is also a bison herd kept at Daniels Park, which surprises most couples the first time they drive in.
Sarah and Spencer started their session here by popping a bottle of champagne and brought their ski goggles for a few frames, and we finished on a full Colorado sunset. Katherine and Tyler got a fast moving storm instead and we shot the whole thing in 30 minutes while it came at us. Both sets of photos are among our favorites, which tells you something about this place.
Good to know: weather moves fast here because you can see it coming for 40 miles. That is a feature, not a problem. Some of the best skies we have shot at Daniels Park came 10 minutes before rain.
Flying B Park, Highlands Ranch
Flying B is the one we send couples to when they cannot decide what they want, because it gives you a bit of everything in one place. Mountain views, tall grass, gorgeous trees and a pond, all within a short walk. It is a hidden oasis.
We usually start in the open meadow where the sun is still coming across the grass, then move into the trees as it drops. The deep greens in there make a completely different looking set of photos from the meadow shots, so you leave with real variety without driving anywhere.
Alex and Tommy brought their pup along and the golden hour glow that evening was about as good as it gets here.
Good to know: Flying B is one of the most dog friendly sessions on this list. It is flat, it is fenced away from traffic, and there is water.
Downtown Golden
If mountains are not your thing, Golden is the best small town option near Denver. Clear Creek runs right through the middle of it, the historic arch and the brick storefronts give you clean urban frames, and the foothills sit right behind everything so you still feel like you are in Colorado.
It is walkable, which means we can cover a lot of different looks in an hour. We have shot it in 20 degree weather with Katie and Bryan, and in full fall color with Ashley and Chad. Both worked.
More Denver spots we love
These do not get their own section, but they come up often and all of them work:
- Lookout Mountain, Golden. Front range views and a short drive. Beautiful under fresh snow.
- Evergreen Lake House. Water, mountains and pines together. Sunset over the lake is the reason to go.
- Roxborough State Park. Dramatic red rock formations and real wildlife. Check the park rules on photography before you book it.
- Washington Park, Cheesman Park and City Park, Denver. Gardens, historic architecture and city mountain views. Easy if you live in town.
- Downtown Denver and the RiNo District. Murals, alleyways, Union Station. The right call if your wedding is urban and you want the photos to match.
- Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs. Worth the longer drive if red rock is the whole point for you.
When should we schedule our engagement session?
Two things matter more than the date: the time of day, and how far out you book.
- Time of day. Start 90 minutes before sunset. Every location on this list is a golden hour location. Midday sun in Colorado is harsh and high, and it is the single fastest way to make good photos look ordinary.
- How far out. We like shooting engagement sessions 8 to 12 months before the wedding. That gives you images for save the dates, and it gives us an hour together in front of a camera before the wedding day, which makes a real difference in how comfortable you are when it counts.
- Season. Late May through June gives you the greenest grass. Late September into early October gives you gold. January and February give you snow and almost no one else on the trail.
What to bring
- Two outfits if you want variety. One dressed up, one that feels like you on a normal Saturday.
- Layers. It is cooler at Mount Falcon and Daniels Park than it is at your house.
- Shoes you can actually walk in, plus the nice ones to change into.
- Your dog, at Flying B, South Valley or Daniels Park. We are always happy to have them.
- Something personal. Couples bring champagne, cowboy hats, ski gear, a blanket. The photos where you are doing something together are always better than the ones where you are just standing there.
Common questions
How long is an engagement session?
About an hour. That is enough time to move through two or three different looks at one location without rushing.
Do we need a permit?
For personal engagement photos at the county and city parks on this list, generally no. Some state parks and venues have their own rules for professional photography, so we check before we book anywhere that requires it.
What happens if the weather is bad?
We shoot anyway more often than you would think, and some of our favorite sessions came out of bad forecasts. If it is genuinely unsafe or a whiteout, we reschedule at no cost.
Can we do photos at more than one location?
Yes, if they are close together. Two spots in one session works best when the drive between them is under 15 minutes, otherwise you spend your golden hour in the car.
Which location is best if we only pick one?
Mount Falcon, for most couples. It is 30 minutes from Denver, it gives you mountain top views for very little walking, and it looks good in every season.
Ready to plan yours?
We photograph engagement sessions all over the Denver area and the foothills, and we are happy to help you pick the spot that fits your wedding, your timeline and how you want to feel in your photos. Take a look at our engagement work, browse the venues we shoot most, or get in touch and we will find you a date.
March 27, 2025
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