Wanting to get married at Hyalite Reservoir in Bozeman Montana?? I totally get it. It’s BEAUTIFUL!! How could you beat those views?! Well… I am here to help you out with advice and tips on how to do that! First a little background on the Reservoir…
The Hyalite Reservoir has SO much to do!! There are a variety of recreational activities which I will get into detail later on! They have several picnic tables, a boat launch and ample parking. Also, they have a ton of beautiful hiking trails in Hyalite Canyon, including the West Shore Trail, which you can access from the day use area! The camping site, Hood Creek Campground, is about a mile and a half from the Pavilion. The Pavilion is also incredible and SO nice to have there for gatherings.
Getting there…. From Main Street in Bozeman, go south on 19th Avenue for about 7 miles to the paved Hyalite Canyon Road. You’ll then turn left and keep going around 9 miles to the Hyalite Day Use parking area. The Pavilion is located at the far end of parking area!
If you’d like to rent out the Pavilion, it’s only $145 for the day! And OF COURSE, you can bring along your pups for the day to roam around all the beautiful nature! The Hyalite Pavilion is a 20 feet by 50 feet structure that has seating for about 30 people! However, the tables there do not move. There’s more space at the Pavilion for people to set up their own small portable tables and chairs! A maximum capacity at the Pavilion is 80 guests, so keep that in mind as you plan how many people are on your guest list! They have two barbeque grills and a fireplace inside the Pavilion, and then outside the Pavilion is a fire ring surrounded by sitting boulders which is such a great amenity! You’re not able to stay overnight or camp at the Pavilion. If you’d like to camp, Hood Creek Campground is located on the opposite side of the reservoir like I mentioned earlier! Something to note, is that they don’t have garbage service at the Pavilion, so you’ll need to bring all the trash you have back down with you at the end of the night. This is such a stunning space, and you’ll have incredible views the whole time you’re there!!
The pictures you’re seeing here, was a beautiful late July wedding in Hyalite Canyon! 2023 summer was definitely a weird one when it came to weather! When I left downtown Bozeman that day, it was 65 degrees and sunny, and when I got up to Hyalite it was 50 degrees and pouring rain. CRAZY MONTANA WEATHER! Please never fret when that happens because I have collected about 10 clear teardrop umbrellas that I always have in my car! Also, this is a great reason to have the Hyalite Pavilion for the wedding! It has a cozy fireplace inside and one outside the Pavilion so you can stay cozy on either side!
They chose my elopement package for a Thursday Elopement up at the Hyalite Pavilion! That means we had 4 hours of coverage time. The couple was local to Bozeman, so they got ready at their home and we all met at Hyalite ready to hike up to their locations. I check in for 30 minutes with my bride to get some final touches photos of her getting her veil in and lipstick on. She decided not to change into her dress at her home but instead ordered a privacy tent and had it set up in a little picnic spot right next to the Pavilion. Which was such a smart and amazing idea! Then she doesn’t have to hike too far in it! Her dress was from Plume Bridal and her boots were amazing! I need some. Now. She also went to 4 daughters farm the day before and picked her own bouquets with her best friends. How cute is that idea??! I also have a privacy tent in my car at all times if you like that idea and ever need it! I know that not everyone lives in Bozeman, so I added in two Airbnb’s below that are close to Hyalite if you’d like that option as well.
Cute cabin only one mile away from Hyalite
Once we grabbed everything we needed and were ready to go, we headed up to the Pavilion. That takes about 45 minutes to get from the base of Hyalite to the Pavilion. There’s also no cell service at all. BUT! I loved that the couple had walkie-talkies to talk to each other and any others that were helping them out. Another wonderful idea. Which made it even easier because then we didn’t have to yell at each other from across the forest. There is a vault toilet at the Pavilion, but my couple was told that it would be a good idea to bring up a porta-potty for the event just in case, so I just wanted to throw in the link for that as well which is down below under the amenities list!
Amenities
- Beach Access
- Boat Ramp
- Boat Trailer Parking
- Campfire Rings
- Drinking Water (Hand Pump)
- Grills
- Lake Access
- Paved Parking
- Shade
- Table & Benches
- Trailhead Parking
- Trailheads
- Vault Toilets
- Lean To/Shelter
- BBQ
- Fire Pit
- Accessibility
- Grills/Fire Ring
- Picnic Table
Again, what a freaking fluke that it rained all day long in Hyalite. Not usually what the couple has in mind for their outdoor elopement, but the couple just encouraged all of their guests to come up early before the wedding and enjoy family time! They got married at 3:00pm which was wonderful so people can come up and enjoy the views and space. Their wedding was about 25 minutes tops, and then they invited everyone to grab a drink and hang out for a bit at the Pavilion to dry their eyes from the ceremony and celebrate. It’s all BYOB up at Hyalite, so even if you are wanting to save a dollar ask everyone to bring a drink and share with friends!
There’s also SO much to do if you want to head there for the day before your ceremony, or if your guests are looking for something to do before they meet you at the Pavilion!!
- Hiking
- Fishing
- Boating
- Backpacking
- Birding
- Canoeing
- Kayaking
- Mountain Biking
- Mushroom Picking
- Swimming
- Water Access
- Wildlife Viewing
I am SO thankful that we had a structure on that wedding day because the rain would come in waves so it was more manageable that we could run out and grab pictures when the rain would die down a bit! They had family friends come up and bring their grills to BBQ. If that sounds good to you, and you wanted to, you could do the exact same thing! The only thing I want to warn you about is that there is a medium grade slope getting up to the pavilion, so keep that in mind as you plan what you’re wanting to bring. If you’d rather, you could have someone cater dinner, then have guests help bring it all up the Pavilion.
ALSO! Keep in mind, the sun comes down an hour earlier then it says it does in Bozeman. Because of this, once they were done with after dinner and s’mores, they had everyone start going back down the mountain. My couple was so sweet and thought of their friends and family the whole way through and rented out the Lower Hyalite campground for everyone to camp and continue the party. But if you want to have a romantic night away from your guests I found a cool Yurt that is only two miles away from Hyalite!
This was such a wonderful wedding, and everyone had a blast! Even though it rained a bit! At least they got that stunning rainbow. Such a wonderful couple deserves a wonderful day and I think they got it!
