HOW TO ELOPE AT STEEL CREEK

BUFFALO NATIONAL RIVER

The complete guide

America’s First National River

As most of you know, I married the love of my life here. It’s a magical place — a place that makes you feel like your day-to-day worries are non-existent and a place where you can become completely and intentionally present. (That’s right kiddos! No cell service here!) It’s time to set those screens down and find gratitude in this free-flowing river that was preserved for wildlife, the environment, us and generations to come. One of my favorite times of the year, is during the Springtime when the water levels are just right and you can float from Ponca to Kyle’s landing. If you stay and camp out one night, I would suggest camping under Roark Bluff so you can wake up to the towering bluff lines and watch the stars dance across the sky at night. If camping out of your boat along the river isn’t your thing then Steel Creek has some beautifully manicured campsites along the river to camp at!

“As soon as I saw you, I knew a grand adventure was about to happen.”

-A.A.Milne

Springtime vs Fall
Obtaining a Special Use Permit for your wedding
The Buffalo Outdoor Center Cabins and more
From floating, hiking, rock climbing to horse back riding
forget the high heels and pack some hiking boots

All The Details

The best time to elope at Steel Creek

Season: Summer here in Arkansas is brutal if you hadn’t already noticed. Summer out by the National Forrest and River are even more brutal for a wedding. Summer at the Buffalo is, however, perfect for swimming, floating and day picnics! Just know, you will quickly sweat your makeup off, might find some tick friends on your dress and certainly have to wear tall socks and mosquito repellant if you’re considering that summer time wedding.
Springtime (March-May) is a great time to plan your wedding at the Buffalo! The wildflowers grow in the field in-front of the bluff line (I have heard that the NPS can mow this field for weddings if need be.) However, it is very important to keep an eye on the weather due to spring rainfall and how quickly the river levels can dramatically rise. Check out the current Buffalo River Levels here!
Fall (October-November) might be my favorite time to get married along the Buffalo. The trees start changing beautiful colors, the air feels fresher and more crisp and there’s less of a chance for rainfall. The water levels are even down so there’s more opportunities to walk the riverbeds for portraits along the bluffs! My husband and I got married here on November 11th and it was perfect weather!
Timing: When planning your ceremony I would recommend planning at least 2-2.5 hours before sunset. The sun will set earlier out there due to the hills / mountains and you want to have time after your ceremony to run around the entirety of the park for sunset portraits.

Springtime engagement photos at the Buffalo National River Steel Creek Ponca, AR — Steel Creek in the spring time.

couple at steel creek, buffalo national river, Ponca, arkansas — engagement session at the Buffalo National River

Permits, Legal Stuff and Conservation

If you are planning on getting married at Steel Creek you HAVE to have a Special Use Permit! You can click there to download your application and send in your non-refundable $50 application fee and you must submit your application at least 15 days prior to your wedding or elopement. Your application must be mailed in where you will wait to find out approval. You can also request a permit in person at the park headquarters and by phone! Once approved there is a $100 cost for the permit. Note that certain locations to elope at the Buffalo National River are only viable during specific times of the year. The maximum group size for any wedding at Steel Creek is 125 people (including the wedding party and vendors) Click here to find out more the rules and regulations surrounding your wedding at Steel Creek!
Most importantly, and something that I am quite passionate about is leave no trace practices! The best thing you can do to preserve these beautiful areas is to leave it better than you found it! There’s nothing that makes me more livid than rolling up to a national park, trailhead or river and finding glass bottles and trash! Even if it’s not your trash, it’s still your problem. If you’re unfamiliar with leave no trace, click here to read about the principles that can help preserve our natural world.

negative space portraits of couple eloping at the buffalo national river — Wedding at Steel Creek

Couple eloping at Steel Creek, Buffalo National River in Ponca Arkansas — Elopement at Buffalo National River

Places to stay at Steel Creek and surrounding areas

I’ve been so excited to share this part! My husband and I got married at Steel Creek and then had our reception at the beautiful once known as the Cedar Crest Lodge now known as the Ponca Creek Lodge owned by The Buffalo Outdoor Center. The architectural beauty itself is so stunning, but to be right in the middle of the Buffalo National River area is even better. I’ve also been able to photograph a couple of weddings here now (each time brings back so many humbling memories) which has given me new ideas and insight for having weddings here. There is plenty of room for adding tents in the adjacent lawn next to the lodge and a ceremony space with creek view seating! It sleeps 16 guests, has a hot tub, and plenty of space for vendors and caterers to work! If you are planning on having more than 16 guests, The Buffalo Outdoor Center offers 15 other cabins near the Ponca Creek Lodge. The BOC is almost directly across from the Ponca Creek Lodge and has restroom facilities, wifi, a store, deli, fuel and the softest outfitters t-shirts I’ve ever owned. Check out this gorgeous micro-wedding at the Ponca Creek Lodge!
Maybe some of your guests want to stay and camp after the wedding! Steel Creek has a beautiful campground with bathrooms and campsites that are easily accessible to the river for swimming! You can also camp nearby at Kyles Landing, Carver, and Ozark Campground. Camping is currently limited to six people per site with a $20 per site fee and is first come first serve year round. Steel Creek is the only campground you can reserve a campsite at available March 15 through November 14. Click here to reserve yours! Have pets? That’s great! Steel Creek is a pet friendly campground!

Ponca Creek Lodge Wedding Venue in Ponca Arkansas — Ponca Creek Lodge (Wedding Venue)

Ceremony space at Buffalo Outdoor Center Ponca Creek Lodge in Ponca Arkansas — Ceremony set up at Ponca Creek Lodge

Fun things to do

Floating the River: One of my favorite weddings I photographed at the Buffalo had an entire day where the wedding party went on a day river float trip! It was so fun getting to take photos of the group the day before the wedding and see everyone so excited to see the Buffalo for the first time! If you have the chance and the river levels are appropriate definitely do a day float or camp overnight from Ponca to Kyle’s Landing. In my opinion it’s the most beautiful part of the river. The Buffalo Outdoor center has a shuttle service, canoes and kayaks to rent and lot’s of helpful information for beginner floaters too.
Hiking: For all those springtime weddings, you’ll want to do some hiking to my favorite waterfall locations! The closest and easiest waterfall to get to would be Triple Falls, The road is pretty rocky getting down so I would suggest driving an AWD vehicle but I have seen smaller cars do ok. This is an easy breezy beautiful .5 mile roundtrip trail that walks straight up to three (with ample rainfall) gorgeous waterfalls. This is about 25 minutes past Steel Creek!
Another favorite waterfall hike is the famous Glory Hole, A 2 mile round trip hike where water flows through a naturally created hole on an overhanging bluff. This is also a spectacular and rare hike to see in the winter after a freeze as the waterfall is frozen solid!
Want to see one of the most iconic scenic spots in Arkansas? Whitaker’s Point or known as Hawksbill Crag is a stunning 3 mile round trip hike that photographers flock to. If you want to get the best photos, I would recommend going at sunrise as you can’t see the sunset behind the mountains there. This is also another big location for couples to Elope at! I’ve shot quite a few weddings here and would love to give you more information on how to elope at Hawksbill!
Mountain Biking: Ponca is becoming increasingly popular for their new downhill mountain biking trails! They even have bikes for rent at the Buffalo Outdoor Center and you can make bike reservations here.
Rock Climbing and Horseback Riding: A sport I’ve grown to passionately love through out the years is rock climbing. Horseshoe Canyon Ranch has some of the best climbing routes and rock quality in the state and is even a great place to learn for beginners. The ranch has baby goats climbing on everything, horses out in the fields and along the bluff lines where you can climb and even cabins to rent and stay in!

wedding party floating the buffalo national river at Steel Creek Ponca Arkansas — Wedding Party floating the river at Steel Creek Campground

canoes for floating at Steel Creek Buffalo National River — Floating from Ponca to Kyle’s Landing

couple floating the river at the Buffalo National River at Steel Creek — Float trip with bride and groom at The Buffalo National River

What to pack

I remember for my wedding I bought for the first time ever, high fashion brand name heels and never once put them on! I actually ended up wearing hiking boots the entire time and those shoes are sitting at the top of my closet somewhere, never been used. Oops! Always bring clear umbrellas with you for your wedding due to the ever changing weather Arkansas brings us. Walking shoes for portraits or hiking boots and a bag to carry your formal shoes in so you can change. Bring bug repellant, tall socks, sunscreen, snacks and coats just incase it get’s cold!