The following guide features tents, tipis and cabins from all over the United States, situated near some of America’s most pristine lakes, rivers, mountains and National Parks….a way to take in nature while lapping up a l’il luxury, style and serenity.
1) Tents, Tipis And Rock Climbing (Moab, Utah)
Consider a night under the desert starts courtesy of Moab Under Canvas. Located just moments away from the entrance to both Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, guests can take advantage of Utah’s only luxury camping option: tent and tipi suites with separate bedroom and lounge areas, wood-burning stoves, and ensuite bathrooms with flushing toilets and hot water. These spacious suites are the perfect place to unwind after a long day of rock climbing, hiking or rafting. Sleep under the stars on a king-sized bed and awake to uninterrupted views of Arches National Park. Trips start at $79 per night.
An igloo at Mountain Goat Lodge
2. Retrocampers And Cheesemaking Classes (Salida, Colorado)
Stay in Mountain Goat Lodge’s brand-new campers for a glamping agritourism experience that allows you to learn about local dairy production. You’ll meet a friendly herd of dairy goats that provide the B&B with fresh raw milk for drinking, yogurt and cheese making. Your breakfast will include this as well as fresh eggs from the B&B’s hens. The farm composts all leftover food through its goats and chickens then uses it to fertilize the herb, fruit and vegetable garden at the Geodesic Dome Greenhouse. Guests can tour the greenhouse and barn and watch milking demonstrations or take a class in goat and chicken husbandry and cheese-making. Rates start at $130 for the retro camper.
Horseback riding at The Ranch at Rock Creek
3) Canvas Cabins And Igloo Building (Philipsburg, Montana)
Are you craving a luxurious version of Wild West living? Try the all-inclusive luxury The Ranch at Rock Creek in the midst of some Montana’s most beautiful scenery. If you’re here in the summer, wake up at sunrise for fly-fishing, try your hand at archery before a gourmet lunch of regionally-inspired cuisine then indulge in a relaxing massage before riding horseback into the sunset. During the winter, you can cross-country ski the extensive properties, ice skate, take a snowcat or sleigh tour, hockey and ice skating and even build an igloo. All year round, entertain yourself with bowling, billards, shuffleboard or a movie in the Silver Dollar Saloon. You can choose to stay in luxurious yet rustic canvas cabins or tents, which will give you a relaxing place to recharge between activities. Rates start at $850 per person per night.
Tipi Village Retreat
4. Zen Tipis And Creekside Relaxation (Marcola, Oregon)
What better place to sleep in the Mohawk Valley than in a Zen-style tipi? For this Oregonian glamping experience at Tipi Village Retreat, you can chose from seven beautifully painted tipis, a garden cottage, a studio, a cabin in the woods or the Master Bedroom Suite, which are all nestled in birch trees by a peaceful creek. You will wake up each morning to a gourmet breakfast, cooked from garden-grown produce and organic free-range eggs from the on-site chickens. Upon your request, owner Ken Froenig can cook up an amazing Spanish Paella in the outdoor kitchen at night. If you want a more adventurous day than just reading by the creek, the Mohawk Valley is a hub for a day of adventure. Hike to a waterfall in the Cascade Mountains, mountain bike or run on the McKenzie River National Recreation Trail. The tipis start at $135/night.
Camp at Boon Experience
5. Redwood Forest Camping And Pinot Noir (Guerneville, California)
Stay in the heart of the Russian River Valley with the “Camp At Boon” experience courtesy of Boon Hotel+Spa. People loved the hotel so much and the owners hated turning people away so they started a glamping experience. You share the same luxuries as the rest but stay in a luxurious tent cabin where you’ll fall asleep to the sounds of the Russian River. Wake up each day to a Big Bottom Breakfast of French press coffee and biscuits delivered right to your tent before choosing an array of afternoon activities. Boon Hotel is located right near Russian River wineries, famous for their Pinot Noir, and great hiking trails through the Redwood forest. Tents start at $129 per night.
Lakedale Resort. Photo courtesy of Shelley Boegart.
6. Canvas Cottages And The “Best Of The Pacific Northwest” Food (San Juan Islands, Washington)
Stay in Canvas Cabins or a Canvas Cottage at the Lakedale Resort at Three Lakes in the San Juan Islands in Washington State for beautiful views and tasty food. Each summer and fall, they host Gourmet Glamping where they invite the Pacific Northwest’s top chefs and winemakers to host a campfire grill. Past dinners have included dishes like Three Peppercorn Crusted Flatiron Steak, New Orleans Char-grilled Oysters with Cast Iron Shortcakes and Grilled Peaches for desert. You will stay in luxurious canvas cabins, complete with a winter Toasty Toes turndown service to toast your toes.
Relax on the “front porch” with four chairs, a picnic table, umbrella and a fire ring perfect for toasting marshmallows. To encourage you to make the most out of your time with nature, these facilities have no electricity, internet service, or running water but the shower facilities are just a short walk away. If you can’t disconnect from your device, try our over-the-top Canvas Cottage featuring a king bed, a personal full bathroom, gorgeous chandelier, electricity, all near a cozy lakeside setting. Tents start at $169 per night.
River Dance Lodge
7. Rustic-Lux Log Cabins And Paddling With Orcas (Idaho/Vancouver Islands)
Start your wilderness getaway glamping at River Dance Lodge in central Idaho, adjacent to the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area, one of the largest in the continental United States. You can stay in a rustic-lux log cabin or a glamping tent and dine on regional food, made by the lodge’s chef. Many of the dishes feature wild-picked huckleberries as a signature ingredient and you can taste home-made huckleberry pies, made on sites since 1962. After an authentic Rocky Mountain outdoor experience, you will we head north to paddle with orcas at the north end of Vancouver Island. This is this one of the best places on earth to see orcas and you will see an endless assortment of wildlife: from porpoises to sea lions to endless varieties of sea birds. After a day of kayaking, settle into camp and enjoy happy hour including local wines and hors d’oeuvres while the guides prepare a salmon bake for dinner. After dining on dessert cooked over a crackling campfire, enjoy watching the stars or viewing the glowing blue bioluminescence of the ocean before snuggling into your tent to sleep. Prices start at $1,220 for 4 days.
Blue Sky Ranch
8. Antelope Yurt And Horseback Riding (Park City, Utah)
If you would rather ride a horse than paddle a boat, consider glamping in an Antelope Yurt at Blue Sky Ranch. The ranch covers 3,300 acres of mountain peaks, rolling hills and deep canyons with a wide range of outdoor adventures for every experience level. Stay in the Antelope Yurt at the top of the ranch, equipped with solar power, grills, a wood burning stove, large outdoor fire pit, horseshoe pit and more. This is the perfect location for year-round mountain adventures including snowshoe/ski adventures, alpine touring, fly-fishing, kayaking, hiking and more. The Antelope Yurt starts at $135/night.
La Tourelle
9. Graceful Safari Tents And Wild Edible Hike (Ithaca, New York)
Enjoy farm to table dining and natural spa treatments at La Tourelle’s new glamping facility. Our beautiful and spacious safari tents are pitched in the heart of the Finger Lakes on the grounds of this iconic hotel, just south of Ithaca, NY. Hike through the area’s famous gorges, swim in Buttermilk Falls, learn about wild edibles with a walk led by the concierge and then relax in the full service spa and make new friends around the communal fire pit. You will dine on locally grown foods throughout your stay with a menu developed by Food Network star Emma Frisch. Enjoy a campfire breakfast in the tented lobby and fall asleep after munching on S’mores under the stars. Nightly rates start at $175 per night.
Rose River Farm
10) Luxury Yurts And Fly Fishing (Syria, Virginia)
Stay in an exceptional rental cabin at Rose River Farm, conveniently located in the middle of Peidmont’s finest flyfishing, with beautiful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Rose River Valley. The cabins are modern day interpretations of classic Mongolian Yurts. Constructed of cedar, glass and steel, each cabin has air-conditioning, leather club furniture and a jumbo flat screen TV with satellite, DVD player and a full kitchen. You can sign up for a full or half day guide service to explore fly fishing in local streams outside the farm- for more local fly fishing information, other than the Farm’s trophy waters, please click here. The rental rate for cabins per night is $250.
Contributed by Katie Foote, a graduate student in physics education research at North Carolina State University, with a research interest in how other cultures approach science education. All photos were provided by the accommodations unless otherwise noted. Top photo credit: Moab Under Canvas. Photo courtesy of Visit Utah.
Jessica Festa is the editor of the travel sites Jessie on a Journey (http://jessieonajourney.com) and Epicure & Culture (http://epicureandculture.com). Along with blogging at We Blog The World, her byline has appeared in publications like Huffington Post, Gadling, Fodor’s, Travel + Escape, Matador, Viator, The Culture-Ist and many others. After getting her BA/MA in Communication from the State University of New York at Albany, she realized she wasn’t really to stop backpacking and made travel her full time job. Some of her most memorable experiences include studying abroad in Sydney, teaching English in Thailand, doing orphanage work in Ghana, hiking her way through South America and traveling solo through Europe. She has a passion for backpacking, adventure, hiking, wine and getting off the beaten path.
