27 Luxury Camping Adventures That Will Make You an Outdoors Person
Want to spend more time in the great outdoors without forgoing the finer things in life like high thread counts, flushing toilets, hot showers, chandeliers, wine lists, and butlers? Try glamping at these luxury camping sites that redefine the act of roughing it and will make even the unhappiest of campers want to go play outside.
AutoCamp Yosemite
The newest, largest, and most secluded AutoCamp venture in Mariposa, California offers accommodations in tricked-out Airstream trailers, luxury tents, and modern cabins. Cool off with fresh-squeezed OJ in the two-story clubhouse or by diving into the freshwater pond or heated pool. Or in winter, warm up on heated outdoor furniture. And because you don’t have to waste time pitching a tent, you’ll have more time to explore Yosemite National Park, a daily direct shuttle ride away. AutoCamp also offers luxury camping in two other Golden State locales: There’s an Airstream-only installment three miles from the beach in Santa Barbara where rentals come with two beach cruisers and helmets, while the Sonoma County camp is a short walk to the Russian River and offers an ADA-accessible cabin. They’ve got you covered in most aspects, but like a boy scout, you should always be prepared and take these 10 first aid essentials on every vacation.
The Resort At Paws Up
The Resort at Paws Up in Greenough, Montana is luxury camping at its finest. Situated on a 37,000-acre working elk and cow ranch along the Blackfoot River, its six distinct camps feature safari tents with heated floors, A/C, free-standing copper soaking tubs for two, furnished decks suspended over bank slopes. From May through October, guests can fly-fish steps from their “room,” watch a cooking demo from a visiting master chef, take a hot air balloon ride, enjoy complimentary horse-drawn wagon rides, or head to Spa Town for a four-handed massage on a heated table housed in—what else?—a tent.
The Gwen Hotel
Need to go off-grid in baby steps? There’s urban glamping for that. The Gwen, one of Chicago’s historic downtown high-rises and a member of The Luxury Collection of hotels, sets up “camp” on its 16thfloor terrace from May through the end of September. Anxious city folk will be comforted by the sounds of Michigan Avenue and the ability to pop next door to Nordstrom to replace forgotten supplies. The Lotus Belle tent is 16 feet in diameter and filled to the brim with boho design delights like drum-shaped mango wood side tables, hand-knotted macramé cushions, bronze Malta lanterns, and a braided jute rug. The glamping package is a definite splurge but does include welcome bites, access to the inside suite with a wet bar and dining room, round-trip airport transportation, and gourmet s’mores at turndown.
Campera Hotel Burbuja
The ten beach-ball-like quarters at this eco-resort in Mexico’s predominant wine country Valle de Guadalupe in Baja Norte, a short road trip from San Diego, are climate-controlled, stock locally made organic soaps, and start at less than $200 a night. Suites have bathrooms inside while smaller spheres have facilities just outside the door. The translucent walls give guests unobstructed views of twinkling night skies and surrounding vineyards, the very same vines used to make the red and white wine stocked in the mini-fridge. Privacy is not a concern as hay ball walls separate each bubble and beds are surrounded by closable curtains.
Firelight Camps
Carry a torch for nature hikes that end in waterfalls and local wine? Head to this upstate New York luxury camping glampground in Ithaca where tents have wood floors and covered porches, dogs are welcome, musicians play live fireside in an outdoor lounge with bistro lights, bocce is played, locally sourced continental breakfast is complimentary, and access to the Upper and Lower Buttermilk Falls trails is immediate. Finger Lakes-fermented wines and beers are served year-round at the bar (why yes, they do have a bar on site) but when autumn hits, out comes the hot chocolate and mulled cider. You can also hike with a foraging expert. Speaking of hiking, here’s where to find the best hiking trail in every state.
Mendocino Grove
Situated on a tree-dotted bluff looking out across the Pacific in Mendocino, California, this modern camping experience gives visitors the best of both worlds: beach and woods. (It’s also a two-minute drive or 20-minute walk to an adorable seaside village full of restaurants, shops, and an ice cream parlor scooping a regional specialty flavor made from candy cap mushrooms.) The husband-and-wife team behind MG has thought of everything: heated beds (which are guaranteed to make it even easier to sleep than science says camping does), leather butterfly chairs on redwood decks, a lending library, a dog wash, a 24-hour tea bar, hammocks, campfire valet, and flat irons and fresh flower arrangements in the bathrooms. There’s also yoga on weekends.
Escalante Yurts
Yurt out of your mind if you wouldn’t jump at the chance to vacation in the round in Red Rock country in Escalante, Utah. The area is home to unique slot canyons, colorful rock formations, petrified forests, scenic highways and byways, the Dixie National Forest, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and this luxury camping outfitter. The 20-acre property is surrounded by mature juniper trees and has yurts with flatscreens, A/C, private rooms, breakfast in bed, showers, kitchens, and barbeques. The Cottonwood can sleep up to eight as it’s the size of a standard New York apartment and your kids will particularly love the loft space.
Plage Cachée
R&R is a universal concept and luxury hasn’t been lost in translation at this peaceful Hvar Island property in Vbroska, Croatia where comfy units have gardens, views of the sea, and access to a private beach. Guests also don’t have to forego the amenities they rely on to make their everyday lives run smoothly like kitchens stocked with all the basic cookware and seasonings, dishwashers, barbecues, WiFi, and private bathrooms.
Dunton River Camp
Glamping almost rhymes with pampering so it makes sense that this grand ranch in Dolores, Colorado is home to one of the Centennial State’s finest luxury camping options. Pick your poison oak between river fork or mountain views. No matter what you prefer to look at, the spacious digs are warmed by gas stoves, have 6-foot soaking tubs in en-suite bathrooms, and come with two mountain bikes to cruise around the surrounding verdant valley and steep peak sides. Your stay, priced for two, includes all meals and drinks, alcoholic or otherwise, at the farmhouse and activities like fly fishing, horseback riding, and guided hiking.
The Cozy Peach
With more than 300 days a year of rays, fun in the sun (and those spectacular Sonoran Desert sunsets) awaits in Queen Creek, Arizona. So does glamping. Schnepf Farms, a 300-acre organic peach farm and fourth-generation homestead on Mesa’s acclaimed Fresh Foodie Trail, recently introduced a collection of authentic 1950s auto trailers. Spruced up with heat and air, microwaves, shabby chic linens, plumbing, hardwood floors, and adorable striped canopies, overnight stays include farm-fresh breakfast and can be paired with seasonal activities like u-pick flowers and produce, corn mazes, farm-to-fork dinners, cooking classes, and petting zoos. Use provided bicycles to ride to the meadow treehouse or the secret library hidden in a pine-tree forest. If you prefer to camp in a house on wheels, check out the best RV parks in every state.