credit: bruce janssen
Blending the terms glamour and camping, this trend puts a cushy twist on overnight adventures.
Yeah, yeah, we know you can rough it with the best of ’em. That’s precisely why we’re suggesting that next time—you don’t. “Glamping” adds a new dimension to camping by introducing gourmet food, wine, and five-star-hotel-quality slumber to your wilderness experience.
Accommodations range from ordinary camping tents outfitted with mattresses and luxury linens to canvas cottages decked out like condos. Featherbeds, dressers, couches, Oriental rugs, tables, chairs, and even heating and cooling elements are all fair game. Guides typically prepare “campfire cuisine,” or chefs do the cooking in a gourmet mobile kitchen.
Prices vary by location and level of decadence. Expect to pay between $150 and $350 a night, which is a big premium over pitching a tent in the woods for free. But glampers say it’s worth it. “You can pay way more than that for fewer facilities at a hotel,” says Kim Cowan of the Misabi Adventure Company, which hosts glampers in Ontario’s rugged wilds, 275 miles north of Toronto.
The big draw is location. “Glamping gives you another option for experiencing spectacular, remote places that don’t allow permanent structures,” Cowan says. And don’t forget the fringe benefits, such as campfire storytellers sharing native folklore and three meals a day based on each client’s tastes. “We’ll make anything,” Cowan laughs, “from moose stew to lobster.”
Ontario’s Obabika Lake
This pristine 22-mile lake sits in a region of northeastern Ontario known as Temagami, a vast wilderness of almost 4 million acres that’s home to one of our planet’s last remaining stands of old-growth forests. Glamp lakeside in a 10×10 tent outfitted with a four-poster bed and air mattress, end tables, and solar-powered lamps. Bring your own bedding. www.misabiadventurecompany.ca
Colorado’s C Lazy U Ranch
Located in the heart of Colorado ranch country, C Lazy U has offered horseback riding, fly fishing, hiking, and family fun for over 90 years. In 2008, the ranch established three separate glamping sites within its 8,000 acres. Each site features spectacular mountain views, a fire pit, and two luxury tents equipped with king-size beds, lavish bedding, hardwood floors, and solar-powered electricity. www.clazyu.com
Montana’s Ranch at Rock Creek
Combining true comfort with the Wild West, the Ranch at Rock Creek sports upscale amenities set among 6,000 acres of prairie, forest, and ponds two hours south of Missoula. Glamp in the elaborate canvas cabins located a stone’s throw from the creek. Complete with private baths, each cabin contains a wood-burning stove, ceiling fans, area rugs, nightstands, and beds stacked with pillows and quilts. www.theranchatrockcreek.com
For more information on glamping around the world, visit www.goglamping.net.
