WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. — I planned our trip to Yellowstone National Park last-minute, and my family was divided over whether we should camp or stay in a hotel or cabin.
In the end, we couldn’t find either. Everything was booked.
With visions of us trying to pitch a tent in the dark next to angry bison, I reluctantly coughed up $150 a night at the only place I could find that wasn’t an overpriced motel: Yellowstone Under Canvas, a “glamping site” a few miles outside the park’s west entrance.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. Glamping — a blended word for glamorous camping — was something I knew existed but had never considered trying.
While the website showed canvas tents housing everything from cots to down comforter-covered beds, the woman who booked our reservation sounded more like a hotel concierge. She offered up a rundown of activities, with honest, helpful reviews, and ended up booking us a basic “tipi” with four cots and an afternoon on horseback at a nearby ranch.
I told my family I found a camping spot and left it at that. The girls, ages 5 and 9, love roughing it. My husband loves not paying hotel prices. I loved the idea that I wouldn’t have to pack, set up camp or even cook.
When we got to our tent, I discovered a small tear in the fabric. I asked the front desk — really just another tent — for tape to repair it and they upgraded us to a tent with king-size bed, dresser and wood-burning stove. The kids and my husband were thrilled.
As night fell, my husband built a fire and we fell into a deep sleep under two layers of down. A steady rain pelted the canvas but never entered the tent. The front desk promised to wake us if lightning got too close.
The only glitch was when my husband got up to use the bathroom around 4 a.m., then returned and — because the tents all look the same — accidentally tried to unzip the tent of a family from China. After the initial shock, it gave us a funny story to tell around the campfire.
The rest of the trip ended up being one of the best we’ve ever taken, despite the fact that my daughter was struggling with her stomach bug. The front desk helped us locate and make an appointment with an urgent care center nearby, gave us warm tea and helped reschedule our horseback trip to a day when she felt better.
We spent the days exploring Yellowstone and nights at the camp’s roaring fire, meeting travelers from places like Sweden and South Korea.
When we left, the kids cried, and my husband and I decided we were glamping converts.
That’s not to say we won’t rough it again, with our own camping gear. But on trips where we want a unique adventure without doing all the work we’ll definitely think about glamping.
