Eight Adventurous Accommodation Experiences in America’s Great Outdoors
Get closer to the USA’s wilderness areas with quirky glamping, lodges, Airstreams, treehouses and more!
As travellers wanderlust and daydream, escapism into the great outdoors is a top priority. A desire for fresh air, wide open spaces, and active exploration will see off the beaten track spots and alternative accommodation types rise in popularity.
Glamping is becoming more established as an adventurous high-end accommodation option. Companies such as Aman and Under Canvas are expanding in 2020 and 2021 to offer even more chic camping sites. Autocamp, which offers luxury retreats in modern airstreams, will be opening its first site outside of California, with Autocamp Cape Cod opening in Spring 2021. Meanwhile, Airbnb’s quirky accommodation offering in the U.S. continues to grow, from open-air treehouses to underground ‘Gully Huts’.
There’s certainly plenty of choice when it comes to hotel alternatives in the United States, here below are eight fabulous enticing options (shared by Visit USA) which immerse guests in nature and the great outdoors.
Camp Sarika by Aman, Utah (opening summer 2020)
A short drive or hike from Amangiri, Camp Sarika is truly set apart from the rest of the world, a place with a strong connection to nature and an escape from modern city life. With a restaurant, main pool, lounge, and a pair of spa suites at its heart, Camp Sarika is a self-contained retreat unto itself. The camp is set amid an unearthly 600-acre landscape of towering mesas, slot canyons and rust-coloured sands. The tented Camp Sarika promises an intimate, back-to-the-wild experience in the heart of the desert, with five national parks and the Navajo Nation Reservation in its immediate proximity. Camp Sarika is a unique entry point into the wilds of the Old West. aman.com/resorts/amangiri/camp-sarika
Under Canvas, Tuolumne County, California (opening 2020 TBC)
Under Canvas, a company specialising in luxurious safari-style accommodation in America’s national parks, is set to open the Yosemite area’s first glamping accommodation in 2020. Located just a 2.5 hour drive east of the San Francisco Bay area, and just 20 minutes from the entrance of Yosemite National Park, the glampsite is located on an 85 acre area of sequoia trees and meadows. The Tuolumne County location will feature 90 safari-style tents and tented lounge areas. It will be the perfect adventurous basecamp for those keen to explore the must-see sights of Glacier Point, Half Dome, and El Capitan. Undercanvas.com
Airbnb Treehouse Canopy Room, Permaculture Farm, Miami, Florida
With Bahamian flare and blankets of trees providing much-needed shade from the Miami heat, the open-air treehouse lets guests relax in an island-like environment while conveniently located in the Little Haiti neighbourhood. Surrounded by goats, pigs, emus, roosters, and cats, guests will feel as though they’ve been transported to the countryside. To reach the accommodation within this urban oasis, guests walk up the narrow staircase to the 3rd level of the treehouse, which is nestled within the pithecellobium tree, along with an outdoor Bahamas style bathroom. airbnb.co.uk/rooms/1730089
Autocamp, Cape Cod, Massachusetts (opening spring 2021)
AutoCamp is where great design meets the great outdoors. Opening early spring 2021 is Autocamp, Cape Cod, a luxury accommodation sitting on a glorious Cape Cod beach. Guests will be able to vacation on the Cape while connecting with nature in custom Airstreams with spa-inspired bathrooms, modern suites with chic interiors or seasonal canvas luxury tents. There will be private patios and campfires for each Airstream, as well as a mid-century modern signature clubhouse, all set within lush wooded grounds. Autocamp Cape Cod will be located five minutes from downtown Falmouth and Woods Hole, which offers daily ferries to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. autocamp.com/guides/location/cape-cod
Dixie Daisy Airstream, Hill Country, Texas
Cowgirl-themed curtains, bright tiles and bright-yellow walls set the scene for this retro Airstream, set amongst hundreds of elm trees on Smith Creek, in the heart of Texas Hill Country. It’s the perfect spot for an al fresco shower, toasting s’mores over the fire pit, or soaking in the hot tubs beneath the twinkly fairy lights. Even better, phone signal isn’t guaranteed, so guests can really enjoy the remote, ‘switch-off’ location with nearby rolling hills, creeks, swimming holes and nature trails all providing the perfect respite from a hectic life. The nearby Pedernales Falls State Park is also a great hiking and wild swimming spot. coolstays.com/property/dixie-daisy/16826
Firelight Camps, Ithaca, New York
Set in 70-acres of woodland in Upstate New York, Firelight Camps is a cool and cosy getaway for nature-lovers who long to hear the rustling of tree branches and bird song, day in day out. Here, safari-style tents are furnished with hardwood floors, queen or double beds, a writing desk, lanterns and covered porches with comfy chairs. Artisanal pastries and homemade granola will set travellers up for the day, while during the evening travellers can make the most of the camp’s charcoal grills and enjoy some of the best artisanal wines from the state (nicknamed ‘Napa East’ for its wine produce), along with beers, ciders and spirits from some of the best micro-producers in the country. Access to the Upper Buttermilk Falls hiking trails can be reached right from the porch step, while the surrounding region is filled with lakes, waterfalls, gorges and parks. firelightcamps.com
Forest Gully Farms, Santa Fe, Tennessee
Family-owned Forest Gully Farms offers overnight stays in charming underground Gully Huts located in rural Santa Fe, Tennessee. The farm is an experiment in sustainable living and permaculture, built around the goal of living off the land by creating an ecosystem of fruit trees and beneficial plants. Forest Gully Farms invites guests to connect to the land with the option to become a farm hand for a weekend or simply spending time hiking in nature to the nearby creek and waterfalls. Guests can even gather fresh eggs from the chickens or pick their own breakfast blueberries and blackberries in the mornings. In the evenings, relaxing by the fire pit sharing stories and looking at the stars is a must. airbnb.co.uk/rooms/16839529
The Resort at Paws Up, Blackfoot Valley, Montana
Travellers can live life like a cowboy on the plains of Montana, northwest U.S., at the Resort at Paws Up. Guests may choose to book one of the timber cabins on this 37,000 acre estate and working cattle ranch, but the spacious and secluded tents are the really special places to stay. Travellers may choose from tents perched on a cliff edge, overlooking the swirling Blackfoot River (ten miles of which flows through the property) and Elk Creek surrounded by towering trees. Inside, interiors are Western-chic, with wooden bed frames, bold prints, and copper freestanding baths—making for a luxurious camping getaway. Elsewhere, on a private section of the ranch, glamping tents have views of meadows and mountains. Wilderness workshops range from painting classes and big sky photography sessions, to fly fishing, hiking and horseback riding. Travellers will explore the Blackfoot River region, trotting through conifer forests and cantering along empty plains, taking in Montana’s beautiful wilderness. pawsup.com
