Every summer growing up my parents would take us tent camping down at San Onofre State Beach near San Diego. I grew to appreciate camping as it was a carefree escape in nature and the only quiet time I had to hear my own thoughts. I’d like to think that it was because of my many summers of camping that trained me to not freak out if I get dirt on my hands or have greasy hair for a few days. What I didn’t realize until adulthood is how much work it requires to plan a camping trip. You have to bring everything, all the way down to dish soap and a sponge. Since camping requires you to bring a uhaul of equipment, I rarely go camping when I travel to other states because it is nearly impossible to bring it all in my backpacker’s carry-on. That all changed when I found Under Canvas. This post provides you with a detailed and honest review of my camping experience there. I was not endorsed or sponsored in any way to provide this review.
Under Canvas was the closest thing I could get to camping without doing all of the extra work. You can immerse yourself in the great outdoors by sleeping in a canvas tent, yet you don’t even need to bring a sleeping bag or blankets! Think of glamorous camping combined= glamping.
Under Canvas Locations
Each location is open seasonally. I recommend checking their website to see the exact dates of when they are open.
Moab: March – October
Zion: March – November
Lake Powell – Grand Staircase: March – October
Great Smoky Mountains: April – November
Grand Canyon: April – October
Mount Rushmore: May – September
Acadia: May – October
Yellowstone: May – September
Glacier: June – September
Inside the Tent
The tent is large enough to fit a bed, two chairs, and log furnace to keep warm. They do an amazing job on providing enough blankets which made for a very comfortable night’s sleep. In some tents, you can upgrade for an additional fee to get your own private bathroom that have pull chain showers and low flow toilets to conserve water use.
The small details inside the tent really stood out to me. They provide USB powered lanterns, small fans, and phone chargers (no electrical outlets).
I was impressed with how clean they keep the tents. Sometimes tents can smell musty, but these canvas tents kept a very pleasant and fresh odor. It helps that they have a second mesh screen at the ‘door’, so you can leave the exterior flap open and the mesh flap closed to prevent bugs from flying inside.
Because these tents are canvas, be prepared to know that they are not sound proof. I could not hear any noise coming from other tents since they are nicely spaced apart, but I did hear the elements of the weather. In Moab, the winds increased to 30mph and the canvas was blowing quite forcefully. I never felt unsafe at any time as the tents appear to be structured in a way to withstand harsh weather conditions, but the sound did keep me up all night long just because of the canvas roof/walls whipping around. In Glacier, the train would go by though the night, so I did wake up a few times from its loud horn, but that is to be expected when you’re camping in a tent.
The one important detail you should know about these tents is that they do not have a lock on them. Just like a normal tent has, it has a zipper to get in and out through the door and that’s it. For that reason, I would not leave any valuables inside at any time.
Outside the Tent
Just outside the tent you’ll find two wooden chairs and a side table. We always sat in these chairs to wrap up the evening and watch the sun go down. My only wish is that they provided padded back support or seating pads to make it more comfortable to sit on.
You can also find firewood if you decide to burn them in your log furnace. It is so nice of Under Canvas to provide unlimited firewood, without paying an additional charge for extra. When I stayed in Moab, it got down to the low 20s so we definitely had to keep our log heater going all night long!
Types of Tents
Safari Tent
- Sleeps 2 people
- No bathroom
- Sleeps 2 people
- Private bathroom
Stargazer Tent
- Sleeps 2 people
- Private bathroom
- Has a viewing window above the bed to gaze at the stars
Suite
- Sleeps 2-4 people
- Private bathroom
- Has a couch that converts into queen size bed
The Common Area
Every Under Canvas location will have a welcome reception tent just upon entry to the property. This is where you will find refrigerated snacks to purchase, cold beverages, complimentary coffee/tea, and hot and cold drinking water. The reception is there all hours of the night, so when you have your 3am wake-up call to start your hike, you can still grab your coffee on the way out.
Inside the tent is also a seating area for guests if you want to sit down to enjoy a board game that they have for use on their bookshelf, or if you want to sit back and enjoy the free live music that they might offer. Be sure to read their weekly calendar of events to see what activities they have planned!
Outside of the reception tent is the common area with firepits, tables and chairs, and yard games. There is an abundance of grills to have a cookout too. If you are looking for something fun to end your night, they offer free s’mores every night. Yum!
My Experience
I am thankful to have experienced two Under Canvas locations: Moab and Glacier. Both had their pros and cons. Moab was truly incredible for the views that we had in front of our tent. We never wanted to close the tent door because of the mountains showing off in the distance. Our location in Glacier did not have the open views like Moab did, but that was to be expected due to the difference in landscape in Montana. Instead it was much more forested, allowing it to feel more private between tents.
I was happy to see that both locations were not located far from their respective national park entrance. They both took about a 10 minute drive to get to the entrance of the park.
The one thing that I wish these locations had was on-site dining. It took at least 20 minutes to drive into town to eat every night. The last thing you want to do after a long day of hiking is find food. I left a recommendation on their survey suggesting them to sell food such as pre-cooked hot dogs or hamburgers that we could cook on their grills if on-site dining is not an option.
As far as the staff goes, I could not say enough good things about them! They were so friendly and more than happy to give suggestions on their favorite hiking trails or where to eat nearby. I will always remember the kind gal who gave me a ride to my tent in her golf-cart because she could tell I was so wiped out after a day of hiking! It’s little things like that that go a long way.
My Final Under Canvas Review
Overall, I have enjoyed my experience at Under Canvas Moab and Under Canvas Glacier and am already looking forward to planning the next trip at a new location. It made “camping” very easy and convenient, especially since I was coming from out of state. Though the tent does not have its own lock, I still felt that the campground was very safe and I appreciated that the front desk was available 24/7 incase I needed anything.
♥
I would love to know if you have ever tried glamping! Where have you stayed at and what was your experience like?
8 Comments
We loved Acadia but I think as you mentioned the locations with views would be fun. The landscape means that most tents are in fields within the forest. I did some photos on my Instagram page @ourbonvoyage
Thanks for the info on Moab. “ Moab, Zion, and Grand Canyon are on my short list to try next.
So glad you found the info useful! I will have to reach out to you for Acadia recommendations when I get the chance to go there!
Thank you! I just booked it for October and I panicked because of my age
I am so excited for your trip there! You will be pleasantly surprised it is very accommodating for all ages. Glamping is a unique experience that is perfect for those who want the outdoors yet don’t want the hassle of setting up a tent!
I had heard that the Moab tent locations are close to a traffic road – was that a hinderance to feeling out in the middle of nowhere? Or am I incorrect on that detail?
Hi Sandy, you are right in that they are right off the road, but I personally did not hear any car traffic nor could I see any cars because of the trees lining the side of the road. What I did hear was the train and its horn when it came through the night.
The on1site food at Mount Rushmore Under Canvas was fantastic with plenty of vegetarian options.
Hi Beth- thanks for the comment! I will have to checkout the Mount Rushmore location eventually!