10 incredible glamping experiences near U.S. national parks

Old black-and-white photos from the 1800s show Yellowstone, Yosemite, and other parks with permanent camps: large, furnished tents, staff for cooking and cleaning, and common areas with fire pits and Adirondack chairs.  

This may sound familiar to parkgoers. Permanent camps have made a huge comeback since the start of the 21st century. Today, this high-end experience is called glamping—a blend of “glamorous” and “camping”—with some differences from old Frontier Days. 

Large canvas tents with proper beds and furnishings remain popular. National Park glamping also features Mongolian-style yurts, comfy geodesic domes, and modern Airstream trailers. 

Most camps are privately owned rather than park concessions. They are usually adjacent to or not far from a park’s entrance. Unless you book months or even years ahead, snagging accommodation inside a national park is getting increasingly hard to secure. Here are 10 of the best glamping camps near a U.S. national park—without foregoing the ultimate wilderness vacation. 

(Glamping with the stars: These seven retreats are perfect for night-sky watching.)

1. Under Canvas West Yellowstone, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Under Canvas helped ignite the glamping boom when it opened its first camp at West Yellowstone in 2012. Since then, the company has launched other luxury tented camps near eight other national parks. 

Open from May through September, West Yellowstone offers safari-style tents ideal for couples or small families. Huge beds, comfy furnishings, a woodfire stove, and ensuite bathrooms with showers create a home-away-from-home vibe. Like other Under Canvas locations, the camp revolves around a large community tent with a restaurant, bar, general store, and nightly entertainment. 

“Our first location just outside Yellowstone National Park … showed that people value this balance of adventure and comfort,” says Sean Rush, chief operating officer at Under Canvas. “The idea began with a simple goal: To create a more unique way to experience the outdoors—one that brings people closer to nature without sacrificing comfort and ease.” 

2. Terramor Outdoor Resort, Acadia National Park, Maine

Perched on rustic wooden decks, the tents of Terramor offer a woodsy alternative to the short-term rentals and vintage lodges of nearby Bar Harbor, Maine. The more posh units feature a king bed and a secluded outdoor shower. 

A location on the west side of Mount Desert Island gives the camp “backdoor” access to Acadia National Park via Sound Drive and Eagle Lake Road. The camp is also close to the Acadia Wildlife Rescue Center and the famous Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year.

The camp revolves around The Lodge, a stylish central hub that includes a restaurant, bar, fireplace-warmed lounge, swimming pool, and lawn games.

(Manhattan views, s'mores and campfires: how to go glamping in New York City.)

3. Stay Nantahala, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina

“Where the mountains meet the lake” is the motto of this waterfront yurt camp on the North Carolina side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

The camp sits in the Nantahala National Forest on traditional Cherokee land. It offers fully furnished yurts with bathrooms and kitchens, plus a wooden deck with a hot tub.

“We chose yurts because they feel more connected to the landscape,” says general manager Aaron Gordon. “Airstreams and safari tents each have their own appeal, but yurts struck the right balance—comfortable and well-designed, without feeling too removed from nature. Their circular shape also creates a softer, calmer atmosphere that encourages guests to slow down and settle in.” 

Rental watercraft are available at the adjacent marina, and guests who don’t feel like cooking their meals can head to the nearby Lakes End Café & Grill. 

4. The Summit at Big Bend, Big Bend National Park, Texas

Terlingua ghost town provides an evocative location for this new glamping camp in the Chihuahuan Desert of West Texas. 

Geodesic domes with a stargazing portal in the ceiling offer an unobstructed view of the Milky Way, other galaxies, stars, and constellations in a region renowned for its incredibly dark night skies. But the camp also offers glamping in two old mining caves equipped with king beds, rain showers, temperature control, and even Wi-Fi. 

Meals are not available at the camp. However, there are plenty of places to dine in Terlingua, including the historic Starlight Theatre restaurant and the Espresso y Poco Mas café.

5. Tammah Jackson Hole, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Invented in the 1920s for a German planetarium, geodesic domes are also ideal for wilderness glamping—especially when they come with a panoramic view of the Teton Range from the comfort of your king-size bed. 

Situated on the southern fringe of Grand Teton National Park, Tammah’s 11 domes include an ensuite bathroom with a shower, a mini fridge, a portable cooler, a gas fireplace, and a deck. In summer, the domes sport camouflage netting; in winter, a layer of snow attracts wildlife, especially the elk that graze nearby. 

Jackson is just 15 minutes down the road. It is renowned for its posh restaurants, such as the James Beard-nominated Snake River Grill, and its eclectic shopping. Visitors can find fine art, designer fashion, and outdoor gear there. For those who glamp in winter, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is only a four-minute drive away. 

6. Autocamp Joshua Tree, Joshua Tree National Park, California

Around the same time that Under Canvas began elevating the tent experience, AutoCamp launched the first of what would grow into a chain of upscale Airstream trailer camps. Five of the camps are near national parks, including the Joshua Tree outpost in the Mojave Desert, a two-hour drive from Los Angeles. 

Unlike vintage trailer resorts, these Airstreams are brand-new and feature roomy sleeping areas, full bathrooms stocked with upscale bath products, kitchenettes with a microwave and fridge, and private outdoor seating areas with a fire pit. The trailers are arranged around a stylish Clubhouse that includes a bar, kitchen, grocery store, and lounge area.  

The inspiration behind AutoCamp was rooted in reimagining what camping could feel like for a modern traveler,” says Bryan Terzi, the chief commercial officer for the company. 

“The goal was a design-forward experience that captures the nostalgia of camping while delivering the comfort, ease, and thoughtful details of a boutique hotel. At its core, the AutoCamp concept is about making time in nature feel effortless.” 

7. Ofland Escalante, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah 

Beautifully restored Airstreams and a drive-in movie theater—with seating in classic 1950s automobiles—complete this nostalgic glamping camp along Utah’s scenic Highway 12. 

The vintage trailers are complemented by tiny cabins (320 square feet with 11-foot-high ceilings), a modern bathhouse with private outdoor showers, a general store, a swimming pool, and a covered outdoor lounge area.

While Bryce Canyon is the closest park, Ofland Escalante is also well positioned for day trips to Capitol Reef National Park and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.   

(Where to go stargazing and glamping in southern Utah.)

8. Flamingo Winter Glamping, Everglades National Park, Florida

Campers who stay at this tented camp on Florida Bay in the Everglades also share the shoreline with alligators and other wildlife. Operated by the national park concessionaire, the 20 tents at Flamingo Winter Glamping are equipped with beds, camp chairs, fans, and storage. A wooden boardwalk leads across the wetland location to a shared bathroom and shower block exclusively for tent guests. 

Glampers can cook their own meals at the camp barbecue pit or cruise down the road to the recently refurbished Flamingo Restaurant or its new food truck. The camp operates from November to the last week in April, the season when the weather and insects are the most tolerable.  

9. Zion Ponderosa Ranch, Zion National Park, Utah

The laidback east side of Zion National Park has a rustic camping with overnight options ranging from RV sites with hookups and tiny homes (600 square feet) to Conestoga wagons and luxury glamping tents. 

Dedicated to family adventure, the ranch offers on-site activities like swimming, mini golf, pickleball, tennis, wall climbing, and stargazing, as well as off-site guided hiking, horseback riding, canyoneering, and 4x4 tours. 

This basecamp is perfect for avid hikers who want to access two of the national park’s best hiking trails: The East Rim Trail, which offers lofty viewpoints above Zion Canyon, and the full length of The Narrows route, where hikers can experience towering Navajo Sandstone walls, narrow slot canyons, and the Virgin River.

10. Curry Village, Yosemite National Park, California

The last of the old, tented camps, Curry Village has been housing visitors since 1899, when it opened just nine years after Yosemite was declared a national park. 

Like the old days of rustic camping, tents come with beds, sheets, and towels, a couple of wooden chairs, and shelves to store your belongings—that’s it. Guests need to bring their own sleeping bag or comforter in winter, shower shoes for the community bathhouse, and a lockable food storage container to keep your tent bear-free.

The village has a bar, coffee shop, ice cream parlor, grocery store, and three restaurants, as well as bike rentals, a swimming pool, and a winter ice skating rink.  

While it may not live up to the definition of today’s glamorous camping, Curry Village does offer a glimpse of how people visited national parks in bygone days. 

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