Glamping?

Ever since we bought Toto, our baby Airstream, I have preferred wild camping to RV Park camping. Wild camping is camping in the middle of nowhere, with no services. One must be completely self-sustainable. There are no toilets, no water, no power available. Just you and what you have with you.

RV Park camping has its place. When it’s very warm, being plugged in to shore power is a luxury (or even a necessity), as air conditioning will not run off the RV’s batteries; it requires more power than they can provide. And when at a typical RV Park, one has access to unlimited water, power and the ability to empty one’s tanks, not to mention real showers!

But for this Ripper, the real thrill of camping is being away from everything, in spectacular places, and not crammed up against other campers.

Which looks more enticing to you?

Having said that, this past fall, we visited Escalante, Utah, pretty much in the middle of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, and nearby Capitol Reef National Park. A friend recommended we stay at Yonder Escalante, a glamping resort unlike any we had seen. Check out their website and you’ll get a glimpse of what I mean. And as we approach the end of 2022, I must say, this stay was one of our highlights in a year of many.

Incredible amenities and facilities, including a swimming pool and hot tub, food truck, drive-in theater with classic cars as seats, renovated Airstreams that you can stay in, cabins, and of course sites for your own RV’s should you prefer (we do!). The food from the food truck was terrific (best breakfast sandwich in Utah, so they say; but really, quite good). There is a central building (pictured above) with a small “general store”, selling ready to grill meals, snacks, wine, beer and liquor and other items that are handy when camping. They even have s’mores kits, complete with sticks!

Behind the central building is a large covered terrace, with comfy chairs and couches, multiple fire pits, and 24/7 free flowing coffee (from Salt Lake’s Publik Coffee Roasters), teas, cereal in the morning and rice krispie treats!

The staff is everywhere, ready to help with all your needs. They are friendly and knowledgeable, and clearly love where they work. I had the feeling that they were all owners, proud of their product. But in fact, they were just happy employees. Very refreshing to see, especially in this post-Covid environment.

Maybe the highlight of all the amenities (although there were many), was the private outdoor showers, each with its own cactus garden and overhead heater. Worth the price of admission on its own!

Escalante is conveniently located near hiking trails, a national park, a national monument, mountain biking trails, and has a cute “downtown” (such as it is) with artisanal stores and friendly locals. We even hiked to my first slot canyon!

And the town of Boulder, Utah is short, albeit dicey, drive over the famous (infamous?) Hogback Road, which is an apt description for a road that drops off on either side from a dizzying height. I would not recommend driving it at night after a couple of glasses of wine! Boulder is the home of, among other things, Hell’s Backbone Grill and Farm, a farm-to-table restaurant that was a James Beard semi-finalist for Outstanding Restaurant in 2022, and the co-owners/chefs were also semi-finalists for Best Chefs in the Southwest in 2017, 2018, and 2019! Boulder is a town of 226 people, and yet boasts of one of the best, most pleasant restaurants we have ever visited.

The Escalante area is remote, difficult to get to, and worth all the effort.

Keep moving, stay safe, have fun!