7 Awesome Non-Traditional Camping Experiences
Here are seven non-traditional camping spots—in other words, no tents or ticks necessary—where you can enjoy the outdoors at your own comfort level.
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Caravan Outpost
This is just about the hippest trailer park in the world. The new Caravan Outpost (opened July 1) gives guests their very own Airstream—saving you the burden of hitching a trailer to a truck (or throwing down the mad cash to own one)—and combines it with a communal atmosphere that includes campfire cookouts, yoga lessons and other sweet classes.
Located on the border of Los Padres National Forest, you also have plenty of hiking, kayaking and other adventure opportunities a stone's throw away.
Out'n'About Treehouse Treesort
These mammoth-sized treehouses built amongst the tall pines of Oregon are for more than a child's sleepover. With queen beds, electricity, full bathrooms and a home-cooked meal when you awake, this is a legitimate bed and breakfast in the timbers.
The site sits on 36 acres, where zip lines, horseback rides and rope swings will keep you entertained.
Affinia Gardens NYC
Imagine returning home from your trip to the Big Apple and telling your friends about your experience camping in the middle of Manhattan Island. As you snuggle in your tent on the patio of an Upper East Side luxury hotel, skyscrapers replace trees and the sound of traffic replaces the high-pitched music of katydids.
The outdoor excursion includes full tent setup, sleeping bags and a s'more-making kit.
Camp Orenda
Just because a thin piece of canvas separates you from the elements doesn't mean you can't enjoy a night spent in a comfy bed. Nestled in the gorgeous Adirondack Mountains, Camp Orenda strikes the perfect balance between a rustic outdoor experience and the comforts of modern-day living.
And if you want to get away from your canvas cabin, the surrounding areas offer plenty of hiking and paddling.
Wildwater Falling Waters Resort
A mere 20 minutes from our nation's most visited national park, the Great Smoky Mountains, lies a quaint Yurt village. Hovering above the shrubs and in the thickness of the woods, these circular structures include a private deck, queen-size beds and modern amenities that'll take the stress out of camping.
Just a hop, skip and jump away are zip line courses, canoe and kayak rentals and hiking trails that stretch for dozens of miles.
The Resort at Paws Up
One of the most popular glamping options in the U.S., Paws Up offers gourmet meals, electricity, heated floors and even butlers (seriously). It's how one would imagine General Cornwallis enjoying his time during the Revolutionary War.
And if this doesn't entice you, perhaps the site's horseback riding, fly fishing and cattle herding will.
Ridgeback Lodge
One of the issues with tents is, once it's zipped up, outside time is over. It's lights out and off to sleeping on the firm earth beneath you. Dream domes and stargazer domes, the latest trend in glamping, solve this problem with transparent walls to give you one last look at the outdoors before you call it a night.
If your outdoor excursions take you north of the border, New Brunswick's Ridgeback Lodge offers the coziest—and unapologetically modern—camping accommodations one can imagine.
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If you find yourself in such a pinch and you need to prioritize the best trails, here are five we recommend adding to your bucket list.
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