From Hawaii's far reaches to Montana's pasturelands, camping's gone glamorous. Hoteliers and outfitters alike have found ways to deliver fabulous "glamping" experiences — that is, true communion with nature, and outdoor adventures that don't skimp too much on creature comforts. Pitching their tents in pristine and inaccessible locales, they've taken cues from upscale African safari operators, Himalayan Sherpas and leave-no-trace backpackers to shrink the footprint and minimize the effect that four-star resorts so often leave on once-unspoiled vistas.
With such amenities as canvas-walled dwellings furnished with plush rugs and beautiful antiques; beds fitted with 300-thread-count sheets; marble-floored, skylighted bathrooms; and gourmet meals, these operations manage to provide inspired accommodations while keeping the focus on the greatest luxury of all: unmediated entrée and proximity to the natural world.
Consider these three Montana destinations: Moonlight on the Madison, in Ennis, offers private access to the Madison River's world-renowned trout fishing and cozy cabins almost within casting distance of it. (June through September; $350 a night, including meals; 866-894-7975; moonlightbasin.com.) At the Lodge at Sun Ranch (formerly the eco-friendly Papoose Creek Lodge), in Cameron, guests bunk down close to the ranch's sustainably raised bovines as part of Sleeping With the Cattle, a joint effort with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks that deters predatory gray wolves. But don't worry; trained experts supply close supervision. (May through October; $1,800 for three nights, including meals; 888-674-3030; papoosecreek.com.) Tent City at the Resort at Paws Up, in Greenough, offers six safari-style tents wired for electricity and equipped with king-size feather beds. An elegant pavilion houses private bathrooms (one for each tent) with rainfall showerheads and Aveda products. (May through September; $595 a night, including meals; 800-473-0601; pawsup.com.)
Whistler Outback Adventures, meanwhile, designs trips to British Columbia. On a six-day excursion to sights such as Canada's Ponds of Youth and Heavenly Knolls, campers arrive at Sky Camp via floatplane and check into canvas-walled tents with hand-hewn log beds. (June through September; $2,698 per person, including meals and floatplane flight; 866-455-1601; aoa-adventures.com.) And the Beach Village at Molokai Ranch, on the Hawaiian island of Molokai, has forty "tentalows," sturdy yet spare platform tents built on a private, double-crescent beach. Showers are solar heated. ($398 a night; 808-660-2824; molokairanch.com.)
Pack the boots, but leave the sleeping bag.
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