Glamping fans will soon be California dreamin’—from the comfort of cushy king-size beds in swanky private tents.
Under Canvas’s Grand Canyon site lets visitors get up close and personal with the Milky Way. Image by Bailey Made
This week, major industry player Under Canvas announced plans to expand to California with four new camps, bringing its upscale brand of outdoorsy to Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Catalina Island, and Sonoma. Yosemite is slated to open first, with the rest to follow through 2021. The expansion will double the company’s current holdings, taking its tally to 12 camps total.
“California is one of our most important markets,” says Under Canvas CEO and co-founder Sarah Dusek. “Despite not yet operating in the state, our eight camps across the country attract an impressive amount of Californians.”
The California expansion will add to the company’s eight existing sites, including one near Moab. Image by Trent Bona
According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Yosemite and Joshua Tree locations will be a short drive from both national park entrances, Catalina will be on the beach, and Sonoma will cover 140 acres near Highway 12, and all four will feature the brand’s signature mix of luxe safari-inspired furnishings.
An Under Canvas suite near Glacier National Park. Image by Tiffany Rose
Glamping harkens back to the heyday of upper-crust exploration, and though it may seem like a modern-day contrivance, it’s no passing trend. According to a February 2019 report by market research firm Arizton, the US glamping industry is expected to hit $1 billion in revenue in the next five years, thanks to an increased cultural focus on healthier lifestyles, staycations, and eco-friendly travel, among other factors. “We’re just beginning to wrap our arms about what this industry might look like,” Dusek told the Chronicle. “People are just beginning talk about it as an industry in itself.”
As one of that industry’s leading lights, Under Canvas is uniquely poised for growth. The company recently received a “substantial investment” from a private equity firm; couple that with its plans for California expansion, and its ambitions are clear. “When we started, we were thinking of just being an alternative place to sleep,” Dusek said to the Chronicle. “Now we think of ourselves as an experiential travel company and an adventure travel company.”
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