Desert Glamping

The most unique lodgings we stayed at in Utah was in Cannonville, Utah, just a short drive outside of Bryce Canyon National Park.

Bryce Glamp and Camp is a glamping resort where guests sleep inside geodesic domes. While it may look like a tent from the outside, staying here is anything but roughing it.

Each dome had a kitchenette, television, electric fireplace, air-conditioning, a full bathroom, and a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape.

This is the second time I've been "glamping" (the first was last year in Kanchanaburi, Thailand), and while I love camping, sometimes it's nice to be able to have a hot shower and comfy bed at the same time as enjoying the great outdoors.

We arrived in late afternoon and had plenty of time to enjoy the camp. Mom, Dad, and I had all brought our binoculars, so we sat out on the patio of one of the tents and had a beer while we scouted for birds in the scrubby desert brush.

It's not exactly the right time of year for birding in Utah, but I was able to add a few new species to my life list (I'm up to 175 now, which was my goal by the end of the year).

The domes each had a small kitchenette and an outdoor propane grill. We had stopped in town on the way to the glamping site to pick up something to make for dinner. Dad grilled some hot dogs outside, I heated up a can of beans on the stove, and Mom prepared a mixed salad bag.

It was a simple meal, but it was actually one of my favorite dinners on the trip because it was fun to make it ourselves. Even though we were in a luxurious accommodation, it felt like we were camping.

It rained all night, and the sound of the heavy raindrops hitting the canvas dome lulled me to sleep. The next morning, something had changed. Looking out to the mountains in the distance, I could see a bit of white capping them. 

It looks as if Utah has gotten its first snow of the year, and we were going to be driving through it on our way to Zion National Park, the final of Utah's "Mighty Five".