Over The Moon at Under Canvas — Sophisticated St. Louis

The segment-defining brand offers upscale safari-style accommodations and unparalleled access to some of the United States' most iconic and beloved outdoor destinations.

Written by Bridget Williams / Photos courtesy of Under Canvas

An unfamiliar sound roused me from a deep sleep. I sprung upright, hurdling the grey area between dreamland and daybreak and into an immediate state of alertness. Was the racket coming from an early risers' party, an emergency, or the last call for breakfast? Overnight, the temperature had dropped like a lead balloon, and I sat completely still, the tendrils of my warm breath creating curlicues in the air as I allowed the cacophony of calls to clarify in my head. After a few more minutes, I realized it wasn't a group of revelers but a pack of coyotes greeting the day.

Comfy and warm under the weight of multiple blankets, I touched the tip of my nose as confirmation of the chill. Freeing myself from the bed's warm embrace, I unzipped a corner of the door to my tent to witness the day's first light silhouetting the trees with an orange glow. Entranced by the scene, I moved out to the deck, savoring the scent of wood fires burning in the stoves of neighboring tents. As the field of wildflowers in the grasslands of the Bar N Ranch—just 10 minutes from the primary Yellowstone National Park West Entrance—swayed in the breeze, I thought: this is why people come here – for moments just like this.

Interior of a Stargazer tent in the Paradise Valley camp.

Under Canvas' West Yellowstone camp was the company's first, debuting in 2012. The brand has since grown to encompass eleven camps from Moab to Maine, all with direct or easy access to National Parks and recreation areas. "Essentially, what we do is connect people to the outdoors and each other," remarked CEO Matt Gaghen, a native of Montana and a passionate outdoor advocate, during a campfire chat near the banks of the Yellowstone River at Under Canvas' newest location, North Yellowstone – Paradise Valley. "It's our mission to offer upscale hospitality in nature-oriented settings complimented by subtle programming that is exceptionally executed."

The fifty-acre North Yellowstone property, boasting one mile of Yellowstone River frontage and prime fly fishing just steps from camp, opened this past summer on a parcel that's part of a fifteen-thousand-acre, fifth-generation family-owned ranch. It's a setting that Gaghen, whose father was a Yellowstone park ranger, said "is quintessential Montana to a Montanian."

Moonrise above the Under Canvas Lake Powell - Grand Staircase / Photo by Bridget Williams.

Fireside s’mores at the Paradise Valley camp. / Photo by Bridget Williams

I grew up camping for family vacations, living the "van life" before it was a hashtag, so Under Canvas' "glamping" tents weren't a tough sell. For those not as seasoned, the experience is hardly roughing it, with tents boasting amenities including ensuite bathrooms with hot water pull chain showers, a polished concrete sink that would be right at home in an urban loft, plush king-size beds with luxury linens, and a wood-burning stove for chilly nights. Premium Stargazer tents feature an arced clear window at the head of the bed, while suite tents offer additional elbow room with an expanded seating area. My favorite upgrade has to be the kid-sized "hive" tents with two twin beds, allowing younger guests to experience semi-autonomous adventures. Under Canvas tests and constructs its bespoke and patented tents at its corporate office in Bozeman, Montana. What's missing is electricity and WIFI, intentional omissions that Gaghen says prompt guests to disconnect from technology and connect with others.

With the exception of the West Yellowstone camp, which features a large brick-and-mortar restaurant, expansive main lobby tents serve as a hub of camp life, where guests can enjoy upscale breakfast and dinners served from café-style kitchens. The food at each location far exceeded anything I'd expected from a camp kitchen. The varied and flavorful menus focus on locally sourced ingredients and offer choices for those with specific dietary needs and preferences. Complimentary coffee and tea are available throughout the day, and there are grab-and-go selections for lunch and snacking.

Each Under Canvas outpost offers a host of complimentary camp programming, from yoga to live music and family-friendly scavenger hunts, guided hikes, and arts and crafts. Nightly fireside s'more making is the most popular activity, with guests gathering to swap stories about the day's adventures and marvel at star-filled skies that those living in light-polluted urban areas rarely get to experience. Under Canvas Lake Powell - Grand Staircase property is the first-ever DarkSky-certified resort in the world, a distinction that demonstrates its environmental leadership in the hospitality industry.

At West Yellowstone, we "met" a herd of elderly wild horses rescued by the general manager. At North Yellowstone-Paradise Valley, we hiked to Pine Creek Falls, which is located in a designated road-free wilderness area larger than Yellowstone. Later, we capped off our evening with live music and craft beer at Pine Falls Lodge (an occasional haunt of John Mayer, who lives nearby). At the Lake Powell Camp, perched atop a boulder-strewn valley, we hiked a trail leading to a hidden slot canyon.

Live music at Pine Falls Lodge near the Paradise Valley camp.

An in-camp concierge operates out of the lobby tent and can share insider tips on favorite under-the-radar hikes and craft bespoke guided outdoor experiences, from fly fishing to rock climbing. At North Yellowstone, we floated down the river, noshing on charcuterie and sipping chardonnay in the hull of a handsome wood McKenzie-style drift boat hand-built by Jason Cajune. The lifelong outdoorsman, hunter, and adventurer learned his craft from his father, who grew up on the Flathead Reservation. The waitlist for those wanting to get their hands on one of his boats can span as much as six years. Rather than ramp up production, Cajune prefers to go at his own pace and enjoys operating the guiding side of his business alongside his adult daughters. An Under Canvas organized fly-fishing expedition introduced us to the most passionate and patient instructors, who quickly made us feel like seasoned pros.

After visiting four Under Canvas locations, it would be easy to go on and on about the amenities, the caring and capable staff, the stunning beauty of each location, and the company's sound environmental practices, but honestly, what really struck me time and again, was witnessing the impact of the outdoors on the younger set. For instance, one evening during dinner at the Lake Powell camp, I got teary-eyed when a group of raucous boys paused their roughhousing to marvel at the sunset, with one excitedly exclaiming, "The whole sky is a rainbow!" And, as someone who fondly remembers a childhood largely spent outside, taking stock of children's muddy knees and animated conversations that gave way to drooping eyelids as they sat around the campfire at the end of an activity-filled day recalled my fireside chat with Gaghen, who said that the passion for his position at Under Canvas stems from "taking my childhood memories and helping make them happen for others."

For more information about Under Canvas, visit undercanvas.com.