Under Canvas – Glacier

Growing up as a Girl Scout in Los Angeles, I’d grown to love camping. Being in the woods, surrounded by nature in the comfortable embrace of the quiet sense of being away from the city, was something that I absolutely relished.

But, as I’d gotten older, I’d become used to a more comfortable stay.  I’d been curious of the Alila Ventana Big Sur glamping experience for years. But, it wasn’t until I was planning a stay in Denver when my friend Sean mentioned that he and his wife Kendra has pondered staying at the Under Canvas in Moab.

Curious, I took a look around the Under Canvas website. When I saw that there was a location located outside of Glacier National Park, I compared options before booking my one night.

Check In

After a lovely but long drive around Glacier National Park, I was ready to check in for my stay at Under Canvas.

Check in was relatively easy and done in a large tent – which was appropriate. It was fly season in Northern Montana. So, amid swatting them away, I was told how I could access Tent 20, where the bathroom was, the campfire and the cafe.

But – most of all – I was warned that there was no electricity, no wireless internet access, a train whose horn I would hear during the night and finally the fact that I would hear road noise.

I sighed. It was a lot. But, I’d packed a portable charger, they had ear plugs in the rooms alongside camping lamps. Plus, it was just for one night. And maybe, the utter quiet and being surrounded by trees would be exactly what I needed.

Tent 20

It was a short drive up to Tent 20.

When I unzipped the zipper, I took in the room.

Yes, it was a tent. But, it was a tent with a deliciously full size bed, two chairs, a little table and a stove for wood burned heat.

“How quaint” I thought.

The bed looked and felt extremely comfortable.

I walked to the bathroom and – it was a series of bathrooms with showers. Some better than the others.

After dinner at Josephine’s Bar & Kitchen, I returned to Under Canvas to participate in the night’s campfire. I got s’mores from the front desk and made my way to the communal areas to enjoy my dessert. I picked a campfire that had some friendly faces sitting around them. Within moments of our introductions and small talk, I was shocked to find out that they were all fellow graduates from the University of Denver and – like me – were all part of Greek Life, and were members of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority.

The ways in which I was in awe of everything that had conspired and nudged us both into that moment. It was awesome. We compared experiences with sorority life, I was updated on which fraternities from my time were still around (none), they told me how the University was systematically trying to get rid of Greek Life and – most importantly – how they continued their friendship beyond graduation by traveling together every year.

We also shared book recommendations and I gave them some travel recommendations for exploring Costa Rica.

It was truly an unexpected and beautiful campfire experience to remember.

Stay

I will say – the bed in my tent was absolutely one of most comfortable beds I’ve ever slept in while traveling.

However, at around 5am, after returning from a walk to the bathroom building, I realized that I was two things: awake and cold. So, I tried to start a fire in the fireplace.

I got the kindling to light and closed the stove. However, when I tried to open it back up to put more wood in, I’d closed it too efficiently. So, I solved my issue by getting in bed. Eventually, I zipped up the ventilation behind me and fell back asleep.

The fact that I could lit a little fire in my stove was cute. But, the main solution to my comfort was to just snuggle back up into bed. It truly was so comfortable, cozy and nice.

And the noise? Listening to brown noise on Spotify is how I usually fall asleep. When I would wake up periodically through the night, there was a point during the night that I actually did not hear the road noise or the train horn.

Embers Cafe

Before heading north to the Great North – aka Canada – I needed breakfast. The cafe was a comfortable walk away from Tent 20.

I ordered the AVOCADO TOAST (smashed avocado, pickled peppers, micro greens, pepitas, tajin, on wheat toast). I switched out the wheat toast with sourdough and added BACON. Alongside a Cappuccino.

I do not say this lightly – but,  that was the best avocado toast with bacon I’d ever had. It was beautiful and delicious and exactly what I needed.

Overall

If I were to stay at an Under Canvas property again, I’d definitely choose the Deluxe tent over the basic Safari Tent. I really appreciated being able to drive up and park right at my tent, but I didn’t love having to walk to the bathroom. Having an ensuite bathroom would have made the experience much more convenient.

It also made me question whether I truly enjoy camping itself—or if I simply enjoy the idea and memories of camping more than the actual experience. That said, I did really enjoy my tent. The concept, the comfort, and the touch of luxury all came together in a way that felt special.

My stay at Under Canvas Glacier also gave me the confidence to consider booking a few nights at Alila Ventana Big Sur, where I could pair the natural setting with a hotel day pass for a more relaxing and immersive retreat in nature.

But, my stay at this Under Canvas was solid for my stay before heading to Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada.

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