Want To Go Glamping This Summer? Go To Utah

In a recent edition of our “What’s Tea?” street interview series, hosted by our very own Christa Eduafo, someone shared a sizzling travel hot take: “I feel like Black people need to stop going to Vegas and Miami — go to like…Utah!” 

So we did it. We went to Utah.

I should probably add some context to explain why me going to Utah — a state known for the Sundance Film Festival, the Mormon Church, and stunning natural landscapes —  matters: I‘ve never been an outdoorsy person. I belong inside, where there’s central air conditioning and comfortable chairs and floor to ceiling windows that allow me to look out and see God’s handiwork from the comfort and safety of four walls. I like to be separated from the elements in their raw form.  I’ve always been this way. But hating (or fearing) the great outdoors means that when it comes to travel, my globetrotting options have been somewhat limited. While I love the idea of lounging in a thong on somebody’s rich daddy’s boat during a beach vacation or taking a quick jaunt to an art museum in a major city, there’s more to the world than beaches and bustling urban sprawls. And I owe it to myself to see as much of it as I can while I still can. After all, I did promise that my 30s would be all about adventure and taking risks, even when they took me out of my comfort zone.

In a stroke of good fortune and excellent timing, my friend and Unbothered Social Strategist Maiya Carmichael and I were personally invited to check out Yonder Escalante, a luxury glamping property smack dab in the middle of nowhere (read: Southern Utah). But before we could get to enjoy Yonder, we’d have to make it to the campsite, and just getting there was an adventure in itself. After jetting off to Las Vegas, Maiya and I hopped in a rental car and drove five straight hours through the picturesque winding canyons of the American southwest between Nevada and Utah. I don't think I can put into words how equally awe-inspiring and truly terrifying the drive was. As we drove through the dips and bends of the canyons, I couldn’t help but think about how they’ve existed since the beginning of time and weathered millennia’s worth of travelers, natural disasters, world events, and climate change, yet they’re still there. And they’ll be there long after we’re gone. (Makes life feel so minuscule in the grand scheme of things, you know?)

When we finally arrived at the Yonder grounds, the staff gave us a personal tour of the campsite. Yonder takes the camping experience and elevates it to the highest degree, offering outdoor enthusiasts a smorgasbord of options onsite: a cozy tiny cabin, a fully furnished airstream, or a secure spot to park your own RV or camper, and each choice comes with around-the-clock access to high-speed Wi-fi, fully stocked spa-like public restrooms, and a local food truck that provides delicious meals from morning to night. Yonder also boasts an impressive drive-in theater complete with vintage automobiles to watch an array of family-friendly films. We made a note to tap into movie night during our stay but opted instead to celebrate our first night of glamping with an ice cold bottle of rosé and one of Yonder’s simple but hearty DIY meal kits that honestly could’ve won the top prize on Top Chef. I don’t know — steak just tastes better when you cook it on a grill in the woods. 

After dinner, Maiya and I split up in order to get the full Yonder experience; she went full glam, breaking in one of the site’s very first deluxe cabins, while I opted for the cozy comforts of an airstream overlooking the canyon. To say that I was a little nervous about sleeping in a motor vehicle in the middle of the Utah wilderness would be an understatement. 1) I’m Black, and let scary movies tell it, trips to the great outdoors don’t usually end so well for us, and 2) I’m just a big baby in general. I’m scared of most things. Still, as night fell on our first day at Yonder, and I looked outside of the window of my airstream to see the sky filled with glittering stars, I actually felt at ease, and I was able to fall asleep almost instantly. I’d need my beauty rest, too, because the staff at Yonder had organized a big adventure for the two of us the next day: horseback riding through Bryce Canyon National Park.

Full disclosure, the first (and last time) I’d ever gotten on a horse was nearly 20 years ago, when my local church somehow thought that the best way to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ was by bringing a full petting zoo to the church campus. At 10 years old, I was terrified by the massive size of the horses then, and not much had changed at 30. I was still freaking out about the beautiful but enormous creatures awaiting us at the corral near the bottom of the canyon. (Have you ever looked into a horse’s mouth before?? Don’t ask why I have.) Sensing my nervousness and probably hearing my frenzy of whispered prayers, one of the kind cowboys at the Canyon Trail Rides corral helpfully suggested that Maiya and I ride mules instead. (A breed between horses and donkeys, mules are shorter, stockier, and far more stable for first-time riders.) Because we’re God’s favorites, we got to ride at the front of the line, our charismatic tour guide making sure we didn’t fall behind by tying our mules to his horse. 

Our group horseback hike started at the top of Bryce Canyon, a picturesque landscape of sloping orange and pink rock, giant trees, and even snowy hilltops in its highest points. This canyon, our guide explained enthusiastically as we made our descent down the steep trail, was well-known for its array of hoodoos, rock formations carved out over time by erosion and believed by indigenous people in the area to be people that the spirits punished by turning to stone. Expansive and cavernous, Bryce Canyon had also once served as a hiding place for famous outlaws like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, who were known to seek shelter in the area after crime sprees. Riding our mules through the canyon felt like something out of a western movie, but with Black people, like Buck and the Preacher or The Harder They Fall. Dusty and sore all over (riding a horse feels like doing a thousand squats. Also, I definitely twisted my ankle on the dismount from my mule) from our hike, we got back to camp and decided to unwind. 

The next day, we took it easy because of my injury, opting for a scenic drive down the Utah Scenic Byway 12 to get a better look at the Escalante sights. I gripped the wheel of our rental car for dear life as we drove deeper into the Escalante River Basin because the highway was literally like riding a rollercoaster, all winding roads and dips from start to finish. It was dizzyingly beautiful to see the endless stretch of mountains, plateaus, and cliffs before us when we pulled over at one of the popular overlooks. The canyons seemed to go on forever, and according to signs at the stop, we could actually see clear across straight lines at the Utah-Arizona border. Ears popping from the elevation, we couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of the canyon. God really did that. 

Back in the airstream on our last night in Escalante, I FaceTimed all of my family and friends to brag about being in the great outdoors and actually enjoying it, a development that no one saw coming. I was just as surprised. Again, I don’t do outside, but there I was, tanned and tired and having a good time in the elements. I toasted marshmallows in the fire! I rode a mule through a canyon! I showered outside (kinda)! I slept in a trailer! I made memories that I would remember forever, and it was all thanks to Yonder Escalante. 

Now, does this mean that I’m an outdoor girl now? Maybe…but only if it involves glamping. (Heavy on the glam, please — I still need wi-fi.)