The Best Glamping Sites to Book in California

Caravan Outpost isn’t in the desert but that doesn’t stop it from seeming like a mirage. At this oasis in downtown Ojai, a lush garden surrounds your fancy outdoorsy abode. You’ll wake up and wonder if you sleepwalked into the jungle. Where you go when you step outside of this California glamping site is up to you. Caravan Outpost will drive you into the Ojai Valley for wine tasting and soaking in hot springs or help you cruise over to the beach for an all-day surf sesh.

Rancho 51 is your typical California-style glamping site. You know the type: communal trailers for showering. Yoga classes under the sun. Helicopter rides, because why not? When you’re not flying around in a chopper like a boss, you’ll certainly be hitting up the food trucks and chowing down in the shade of swaying palm trees. Visit on an off-festival day and you’ll still groove with a live DJ spinning hits. Massages, a beauty bar and amazing mountain views will help you forget that you’re crashing in a tent and not at an all-inclusive resort.

If you’re the type to bring your giant inflatable unicorn raft to the pool, then you’ll fit in nicely with the youthful crowd at Base Camp. Poolside is the place to be during happy hour. Rows of luxury tents laid side-by-side and communal dining tables will ensure you have no trouble making new friends. BYO tent or RV if you please; you’ll find us hunkered down in a luxury tent, blowing up a giant inflatable donut raft and sipping something from the bar.

Now, before you assume which type of “cloud-nine” experience this is in Coachella, let us clear the air. This Cloud9 in Coachella is an awesome California glamping site. The views from your furnished tent will leave you wide-eyed in wonder – and we’re not blowing any smoke. Situated in the Lake Cahuilla Recreation Area in full view of the San Jacinto Mountains, it’s the perfect place to roll out a sleeping bag, strike up a flame and inhale Coachella’s mind-clearing air.

Yosemite National Park speaks for itself, so we won’t dare assume we could sum up how extraordinary Cali’s most iconic park is. However, we will be so bold as to rave about Autocamp’s exceptional glamping site right near the park’s entrance. Settle into an Airstream, then quickly make your exit: the hammock grove, freshwater pond and fire pits will keep you outdoors for hours. Bounce around the property on a mountain bike if you please; just make sure you double-time it to catch the Yosemite shuttle in time.

There’s a comforting presence to California’s mighty redwood trees, surrounding your site like a living stockade as you lay your head down in Redwood Meadows RV Park. Wide open spaces and a dedicated dog park give you and your mutts a place to wander. No roughing it here, though; you’ll have access to hot showers, laundry equipment and a reading room, because who needs TV when you’re in nature? (Well, we do, and we’re glad cable channels are also gratis).