I
’m a fervent defender of glamping. A portmanteu of “glamorous camping,” the practice unfairly gets a bad rap as camping’s cowardly cousin or a poor substitute for a good hotel. But for me, glamping is a delightful and secret third thing—a league all of its own, incomparable to any other experience, a way to escape the city and breathe in some greenery, all while clinging to my creature comforts. To that end, Sonoma County is my favorite place for glamping. A perfect blend of nature and luxury, it’s a choose- your-own adventure destination where you can roast sausages on the fire or hit some of the world’s best restaurants. On my recent wine country road trip, I settled at Autocamp Russian River for the weekend. The campground’s retro-styled Airstreams are futuristic, like silver bullets nestled in a charming residential neighborhood in the town of Guerneville . Quiet and wooded, the area offers glampers a seamless connection to nature. The trailers are simply decorated—lots of soft white linens and a spartan gray couch—but their minimalism makes them all the more aesthetically pleasing, with sizable outdoor patios outfitted with firepits and comfy chairs. I could easily have spent my entire vacation at Autocamp, reading by the fires, cooking in my well-equipped kitchen, and lounging on the sofa in my trailer. But to do so would be to miss out on the bounty Sonoma County offers, so I loaded up on complimentary breakfast in Autocamp’s common space before taking an early morning hike in the nearby Armstrong Redwood Forest . The sequoias in this area have stood the test of time—and then some. The oldest tree in the grove, the Colonel Armstrong, is estimated to be over 1,400 years old. Areas of the forest that have been razed by wildfires served as sobering reminders of the importance of preserving the forest and its ancient trees. After hours of losing myself in the woods, I headed to the Jack London State Historic Park to scope out the
GLAMPING
HORSES, WINE, AND FRESH AIR IN THE REDWOODS BY NYLAH BURTON
7554 JULY 2023
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator