Your guide to glamping across Canada

Canada has no shortage of great places to camp. But a few select spots take roughing it a step further, pampering guests with a variety of unique accommodation, lavish amenities and natural activities. So go off-grid, pick up a paddle, mellow out with the marshmallows and enjoy luxury camping coast to coast at these great glamping destinations.

[Photo Credit: iStock.com/ highwaystarz]

Global Summit
Free Spirit Spheres eco-resort in Qualicum Bay offers what is best described as a tree house and space capsule combo on the east side of Vancouver Island. The adults-only getaway is ripe with ancient forests to hike and underground caves to explore. While the spheres don’t have bathrooms (those are nearby and include saunas), they do have wicked sound systems. Some also have skylights, sinks and fridges.

Remote Luxury
Bedwell River Valley on the west side of Vancouver Island sets the scene for safari-style, Relais & Chateaux glamping at Clayoquot Wilderness Resort. Find ensuite baths with heated floors, antique furnishings and exquisite food. Get a massage, take a surf lesson on a private beach or simply enjoy the scenery.

Rustic Adventure
Right in the heart of the forest near Kananaskis River sit hand-painted teepees at Sundance Lodges, your new favourite off-the-grid adventure, an hour west of Calgary. Accommodations also include trapper’s tents and campsites. Stuff to do includes hiking, biking, riding, padding and fishing—or simply sitting in a chair and “forest bathing.”

Forest Paradise
At Flora Bora Forest Lodging, about two hours north of Saskatoon on Tuddle’s Lake, two well-appointed canvas and pine yurts, complete with full bathrooms and kitchens, welcome up to four guests each in private comfort. Sure you’re roughing it, but not really, as you take a break from the world to enjoy hiking, paddling, birding, boating and stargazing.

Lakeside Frontier
Near Lake Obabika north of Sudbury, Outpost Luxury Camping delivers a luxury tenting experience on a hidden lake only accessible by seaplane. Tents are carpeted with deer hide rugs and beds carved from white oak. The “lounge” is a Sioux teepee with a working fire pit. Gastronomy is courtesy of some of Toronto’s top chefs, all of which you can work off by hiking and paddling.

Agri-Tourism Tour
A drive east of Toronto to Fronterra Farm Camp & Brewery in Prince Edward County treats you to the simple life. This organic glampground offers luxury camping in log-framed canvas prospector tents complete with ensuite bathrooms and private outdoor kitchens. The resort offers fishing, paddling, yoga and farm-to-table culinary workshops.

Wellness Getaway
Also in Prince Edward County, Whispering Springs Wilderness Retreat, with no electricity and no Wi-Fi, lets you reconnect with yourself through yoga and outdoor physical fitness while you stay in safari and bell tents. Throw in healthy food, perfect PEC Pinot Noir, the occasional live band, and you’ve got a nice weekend.

Lodge Living
While more cabins than camping, the 12 little forest eco-lodges at Entre Cimes et Racines in Quebec’s Eastern Townships are truly unique, including a “Hobbit”-style one that looks like it’s practically underground. Recharge the batteries on more than 175 acres of forest, keeping an eye out for critters like deer, fox, rabbits and otters.

Tent Retreat
Family-owned Cape Breton eco-resort Cabot Shores has a few different off-the-grid glamping options, including seven yurts with their own decks, a geodesic dome set among the trees, and three treehouse-style domes situated in an apple orchard overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Nature’s beauty and attentive service are sure to please even the city slickers among us.