We Camped in a Retro Airstream in Zion—Was it Worth It?

AFAR

AutoCamp, which specializes in glamping-style accommodations near national parks and other beautiful, outdoorsy locations, recently opened four new properties in 2023—including one outside of Zion National Park. It is now one of the most luxurious campgrounds near Zion National Park, and definitely a unique alternative to a traditional tent-and-sleeping bag camping experience. Here’s what it was like to stay there, and what we think about the new property.  Read the full article: https://rebrand.ly/e2df5jr  AutoCamp Zion's website: https://autocamp.com/zion/  ---- CONNECT WITH AFAR Afar.com is a digital and print magazine that publishes travel tips, guides, news, and stories: https://www.afar.com  Get updates on the latest articles, travel news, and more from AFAR by signing up for the AFAR newsletter: https://afar.com/newsletters  Follow AFAR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfarMedia Follow AFAR on Twitter: https://twitter.com/afarmedia Follow AFAR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afarmedia Follow AFAR on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/afarmedia  ---- CREDITS  Claudia Cardia - Video Editor Jessie Beck - Senior Manager, SEO & Video Elizabeth See - Designer Sarika Bansal - Editorial Director Michelle Heimerman - Photo Editor  MUSIC “Dedication” Kairo / Musicbed  FOOTAGE / PHOTOGRAPHY Jessie Beck iStock  CHAPTERS 00:00 What is AutoCamp? 01:08 Room/Airstream tour 02:16 Property 03:15 Location 04:10 Things to do (Zion) 05:04 Food and beverage 05:41 Review: worth it?

Transcript

00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:03 Hello, and welcome to today's episode of Stay Here Next,

00:10 where we show you incredible and noteworthy hotels

00:13 around the world.

00:14 Today, I am right outside of Zion National Park,

00:17 the newest property by outdoor lodging company, AutoCamp.

00:20 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:23 AutoCamp first launched in Santa Barbara, California,

00:28 back in 2013.

00:29 That original property has since closed,

00:31 but they currently have nine properties

00:33 throughout the United States.

00:35 All of AutoCamp's properties are always

00:36 in a beautiful natural area, sometimes a national park,

00:39 but not always.

00:41 Zion is actually one of four locations

00:43 that opened this year in 2023, alongside Sequoia National Park

00:46 in California, Texas Hill Country, and Asheville, North

00:49 Carolina.

00:50 Glamping experiences like this are actually on the rise.

00:52 And I personally have stayed at some other glamping properties

00:55 like Under Canvas and Mendocino Grove.

00:58 Though those properties usually use a safari-style canvas tent,

01:02 and I've never stayed anywhere quite like AutoCamp before.

01:05 So let's go check it out.

01:09 Looking for our room, which is in one

01:12 of these iconic airstreams.

01:13 That's one of the things that AutoCamp is known for.

01:16 And here at AutoCamp Zion, I believe

01:18 they have 72 airstreams, in addition

01:20 to a couple of other options for accommodations.

01:22 But yeah, that's part of the fun of staying here,

01:24 is getting a chance to stay in one of these guys.

01:28 Zion, you excited?

01:29 So cool.

01:30 First stop on our tour, we've got this lovely, spacious

01:37 living room for lounging, indoors.

01:41 And then next up, we're going to take a look at the bathroom

01:43 really quickly, which is also quite spacious for an airstream.

01:47 We've got this nice, large shower over here.

01:51 Toilet, sink, essentials.

01:54 Lots of nice natural light, which is always nice to have.

01:56 And then over here, a little kitchen space,

01:59 as well as one of their signature s'more kits,

02:02 which I can't wait to try later.

02:03 The bedroom, where-- it's actually my favorite part,

02:06 is the airstream.

02:07 Here, we have got a skylight, where you can go stargazing

02:12 straight from your bed.

02:13 Airstreams are each kind of set up

02:16 like you would a typical state or national park campground.

02:20 So each one has a fire pit and an optimal lounge area,

02:22 so you can really take advantage of the beautiful scenery

02:25 around here.

02:26 One of the things I'm noticing is

02:27 that there's kind of limited coverage

02:30 for such a hot and exposed area.

02:35 We do have this little awning here,

02:37 but it's still really sunny and hot.

02:38 So I think we should go head to the pool.

02:43 Like every auto camp, they have this great clubhouse space,

02:47 where you can buy some food to eat, ready-made,

02:51 or a couple of essentials that you may have

02:53 forgotten to bring with you.

02:54 They also have games and live music,

02:56 and it's a really great social space,

02:58 either for hanging out with people that you came here with

03:00 or for making new friends, because why not?

03:03 One other signature of Auto Camp's properties

03:05 is this mid-century modern design,

03:07 and really lends itself a very design-forward element

03:10 to this otherwise outdoors-forward property.

03:13 So the location itself really prioritizes

03:17 the outdoor beauty of this area.

03:19 You are about 10 to 15 minute drive away

03:21 from Springdale, which is the main gateway town

03:25 to the main entrance of Zion National Park.

03:27 So you're not able to just pop outside the hotel

03:30 and go walk into town and get dinner,

03:31 which personally I think is okay,

03:33 because you're also a little bit set apart from that hubbub.

03:36 But actually one of the benefits of being

03:37 in this particular location,

03:38 which is in the small town of Virgin,

03:41 is that you're actually super close

03:42 to some really rad mountain biking trails

03:45 that are outside of the park,

03:47 as well as some scenic drives and vista points

03:50 before actually seeing parts of Zion National Park

03:53 from outside the park.

03:54 Additionally, you're just a little bit closer

03:56 to the less popular and therefore less crowded

03:59 entrance for Zion.

04:00 So if you wanted to explore both sides of the park,

04:02 this is actually not a bad location

04:05 to set up as your home base.

04:06 But now, let's go check out the park.

04:10 So Zion National Park was the third most visited

04:13 U.S. National Park in 2022,

04:15 which means it can get crowded.

04:17 It's best known for two of its hikes,

04:20 the Narrows and Angels Landing,

04:22 both of which are also very popular,

04:24 especially during the summertime.

04:25 Now, shuttles have helped reduce car traffic in the park,

04:28 but even the lines for those can get long.

04:30 So to avoid some long shuttle lines,

04:32 we're renting some e-bikes from Zion Adventures.

04:35 They cost about $95 for a full day.

04:37 Zion Adventures also does some other tours

04:40 in and around the park,

04:41 like their Sunset Overlook Scenic Drive

04:43 and mountain bike tours,

04:45 both of which are bookable through AutoCamp

04:47 since they are partners.

04:48 It was really worth it to get the e-bikes, though,

04:50 since we were able to get around the park super quick

04:53 and it was just plain fun.

04:55 There weren't any cars in the road, just the shuttles,

04:57 so it wasn't very stressful biking.

04:59 After a quick beer in Springdale, we head back to camp.

05:02 It's been a long day.

05:05 We actually went on two hikes today,

05:07 so we're pretty hungry.

05:08 Unfortunately, we grabbed one of these grill kits

05:10 that they have up in the camp store.

05:13 So we're gonna get those going.

05:17 (sizzling)

05:19 AutoCamp also has a restaurant on site,

05:22 but the food there is pretty simple and basic,

05:25 which is fine if you want something quick.

05:27 But I actually think that was okay

05:28 because one of my favorite parts about camping

05:30 is getting to cook outside.

05:32 And this Airstream is set up perfectly for that.

05:35 The outdoor space also means we can eat and cook

05:37 while enjoying one of the best parts about this property,

05:40 the stars.

05:41 Overall, I'd really recommend AutoCamp Zion

05:47 if you want to have a camping-ish experience.

05:50 You get campfires and s'mores,

05:51 but also comfortable beds and good showers.

05:54 Plus, it's a beautiful design-forward space,

05:57 which there are a few of these

05:58 in and around Zion National Park,

06:00 but it's kind of a rarity near national parks in general,

06:03 where accommodation options tend to be a bit more basic.

06:07 Some of the cons, though, it is right next to the road,

06:09 and there isn't a whole lot of shade

06:11 next to the Airstreams themselves.

06:12 That said, neither of these are deal-breakers.

06:15 As for price, they start at $189 a night in the low season

06:19 and $269 a night in the high season,

06:22 which is a pretty good rate compared to other options

06:24 in and around Zion National Park.

06:26 It's also more nature-focused than a hotel

06:28 and more fun and social than an Airbnb.

06:31 So, John, would you stay here again?

06:34 - AutoCamp.

06:35 Smash that like.

06:37 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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