Glamping in a Covered Wagon

I came across an article from Travel and Leisure about glamping in a Conestoga Wagon and forwarded it on to my husband. He immediately responded back “let’s go” initiating our most recent adventure.

Yosemite is one of our favorite places to visit. We’ve done day trips from Mammoth, spent a weekend and hiked Half Dome and just driven through and explored the valley. So I was beyond excited when I discovered this really unique experience at Yosemite Pines RV.

The drive up through Fresno was absolutely beautiful. Rolling green hills and fields as far as you can see with real California happy cows dotting the horizon, then that farmland transitions into a breathtaking and windy mountain road. Warning, bring Dramamine. Of all the things I remembered to pack it was the one thing I didn’t even think of and we could have definitely used.

Yosemite Pines RV is an easy hour drive from The Yosemite Valley Visitor Center. They have a really cool set up with lots of camping options. You can glamp in cabins, yurts, vintage Airstream trailers, or the covered wagons. There are also tent sites and hookups if you want to camp in your own trailer or tent. The office where you check in doubles as a general store in case you find you’ve forgotten an essential or need more firewood. There’s a Deli on site if you don’t feel like cooking, bathrooms with showers, a pool, and a playground for the kids. But we were most excited about the petting zoo with bunnies, a pair of donkeys, a sassy goat that bosses everyone around, and two alpaca that may spit on you if you’re not careful. (Don’t make eye contact!) You can check out pricing and all of their amenities Here.

The check-in process was quick and simple and the team running the offices were very kind and welcoming. We were given our wagon number and then drove down the hill to our site and parked next to our wagon.

I could not wait to see inside, I practically ran up the steps to unzip the canvas doorway. I was immediately taken back by how large the wagon was and how much space there was inside. Two bunk beds flanked the entryway leading to a king-sized bed set at the back of the wagon. The headboard was the back of the seat where you would sit to drive the wagon and the canvas unzipped for a window above that. Both the window and the doorway had a screen that you could zip closed allowing the cool breeze to blow through while keeping the bugs out. It was fully equipped with electrical, heating and air conditioning, a mini-fridge, microwave, and a Keurig coffee maker. The beds were super comfy with the softest comforters and we even had room to set up a pack and play off of the back of one of the bunks. We comfortably and happily slept 5 adults and 2 babies in the wagon for the weekend. The heater worked great, it was still a bit chilly though but you can’t expect the best insulation when your walls are canvas so I would absolutely advise you keep that in mind when packing. Also, the bathrooms are a quick walk away so bring an easy pair of shoes or boots you can throw on for the trek over.

The wagons that sleep four are set exactly the same except instead of a second bunk bed there is an adorable wagon wheel dining table.

Outside each wagon, there’s a fire pit, picnic bench, and water spicket. During the summer months they have all sorts of activities for the family and they screen movies outside in the evenings on the weekends. I cannot recommend this site enough if you are visiting Yosemite and want to stay just a ways out of the park. We had a wonderful time and cannot wait to visit again.