Daina Savage

Just because you’re a nature lover doesn’t mean you enjoy spending a chilly night feeling every root and stone through your sleeping bag or waking up to stoke the fire before you can brew your coffee. Which is why the emerging trend of glam-camping has so much appeal. Spectacular sunrises paired with luxurious spa services, s’more roasting from the comfort of a chaise, and high-thread count sheets and fluffy pillows after a mildly strenuous day spent kayaking and hiking make for an outdoor experience to be savored.
Next time you head to the Pennyslvania Wilds for some back-to-nature time, leave the tents at home and get spoiled at a local resort or B&B instead.

For eco-friendly luxury amid a state park setting, try The Nature Inn in Centre County, which offers all the beauty of a roughing-it camping trip with none of the neck cricks a

nd singed fingers. The 16 room inn overlooks an expansive 1,730-acre lake, framed by Bald Eagle Mountain. It is the newest jewel of the Pennsylvania state park system. Its pristine setting and innovative green building technologies exude a conscious effort to allow the beauty and wonder of nature fittingly take center stage. Innkeeper Charlie Brooks is an inspired host, ensuring guests take note of every detail and opportunity, from demonstrating how the geothermal climate system and the solar-thermal hot water system operates, to telling the stories behind the extensive craftsmanship in the inn’s design elements, produced by local artisans and even woodworkers from a nearby prison. Of course, although he’s a passionate tour guide, it’s clear that his real love is indulging guests’ taste buds, demonstrated in his decadent breakfasts. He also prepares meals for the inn’s frequent conferences.
We arrived the evening after just such a conference in the inn’s meeting rooms. Brooks thoughtfully stocked mini-fridges of his guests with leftover wraps and cookies, anticipating that some of us might be too tired from our trip to go out to eat.
For those who enjoy cooking over an open fire, a number of grills are available on the patio, and most nights a roaring bonfire makes for a warm gathering spot to enjoy the evening.
Peterson’s Bird Guides and binoculars are available in every room, allowing for self-guided bird watching from your balcony. In the fall, migrating mergansers, cormorants, and buffleheads puncutate the lake’s glassy surface, joined in the fog of early mornings by the parallel lines of Penn State’s crew boats. (The college is about a half hour away.) Canoes, kayaks, and fishing boats all populate the lake throughout the days, either launched from one of the park’s six launch sites, or rented from the marina and boat concession. With the help of park’s guides, we were able to canoe across the lake close to a bald eagle nest and learn more about the lifecy

cle of park’s namesake. Our evening paddle was made even more perfect when we spotted one returning to the nest. The park offers a number of guided tours and hikes throughout the year to aid visitors in more deeply connecting with the park’s abundant flora and fauna.
Full of birding pleasures, we turned fur

ther up the mountains to Benezette to the new Elk Country Visitor Center, situated on 245 acres within the Elk State Forest. A wealth of interpretive activities allow visitors to learn about these magnificent mam

m

als, but th

ere’s nothing more exciting than the up-close viewing opportunities of the elk grazing in their natural habitat. The center also hosts a “4-D” immersive theater which combines storytelling with nature lessons in a highly entertaining (and fragrant) manner. Like The Nature Inn, the Elk Country Visitor Center’s architecture and craftsmanship with native materials is a pleasure unto itself. 

One of the chief pleasures of camping must be looking up at the stars. There’s nothing like witnessing that broad canopy of twinkling lights in utter darkness, free from the distractions of man-made light pollution. Travel to Cherry Springs State Park in Coudersport, part of the 262,000-acre Susquehannock State Forest. Know among star hounds as one of the best places on the eastern seaboard for stargazing, you’re sure to run into amateur and professional astronomers alike. Plan to dress warmly, as the high elevation brings much cooler temperatures.
After the spectacle of stars, a nearby B&B makes the evening complete. We stayed at the nearby Frosty Hollow B&B in our own private guesthouse. Gail Ayers’ preserves and fresh-picked produce from husband Joe’s garden made for a memorable meal. We capped off our glam-camping excursion with shopping at one of the most unique art galleries we’ve ever visited. Olga’s gallery in Coudersport, which is also a cafe and bistro (and happening place for live music), is a two story extravaganza of fiber art, luxury yarns, jewelry, paintings, glassworks, and Ukrainian pysanky eggs, all created the one-woman creative force of Olga herself. The sensory experience alone is worth the drive.