BaseCamp 37°
A collection of glamping tents in the Arizona desert
By Patrick JanelleJust as U.S. Highway 89 nears the Arizona/Utah border, it briefly bisects the tiny town of Kanab, Utah. During Labor Day weekend 2018, when I last visited with my then boyfriend, Erik, and my good friend, Julia, the town’s only live theatre was mid-run with a production of “Always Patsy Cline.” The motel across the street, legend has it, used to be a getaway for the Hollywood set (“Frank Sinatra paid for the swimming pool,” my boyfriend proclaimed). And the one bakery in town serves espresso drinks, croissants and breakfast sandwiches to locals.
About fifteen minutes outside Kanab, in the middle of seemingly endless desert, a handful of glamping tents, glowing from electric lamps inside, beckon visitors who manage to find their way to the remote property. The setup, BaseCamp 37°, is the passion project of Amy Affeld and Curtis Wilson, a couple who left their Seattle day jobs in 2012 to fulfill their dream of living in the open space of the Southwest.
show up like you're a regularPro Tips
Pro Tips
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There are only about half a dozen tents on property, and only one of them, the Katie Lee, accommodates more than two guests (an extra twin bed makes room for three).
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Be sure to arrive before dark as the desert night doesn't allow for much visibility to find your way!
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The property has a shared kitchen with plenty of equipment for cooking. Ten minutes away, in Kanab, the Kanab Creek Bakery is a local’s hotspot for coffee and breakfast.
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Kanab is a home base for people who are en route to adventure activities in the area, including Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon, and Zion National Park.
The couple landed in this stretch of desert after plans for an international trip went awry, leading them to think “why don’t we spend more time in our own country?” They were immediately hooked after their first trip to the area in the late aughts. They relocated to Utah, and after a lot of elbow grease, DIY tutorials, and lessons on solar power, they opened BaseCamp 37° in 2016.
I had seen images online: glowing tents in the middle of the desert, starry skies, and marshmallows roasting over the fire. Thanks to the vast desert, managed by the US Bureau of Land Management, that surrounds the property, reality lives up to the online promise. The night sky is bursting with stars and vast vistas slowly lit each morning by sunrise. The property features a main lodge with bathroom amenities and a shared kitchen, where I boiled water to make our morning coffee. A fire pit, and five tents sit nearby outside. Each tent is equipped with a queen bed, a trunk, blankets, bedside lamps, towels, and a lantern for making your way to the main lodge.
