Don’t Fear the Cold: Why winter glamping is the BEST
“In newness we are forced into presence and focus. Newness can even slow down our sense of time. This explains why time seemed slower when we were kids.”
― Michael Easter, The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self
We’ve had the pleasure of running a luxury glamping business for the last two years. Something we’ve noticed is a common misconception that winter camping and glamping trips are uncomfortable, cold, and flat-out not worth the effort it takes to get outside. Based on our personal, and guest experiences, the reality is that winter is one of the best times to get outside and glamp! (Especially if you’re a sweaty person, like me)
Here’s a guest review from Christmas weekend, 2022. Over that weekend the temps dropped to -4 degrees!
“To dispel any misconceptions - my family rented the cabin and three glamping tents and spent our Christmas on this wonderful property. As those local to the area may recall, that Thursday was 60 degrees and we got a winter storm Thursday night that dropped the temp to -4 degrees for the entire weekend. The cabin, and tents, are all furnished with gas fireplaces. The cabin was plenty warm all weekend. Though the tents were cooler (and remember, it was -4) the property manager, Michael, hooked us up with extra heaters and the tents were cozy all weekend as well.
Michael was very proactive in keeping our comfort #1 even while the pipes in his residence had frozen. The bathhouse rooms are all individually heated and comfortable for showering and personal needs. And that brings up a good point, these are not group showers, or stalls with a curtain in a community room. These are individual shower, toilet, and sink bathrooms, clean, stocked, and heated.
The Dappled Light team is quick and abundant with communication and are constantly adding new things to the property to add to the experience. This is a great place to spend some time in the great outdoors. Plenty of hiking and places to explore on thee property, and close to all the things Red River Gorge is famous for. Don't let winter stop you. Give it a whirl. You'll be glad you did.”
Jim Mattingly
There are so many reasons to love glamping, even when the leaves have fallen and the temperatures have dropped. Here are our top five:
No bugs! If you’re a fellow mosquito and tick hater, late fall and winter are definitely a great time to visit Red River Gorge. The chances of seeing any mosquitos, ticks, or wasps drop to almost zero. Win!
Fires. Whether you’re cozying up with a book or person you love near the super warm gas fireplace, or making a campfire at the pit right outside of your tent, winter is the best time to enjoy a fire. Don’t forget to bring some hot cocoa to sip on to warm your insides as well!
Pit stains? Not a chance. We’re all human and we all sweat when we move around enough (if you’re like me, sometimes when you’re not moving at all), but the fact of the matter is: winter hiking is a lot more pleasant for those of us who run a little moister than others. Hike twice as much with half the sweat this time of year!
The fashion. Isn’t it about time you wear that sick flannel your great-aunt got you for Christmas? In all seriousness, winter offers up a plethora of new clothing options for everyone. Doesn’t matter if you just love the feeling of cozying up under 15 layers or you spent your tax return on the highest quality winter wear, in the wintertime your options for bundling up just exploded! (Pro tip: send her a picture of yourself in that shirt. She’s gonna love it, okay?)
Shorter lines. There are significantly reduced waits for trails, parking, restaurants, and bookings! Red River Gorge is a destination for folks all around the world to visit. This also means that during months when folks have a lot of time off, it can get busy out here. It’s a well-kept secret, but in the winter, your waits for almost any experience drop significantly (not to mention the discounts on stays - SEE BELOW).
As much as we want to keep going, we decided to keep this list short and sweet! What’s keeping you from getting outside and getting rejuvenated? Come experience the joys of winter glamping for yourself and help us add to the list!
If you want to book a discounted stay before March 1st, enter the code: CAMPFIRE when you check out on our website. Questions? Please reach out! We want your glamping experience to be as lovely as possible.
From the whole Dappled Light team, thank you for reading!
We look forward to hosting you soon,
Izaac Rains
