This Glamping Retreat at Under Canvas Is the Best Way to Stay at Mount Rushmore

"I stayed at Under Canvas Mount Rushmore, a high-end “glamping” camp inspired by luxurious safari camps and founded by Sarah and Jacob Dusek, and found a blend of rugged setting and creature comforts: plush beds with high-thread-count sheets, hot showers and an en-suite bathroom in our tent, an in-room wood-burning stove, organic bath products, and a private deck with high-backed wood chairs overlooking the dark, dense national forest (plus natural butterfly chairs inside by the stove). The main tent houses the restaurant offering everything from hot cocoa and a full breakfast to picnic lunches and smoked, grilled, and roasted dinner entrees; guests can join sunset yoga on the adjoining deck, and we enjoyed house-smoked chicken, grilled vegetables, and s'mores around the open fire while watching Mount Rushmore's evening lighting ceremony from the grounds (the monument is also just a short 10-minute drive along twisty, scenic Iron Mountain Road). The property is environmentally conscious—low-flow toilets, automatic-off faucets, pull-chain showers, no plastics, and active recycling/repurposing—and the staff are enthusiastic brand ambassadors (Alex, the assistant manager, gave me a golf-cart tour and shared his favorite tents and development plans). For a unique way to see one of America's most famous attractions, Under Canvas Mount Rushmore is a game-changer with a remarkable, ends-of-the-earth setting in the lush Black Hills and all the conveniences you could imagine; rates start at $199 and the 2022 season runs May 5–September 26." - Joelle Quinn