A quick guide to glamping sites - all set up - in Wyoming. Areas include Cody, Dubois and Sheridan as well as opportunities in Wyoming's State Parks, too. Written by Juliette K. Rule for Wyoming Rural Electric News, 2018.

1. PHOTOBYLEAHYETTER
CENTERPIECE

2. JULY 2018 W R E N M A G A Z I N E 17
“I call it glamour with a touch of camp-
ing,” explains Claudia Janiszewski, owner
of Glamping on the River in Dubois. “I re-
ally like the camping thing, but I’m 59, and
I don’t want to sleep on the floor. I want my
Wi-Fi. I don’t want an outhouse.”
Glamping itself is loosely defined, but the
common element is a raised bed. As for
where that bed might be, well, that’s where
things get creative in the emerging market
of luxury camping.
In Powell, you can sleep in a sheepherder’s
wagon. In Cody, try a tipi on the Shoshone
River. At Keyhole State Park, there’s a two-
bedroom treehouse for rent. Headed toward
Guernsey State Park? Better check out the
yurts, available year-round. For the most
common form of glamping, visit the Janisze-
wskis in Dubois. They have wall tents with
coffee pots, and yes, Wi-Fi, too.
Janiszewski and her daughter decided to of-
fer a vintage Airstream
travel trailer for rent to
travelers over a glass
of wine last year. It
seemed a creative and
convenient way to earn
a living in Wind River
Country. There was
no marketing plan. No
California venture cap-
italists were involved.
Just the internet and
the popular vacation
rental sites VRBO and
Airbnb, where discov-
ery of nontraditional
rentals abound along with serious attention
to both provider and guest reviews.
Glamping is just catching on here, while it’s
been very popular in Europe and Great Brit-
ain. But Janiszewski isn’t the only one with
an eye for Airstreams and revenue streams.
continued on page 18
GLAMOUR
ABOUNDS
WYOMING
CAMPGROUNDS
Wyoming’s 8.7 million visitors
last year had a multitude of
options for places to stay:
Hotels. Motels. Camping.
Glamping.
That’s not a typo.
A yurt sits along the
Popo Agie River at Sinks
Canyon State Park.
BY JULIETTE RULE
NOT EVERYONE WANTS
TO CAMP TENT; NOT
EVERYONE WANTS
TO DRY CAMP. THIS
OFFERS EVERYONE A
CHANCE TO BE IN THE
OUTDOORS.
LORI HOGAN, STATE PARKS AND
CULTURAL RESOURCES
at

3. 18 W R E N M A G A Z I N E JULY 2018
Melissa Butcher is considering those op-
tions for Lazy R Campground and Cab-
ins, which she runs with her husband in
Ranchester. The site is urban, well, urban
for Wyoming, meaning it’s in Ranchester
proper.
Today, the Butchers have tent campsites
and cabins available for tourists, and
wall tents are under consideration for a
variety of reasons. The Butchers suspect
they might be missing a segment of the
Wyoming travelers who want low-cost stays but don’t own a RV. At Lazy R,
it’s about finding the balance between initial costs, upkeep and guest expe-
rience.
For Larry Frandson of Cody, placing tipis on the Shoshone River was part
of the original plan for his RV park, Cody Trout Ranch Camp. He built 10
wooden platforms for the 20-foot-diameter tipis and opened them to guests
last year.
The tipis, Frandson notes, are fairly close to each
other and 10 feet above the river, so there’s no
chance of flooding.
“The only way you’ll see [the tipis] is if you float
the river, or if I take you down to them,” Frandson
says of the level of privacy. “Because there’s a lot
of flow and rapids right there, there’s quite a bit
of [white] noise. You can’t hear anyone talking to
each other unless you’re near them…people really
do get the enjoyment of the river.”
Frandson, who owns a few Cody businesses, con-
sidered cabins, but cost was great at about $25,000
per cabin. The tipis, which are custom built and
painted with animals known to inhabit Greater
Yellowstone, cost considerably less to construct
and maintain. He was sold on the idea after re-
searching similar operations in California and Arizona. The tipis are a big
enough attraction to encourage some RV-towing guests to try a few nights
in them.
“You have to have a market for it,” Frandson explains. “You need to be near
a destination. For people just passing through, there’s less opportunity [for
a glamping operation].”
That’s music to Janiszewski’s ears. She’s excited to learn another entrepre-
neur in Dubois is considering building a campsite across the river from her
own operation.
“This is really, really good for our town,” she says.“This leads people to stop
and stay for a few days.”
Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources has got-
ten in on the glamping game in recent years, too.
You can stay in a treehouse in Keyhole State Park.
Glendo, Sinks Canyon and Guernsey state parks offer
yurts, the round wall tents used by nomadic people
on the plains of Mongolia. Of course, camper cabins
are available, too, at Boysen Reservoir, Keyhole, Sinks
Canyon and Guernsey state parks, with additional
tent sites and camper cabins in the plans for Curt
Gowdy State Park.
Tracking of the trend drove the conversation at the
state level, explains Lori Hogan, marketing and de-
velopment manager for State Parks and Cultural Re-
sources.
“Staying relevant with today’s outdoor recreationist
is important,” she explains. “Not everyone wants to
camp tent, not everyone wants to dry camp. This of-
fers everyone a chance to be in the outdoors. Some
people are more comfortable staying up off the
ground and with more enclosure.Plus,it’s a fun trend.
It’s something different.”
And popular. Reservations are ac-
cepted through the state parks’
website anywhere from 14 to 120
days out,depending on the site and
location. While the Wyoming Of-
fice of Tourism doesn’t track camp-
ing or glamping stays, alternative
accommodations are popular and
often booked weeks, months and
even a year ahead of time, accord-
ing to WREN sources in the busi-
ness.Hogan agrees there is demand
even in areas of the state with lim-
ited glamping opportunities.
“If you’ve ever tried to rent the
yurts, you know they’re pretty well
sold out in June,” Hogan says, not-
ing they’re available year-round for
rent. Another benefit of the yurt offering? Efficient
use of state resources.
“They’re all self-sufficient,” Hogan says. “Maintain-
ing a couple of yurts in winter doesn’t take staff or
resources, while still generating income and making
state parks year-round destinations. That’s ultimately
the goal.”
Wall tents, on the other hand, tend to be a bit more
labor-intensive because the provided bedding needs
to be washed regularly, and that’s not always an op-
tion at parks where washers and dryers aren’t readily
available.
continued from page 17
ABOVE For a truly Wyoming experience, a
night in the Sheepherder’s Wagon near Powell
at Big Quiet Campground is the ticket.
PHOTOCOURTESYOFRODMORRISON,BIGQUIETCAMPGROUND
continued on page 20

4. INTERESTED IN TRYING
GLAMPING YOURSELF? HERE’S
A GUIDE TO WREN SOURCES.
CODY TROUT RANCH CAMP
CODY
wyomingtroutranch.com • 307-578-6757
Tipis
GLAMPING ON THE RIVER
DUBOIS
glampingdubois.com • 303-989-7260
Wall Tents, Airstream, Travel Trailer
BIG QUIET CAMPING
POWELL
bigquietcamping.com • 307-272-4681
Yurts, Sheepherders Wagon, Tipis, Wall Tents
STATE PARKS &
CULTURAL RESOURCES
STATEWIDE
wyoparks.state.wy.us • 877-996-7275
Treehouses, Yurts, Cabins
PHOTOSCOURTESYOFCODYTROUTRANCHCAMP
Tipis at Cody Trout Ranch Camp sit about 10 feet
above the rapids of the Shoshone River. Inside,
guests find raised log beds, tables and chairs.

5. 20 W R E N M A G A Z I N E JULY 2018
“A yurt, well you just pretty much sweep it
out,” Hogan says.
Yurts and wall tents – like those provided by
the state and by Janiszewski in Dubois and
others – are on raised platforms, which helps
keep out rain water. But for extra security, you
just might choose the single treehouse avail-
able at Keyhole State Park.
Scared of heights? Don’t be.
“It’s on low stilts with trees coming up through
the structure,” Hogan says. “It’s not high off
the ground. It is more high-end. It has a really
nice big patio, with big patio table, barbecue
area and a deck overlooking the reservoir.”
The two-bedroom treehouse has a living room,
bedding, linens, a queen-sized bed and twin
bunk beds along with a microwave, refrigera-
tor and a vault toilet.There’s a leather couch,a
little table and a small gas fireplace.
There’s not a full kitchen,” Hogan says. “This
is rustic luxury.”
f a truly rustic experience with a catered breakfast is on the
agenda, look just outside of Powell at Big Quiet Camping.
There, Rod Morrison offers wall tents, tipis and a sheepherder’s
wagon, which he books through his own site, over the phone
and through Airbnb.
“Tipis and wall tents, it’s very Wyoming,” Morrison says, noting
pioneers and Native Americans made their way across America
with those designs. “Living out here, just 60 minutes from Yel-
lowstone, we gotta do something to save these open spaces.”
As part of the Big Quiet experience, Morrison’s crew offers cots,
sleeping bags and breakfast in the morning. The sheepherder’s
wagon has a raised bed, mattress and two sleeping bags zipped
together as the bed isn’t quite as big as double.It is consistently
rented, he said.
Because of the variety of offerings at Big Quiet Camping, Mor-
rison says he can tell who does the trip planning. (Hint: The
women.)
“The husbands are like ‘You gotta be kidding
me, man. I’m 6-foot-2 and I can’t fit in there’,”
Morrison says. “And he’s right. The sheepherd-
er’s wagon wasn’t made for people that big.”
And maybe, just maybe, these adventurers are
testing each other.
“They’re city people, and they’re trying it out,” Morrison ex-
plains.“Some handle it well. Some don’t.”
The complaints might be few, but they aren’t distinct. The tipis
are on grass, after all, and not everyone likes it when their toes
touch the prairie,though certainly the members of the Crow tribe
who inspired Morrison’s venture didn’t mind.
“There are some (visitors) who just aren’t worth the time,” he
says. “Other people are just amazed, find it an amazing experi-
ence. We’ve met more of the amazing ones.”
Morrison started Big Quiet Camping five years ago, and business
is not only going strong, it also has an international draw, thanks
to sites like Airbnb and VRBO. He reflects often on the experi-
ence of running a unique business in Cody Country.
“Young lady came up to me after breakfast – we’d had quite a
conversation the night before – and she says to me ‘You’re one
lucky person,”he says,pausing.“You’re one lucky person.You get
to live here and the whole world comes to you.”
Considering international visitors spent about $170 million here
last year, according to the Wyoming Office of Tourism, Morrison
and his cohorts probably have found the perfect way to travel
without leaving paradise. W
Juliette Rule writes for WREN and commands digital marketing for her
LLC, Bridger Communications. She rides, skis and hikes with her Austra-
lian cattle dog, Maszlo, in state parks and national forests throughout
Montana, Wyoming and Colorado.
PO Box 321 Buffalo,Wyoming 82834 (307) 514-3241
gordonforwyoming.com @markgordon4wyoming @Mark_Gordon_WY
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continued from page 18
“THEY’RE CITY PEOPLE, AND THEY’RE
TRYING IT OUT,” MORRISON EXPLAINS.
“SOME HANDLE IT WELL. SOME DON’T.”