For about 80 miles between Portland and The Dalles, Oregon, the Columbia River snakes by means of the Cascade Mountains previous rocky cliffs, towering spires and dashing waterfalls to kind a spectacular river canyon. The Columbia River Gorge, which marks the border between Oregon and Washington, is claimed by each states as a pure marvel. It boasts infinite out of doors recreation alternatives, to not point out fruit choosing, arts and tradition, and breweries and wineries galore.
Whereas the world has all the time been a straightforward day journey from Portland, it has lacked the lodging choices for points-savvy vacationers to unlock multiday journeys — till now. On the finish of Might, Below Canvas Columbia River Gorge turned the thirteenth property within the glamping model’s portfolio, which joined World of Hyatt last summer. Its proximity to the Gorge landed it on TPG’s most exciting hotel openings of 2025.
Whether or not you are a camper in search of a extra comfy out of doors keep or a resort fanatic making an attempt one thing new, this inside have a look at the property will assist set your expectations for an pleasurable keep.
First impressions
As you exit Interstate Freeway 84 and start to wind your method into the mountains, it turns into a legit problem to maintain your eyes on the highway and as an alternative of on the spectacular views of Mount Hood and, later, Mount Adams. Fortunately, views are in no quick provide when you arrive at Below Canvas. As you ascend the gravel highway main as much as the property, you may first glimpse its tents from above, nestled right into a valley beneath Hood’s hovering peak.
When you drive down into camp, you may seize a short-term parking spot and enter an inviting check-in tent full with upscale furnishings, board video games for borrowing and a curated assortment of meals, drinks and merchandise. Steps away from check-in are the property’s frequent areas, which embrace a big fireplace pit with Adirondack chairs in addition to indoor and out of doors lounge areas. I arrived simply after sundown to witness friends sharing bottles of wine, households roasting marshmallows collectively and youngsters taking part in with new associates beneath the alpenglow on Mount Hood.
After listening to about potential wildlife encounters — bears and snake sightings are attainable, although unlikely — you may signal a waiver; you may additionally give any meals you might have introduced with you to the check-in group to keep away from critter encounters in your tent. (Don’t be concerned, the employees refrigerates it and can seize it for you any time you need.)
When check-in is full, you may transfer your automobile as much as the principle lot and certain enlist the assistance of a employees member and golf cart to move your baggage, because the stroll might be pretty far relying in your tent location.
1 of 8
EMILIA WRONSKI/THE POINTS GUY
The tents
Below Canvas affords tent varieties to swimsuit varied celebration sizes, together with tents particularly outfitted for teenagers. They vary from two-person Deluxe tents to the Mount Hood Suite, which joins two tents by a non-public deck and sleeps as much as six adults.
I stayed in a Stargazer tent, which includes a strip of skylight above the mattress, ideally positioned to provide you a view of the cosmos whenever you’re mendacity down. Whereas it is solely meant for 2 adults, the tent was extraordinarily spacious and comfortably match me, my husband, our canine and my 9-month-old daughter (plus her pack-and-play crib and varied different gear).
Reward your inbox with the TPG Each day publication
Be a part of over 700,000 readers for breaking information, in-depth guides and unique offers from TPG’s specialists
Outdoors the tent, there was a small deck and two chairs good for studying or admiring the view. There was additionally a lantern hanging exterior the doorway that indifferent so you can use it to navigate after darkish. Simply contained in the door flaps — which pulled again for extra airflow — was an outdoorsy, stylish residing space with two extra butterfly chairs, a woven ottoman and a cowhide rug.
1 of 5
EMILIA WRONSKI/THE POINTS GUY
The sleeping area featured a king-size mattress with luxe linens flanked by nightstands sporting lanterns, followers and USB battery packs for charging. On the foot of the mattress was a large storage chest, and there was a tray full with eye masks, towels and earplugs ready for me on the mattress once I arrived.
The icing on the cake was a propane fire. Different Below Canvas properties have wood-burning fireplaces, however right here, I had solely to flip a change to get the hearth going. The cool nighttime temperatures have been good for it.
On the opposite aspect of a sliding picket barn door was the ensuite lavatory, which included a rest room, sink and bathe. All three had nice water stress, and the sink and bathe have been fast to warmth up. Contained in the bathe have been natural tub merchandise in pump bottles.
General, I discovered the tent fastidiously thought of, well-appointed and cozy. I beloved that it had every part I wanted however nothing superfluous. Do not sleep on the attention masks and earplugs: The solar rises very early throughout peak summer time, given the northern latitude, and the tents, whereas non-public, are shut sufficient to listen to loud night breathing neighbors and crying infants.
1 of 8
EMILIA WRONSKI/THE POINTS GUY
Eating at Below Canvas Columbia River Gorge
The principle eating possibility on the property is Embers, a cafe-style idea with seasonal choices for breakfast and dinner. Given the property’s distant setting, I discovered each the choice and high quality at Embers spectacular; the menu spans starters, sides, entrees, youngsters’ choices and desserts.
For dinner, I beloved the PNW rice bowl with marinated inexperienced chickpeas and black garlic shoyu ($18), and my husband loved the wild king salmon ($32). In the meantime, the trio of dips and pita ($19) was successful with my 9-month-old daughter, who notably appreciated the smoky candy potato hummus.
Breakfast includes a full menu of espresso drinks and classics like avocado toast ($16), brown butter pancakes ($16) and breakfast sandwiches ($16). Bottomless espresso and tea from Portland-based Smith Teamaker are included. Observe that Globalists don’t get complimentary breakfast at Below Canvas or different Mr & Mrs Smith accommodations.
Embers shouldn’t be open for lunch, as friends are usually out and about in the course of the center of the day. Your greatest wager is to go again down towards the river to the charming city of White Salmon, the place White Salmon Baking Co. is a private favourite for sandwiches. Throughout the river on the Oregon aspect, Hood River is a bigger metropolis with a number of eating places, breweries and meals vans to select from.
Away from the principle eating space, Below Canvas affords complimentary nightly s’mores in addition to an array of snacks for buy close to check-in — suppose potato chips ($3), path combine ($10), cheese sticks ($2) and brownies ($5).
Whereas the property would not but have its license to promote alcohol, it anticipates having the ability to promote alcohol someday this season. At the moment, a curated number of craft beer, wine and spirits will probably be accessible to buy, with an emphasis on regional and native producers. Within the meantime, nonalcoholic beer is on the market, and friends are free to usher in alcohol they’ve bought elsewhere.
1 of 5
EMILIA WRONSKI/THE POINTS GUY
Facilities and repair
- Service: I discovered the service pleasant and useful all through my keep. Employees members have been all the time fast to supply a hand or a golf cart journey, and I beloved chatting with them.
- Expertise coordinator: An on-site expertise coordinator is on the market to assist friends plan native actions like rafting, biking and canyoneering.
- Programming: Friends can entry a calendar of every day actions, with choices starting from stay music to meditation to arts and crafts tasks.
- Actions: Below Canvas has video games, a telescope and a guitar for visitor use.
- Fireplace pit: The property has a communal fireplace pit the place you can also make complimentary s’mores nightly. I beloved the best way this shared amenity fostered dialog amongst friends.
- Personal loos: Along with the in-tent loos, there are just a few single-stall loos with retailers you can use to plug in a hair dryer, for instance.
- Pets: The property welcomes canine for $35 per canine per night time. In line with the Below Canvas web site, this payment features a bandana, although we weren’t provided one. Whereas all canine are totally different, my princess of a pitbull undoubtedly most popular the big tent and actual mattress to our typical tenting setup.
- EV charging: I took benefit of the principle car parking zone’s Rivian Waypoints electrical car charging stations, that are suitable with any EV.
- Connectivity: There isn’t any visitor Wi-Fi on the property, which gives an incredible alternative to disconnect and immerse your self in nature. Nevertheless, in case you want it, I did discover I had sufficient reception to name, textual content and do some easy web searches on my cellphone.
1 of 8
EMILIA WRONSKI/THE POINTS GUY
Household friendliness
Below Canvas is a superb place for a household journey, catering to youngsters of all ages. The communal areas supply a lot of area for teenagers to run round and play video games, and the property gives particular tents particularly outfitted for teenagers. It additionally affords youngsters’ menus, family-friendly programming and no-cost, pack-and-play cribs for infants.
Nevertheless, there are a few issues to remember in case you’re bringing youthful youngsters. Lots of the property’s facilities are shared amongst friends close to the camp’s entrance, which means adults supervising youngsters cannot get pleasure from them after their youngsters fall asleep. It is a totally different expertise from staying at a campsite, for instance, which might usually have a person fireplace pit and eating desk exterior every tent.
The tents also can get extremely popular in the course of the day, and whereas temperatures should not pose an issue for these out and about having fun with the Gorge, I can see them making issues tough for households with youngsters who must nap.
Location and logistics
Regardless of its Washington deal with, the simplest option to get to Below Canvas Columbia River Gorge is to fly into Portland Worldwide Airport (PDX) and drive. The roughly 77-mile journey takes about an hour and a half to finish, and far of that’s spent on a wide ranging stretch of I-84 that follows the Columbia River.
Whereas it is attainable to make use of a ride-hailing service to journey from the airport, I do not advocate it, as you may want a automobile when you arrive. For these seeking to discover the Gorge as a part of a broader Pacific Northwest highway journey, Below Canvas is about three hours from Bend, Oregon, and 4 and a half hours from Seattle.
1 of 3
EMILIA WRONSKI/THE POINTS GUY
What it prices to remain at Below Canvas Columbia River Gorge and learn how to e book
Below Canvas is a part of Hyatt’s Mr & Mrs Smith assortment, which means you may earn or redeem World of Hyatt factors when reserving your keep. Hyatt costs Mr & Mrs Smith awards dynamically, so you may see costs and factors fluctuate all through the season, which matches till late October and resumes in late April. By way of the tip of the season, I noticed base Deluxe tents for as few as $252 or 18,125 factors, however it can save you on that money charge with a 20% “Secret Season” promo taking place for dates this fall.
When reserving Below Canvas Columbia River Gorge, you may wish to use one of many credit cards that earn the most points for Hyatt stays, in addition to one which presumably affords automated World of Hyatt elite status for value-added advantages. These embrace:
Whereas sure World of Hyatt member advantages like late checkout and complimentary bottled water usually are not accessible at Mr & Mrs Smith areas, friends with elite standing can earn nights and bonus factors at Below Canvas as they usually would, and Globalist members are eligible for tent upgrades at check-in if accessible.
Accessibility
An Below Canvas illustration shared with TPG that every Below Canvas location affords accessible tents, parking choices, loos and foyer tents; Columbia River Gorge isn’t any exception. We advocate reaching out to the property immediately to verify particulars about accessibility options on-site.
Moreover, take into account that the property’s roads and paths are primarily dust or gravel, which can be difficult for friends with restricted mobility, particularly throughout inclement climate.
Backside line
Below Canvas is a superb addition to the Columbia River Gorge, notably for factors vacationers who now have an choice to earn and burn with World of Hyatt whereas profiting from all the world has to supply. You could not ask for a greater location or views, and all kinds of programming, meals and facilities make it a enjoyable place to remain for friends of all ages. I am going to undoubtedly be returning.
If you happen to’re used to tenting, you may love luxurious touches just like the in-room bathe, gasoline fire and actual bedding. If you happen to’re not, it is necessary to do not forget that Below Canvas shouldn’t be your typical resort: On the finish of the day, you are still sleeping in nature, and you will be doubtlessly topic to noise, gentle, critters, warmth and air high quality points. Whereas the employees does its greatest to mitigate these components, you may have a significantly better time in case you regulate your expectations accordingly.
Associated studying:
Trending Merchandise
