Timberline Glamping at Huntsville

Quick Take

Camping sounds considerably more appealing when someone else has already assembled the tent, made the bed and installed the air conditioning. Timberline Glamping puts furnished safari tents inside Monte Sano State Park, pairing real beds, electricity, climate control and coffee with hammocks, string lights and a fire ring outside.

Why it's here

a way to experience Huntsville that a generic hotel search might never show you. Monte Sano rises more than 1,600 feet above sea level, yet you're still only minutes from downtown. The park gives you trails, the Japanese Garden, planetarium, overlooks and the wonderfully Huntsville possibility of sleeping in the woods and still making dinner downtown.

The Vibe

Wooded mountain sleepover, upgraded. Rugs and lamps inside. Hammocks and string lights outside. Coffee in the morning. Fire ring at night. Enough creature comforts for people who enjoy nature considerably more when nature comes with an electrical outlet.

The Stay

Timberline currently lists furnished safari tents with beds and linens, rugs, lamps, chairs, electricity, heating or A/C, a Keurig and mini fridge. Outside, sites include two hammocks, a picnic table, string lights and a fire ring with cooking grate. The Alabama State Parks listing describes both Deluxe Safari Tents with a king and two bunk beds and Double Safari Tents with two queen beds.

Monte Sano means “Mountain of Health,” which feels almost suspiciously perfect for a place we're telling people to go disappear into the trees for a night. In the late 1800s, people were already traveling here for the mountain air, views and mineral springs. More than a century later, we're apparently still prescribing Monte Sano, only now the prescription comes with a Keurig.