By Kurtis Alexander / San Francisco Chronicle
When Katy and Jeff Rose took a few days off recently, the Menlo Park couple decided to spend it in the woods, like they’d done on camping trips with their kids years ago. This time, however, they didn’t want to deal with the bugs, the cold or the hassle of pitching a tent.
“The last thing my husband needs after a week of work is sleeping on the ground,” said Katy Rose, 49. “He likes his comfort.”
The two stayed in a small cabin at Samuel P. Taylor State Park in Marin County, one of many scenic spots where California parks officials are launching into the business of “glamping,” or glamour camping.
The cushier digs — which can cost upwards of $100 a night, three times the price of a typical campsite — are part of the agency’s “transformation” initiative to lure more people into the great outdoors, even if they’re actually going indoors.
It’s partly a nod to Millennials whose experience with mountains and rivers may be limited to Instagram, but also due to a softening American public that is less likely to leave home for the park without their high-end Yeti coolers, wine carriers and wireless speakers.
In the past year or so, the Department of Parks and Recreation has built more than 20 new cabins across the state, but the real boom is coming: Officials have identified 750 potential sites for cabins across 51 parks….(Read More)