I grew up going to summer camp each year — and I hated it. At least…at first, I hated it. The way I saw it, my life was not dissimilar to the plot of Shutter Island. Come June, I was shipped up to Northern Ontario for months at a time to exist in the woods on an island without my phone or any meaningful connection to the outside world.
Now, being 25 and somewhat resentful of the hot New York City summers, I’d give anything to go back. On those humid mornings when someone’s back sweat starts dripping onto me mid-morning commute, I close my eyes and think about being in the trees or floating on a lake.
Windham Is the Coolest Little Mountain Town in the Northeast
This year-round destination in the heart of Upstate New York has it allNeedless to say, when the opportunity arose to stay at Huttopia Adirondacks — an upstate mountain getaway — I jumped at it. Huttopia is a French-founded company made up of glamping villages nestled along famous mountain ranges, nature reserves and lakes all over the world. They have seven properties in the U.S. scattered throughout the Northeast and California. Internationally, you can find Huttopia properties in Canada, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Belgium and France.
I’ll caveat my description by saying that I’m not a fan of the word “glamping.” It tends to carry a negative connotation with it, often used to describe people who like nature but not enough to fully immerse themselves in it. However, as a seasoned camper myself, I can attest to the fact it’s more than acceptable to get outdoors in whatever way you’re comfortable with.
And that’s exactly what Huttopia encourages. Like I mentioned, they have a range of properties that vary in accommodation type from cabins, to tabins (canvas tent cabins), to traditional tent pitch sites. I was lucky enough to stay at their Adirondack property, which sits on the edge of the Kenyon Mountains in the Adirondack range. The on-site accommodations are made up of canvas-style tents, inspired by historical French-Canadian fur trapper tents. Don’t worry, they’re a bit more up to par than what fur trappers used to use.
Getting There
Now, as I mentioned, I’m 25 and live in a city with some of the most convenient public transport. That means that I don’t have a car and rarely am in need of one. In this instance, I wanted to test the boundaries of my resourcefulness (AKA my unwillingness to shell over rental car deposits) and get to Huttopia via public transport.
It’s pretty simple if you’re coming from New York City: You can take the Amtrak or a bus up to Lake George and Uber to the property from there. While there aren’t a ton of ride share drivers in Lake George, there are enough to make do. It’s a 10-minute drive to the Huttopia property from the train station, and once you pull into the main lodge’s driveway, it feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere.
If you’re someone with a vehicle, the drive is easy. Once you arrive at Huttopia, you’ll park and unload all your belongings into little wagons needed to transport things like bags, coolers and gear to your tent. There are no cars allowed beyond the main parking lot, which adds to the serenity of the property.
Inside the Accommodations
I checked into their Trapper Duo, which, while intended for a more romantic couple’s stay, was just fine for me, myself and I. The cabin has canvas walls with a wooden porch out front, adorned with some patio furniture, a grill and a table and chairs.
Each cabin, regardless of the type you’re in, will have a fire pit as well — so you can sit around it in the evening making s’mores, banana boats (a personal fave) or just enjoying your evenings. There’s also a wood-burning stove inside the cabin, which you can fire up in the colder months to stay warm and cozy.
Each cabin also has electricity and bathroom facilities — unless you opt to book their nature lodging option, which is a little more eco-friendly. I had a little sink, shower and toilet stationed just behind my bed. Obviously you’re still in small quarters, but considering the fact that the alternative is an outhouse or the forest floor, the in-cabin showers and toilets were lovely. They’re not too cramped and have running water attached to them, so it’s not a porta-potty situation you’re s(h)itting on.
The aforementioned eco lodging option looks like your regular tent but lacks the running water and electricity amenities the other tents have — though you’ll have access to some sort of dry-flush toilet and bottled water for drinking and dishes.
Each tent also comes outfitted with everything you’ll need to cook and grill on your own. There are pots, pans, cooking utensils along with plates, bowls, dishes — even sticks for the s’mores if you want to make some in the evening. The site has limited service, with wifi available in the main lodge, so it’s a stellar opportunity for guests to log off, connect with their surroundings and any loved ones they bring along.
The Food, Activities and Everything Else
The rest of the property is set up in a pretty unique way. There’s a main lodge, which features the check-in desk, a camp store, a restaurant serving simple food options and a slew of activities that are all family-friendly. It’s stationed above their heated pool, which was perfect for the hazy summer days.
The food available on-site includes sweet and savory crepes for breakfast, sandwiches and salads for lunch and wood-fired pizzas for dinner. I personally indulged each and every day in the food served by Huttopia, but you’re encouraged to bring whatever else you might want to eat and have it in your tent. In the camp store, they also sell a variety of food and packaged goods you might want throughout your stay — anything from locally-sourced sausages to s’mores kits.
While you’re encouraged to explore the hiking trails and towns nearby, the property is chock full of activities. For rainy days, there are a ton of board games and books available for use inside the main lodge. Outside, you’ll find games like corn hole and foosball and a large wrap-around deck that hosts early morning yoga twice weekly.
If you’re travelling with kids, the property hosts storytelling nights and candle-making sessions that are all family-friendly. Of course, you’re near some of the best hiking trails in the state and are stationed between Lake George and Lake Luzerne, two gorgeous swimming spots if you’re looking to jump in a lake.
Our Stamp of Approval
All in all, if you’re looking for an easy getaway that allows you to put your electronics aside and reconnect with your surroundings, Huttopia is the place to do it. The cabins have everything you need for a comfortable stay but aren’t decked out in a way that removes nature from the experience.
You have enough space and quiet for the welcomed solitude of a traditional camping trip, but easy access to services, amenities and warm food that make it all the more comfortable.
In Conversation with Céline Bossanne, Co-Founder of Huttopia
When Céline Bossanne and her husband Philippe moved back to their home of Lyon, France, after living in Toronto for a few years, they were struck by how hard it was to find good camping. During their time in Canada in the early ’90s, they enjoyed easy access to nature and places like Algonquin Provincial Park, where they developed a love for the outdoors. Back in France, however, they were disappointed by the dearth of good outdoor space.
Over Zoom, Celine Bossanne tells me, “We would’ve loved to go camping with our kids, but at that time the internet almost didn’t exist and it was very difficult to find information about where to go camping. We also don’t have the same kind of camping available back in France.”
As she tells it, campgrounds were much more run-down and overcrowded than they experienced in Canada. Nothing that they wanted existed in France, so they decided to create their own. Philippe was an entrepreneur, so the couple got right to creating a brand and a concept that wasn’t on the market at the time. They decided on the name Huttopia, a nod to the sort of camping paradise they envisioned.
Bossanne is adamant that they are not doing glamping. She cites the amorphous definition of what glamping is — anything from a tent with a butler to a tiny house. Bossane has no issue with the countless companies that have sprouted up over the past decade, but that is not what they are, she assures me.
“What I’m doing is comfortable camping,” she says. “Right now, in people’s mind, glamping is very expensive. It’s very luxurious and more expensive than five-star hotels. That’s not what we want to do. We want to offer our customers the opportunity to live in and with nature in a simple and comfortable way.”
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