Dark-sky Yosemite glamp

A new glamping camp near Yosemite is selling stargazing as the main event, opening as California’s first DarkSky Approved resort. (latimes.com) Under Canvas Yosemite opened on April 16 on an 85-acre forested site in the Sierra Nevada near the park’s Big Oak Flat entrance, becoming the company’s first California location and its 13th camp overall. The company said the camp’s first season runs through October 26, 2026, and reservations for 2026 and 2027 are available. (undercanvas.com) DarkSky Approved means the property’s outdoor lighting was reviewed for brightness, shielding and color so it throws less glare into the sky and surrounding habitat. DarkSky International said Under Canvas Yosemite is the first lodging property in California to earn that designation. (darksky.org, darksky.org) The pitch lands in a Yosemite travel market where night skies are part of the attraction, but lodging outside the park is often a practical decision about access, parking and traffic. Under Canvas said a Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System stop sits directly across from the camp, offering car-free access into the park. (undercanvas.com) The opening does not change Yosemite’s own entry rules. The National Park Service said Yosemite will not use a timed entrance reservation system in 2026, though visitors still need to pay entrance fees and should expect active traffic and parking management. (nps.gov) That distinction matters because “Yosemite” lodging can sit outside park boundaries while still marketing park access. Under Canvas described the camp as being near Yosemite National Park rather than inside it, and the Los Angeles Times reported it as a Yosemite-area option. (undercanvas.com, latimes.com) Under Canvas has been building a travel brand around upscale tents near major parks, and DarkSky’s lodging program was developed with the company as a model for reducing light pollution in hospitality settings. DarkSky said the program sets standards for hotels and camps that want to preserve darker night environments for guests and wildlife. (darksky.org) For travelers, the new camp adds one more Yosemite-area bed base in a year when the park has dropped timed entry but still warns that summer congestion can shape the visit. The resort is betting that, after sunset, the draw will be the part of Yosemite most hotels usually wash out with their own lights. (nps.gov, darksky.org)