Utah’s New Under Canvas Retreat Elevates Glamping Experience

The Dinogo Perspective

Nestled in the American Southwest, Moab, Utah, has long attracted adventure enthusiasts and nature lovers with its proximity to the stunning sandstone formations of Arches National Park and the mesas of Canyonlands National Park. Recently, the area has become so popular that Arches National Park implemented a reservation system. Despite this rise in popularity, lodging options have typically leaned towards campgrounds and motor lodges. However, this changed with the May 2023 launch of Ulum, the new sister brand from Under Canvas, renowned for its 11 tented camps near U.S. national parks. Operating seasonally from late March to late October, Ulum Moab provides a more upscale experience, enhancing design, amenities, programming, and dining.

Ulum’s air-conditioned main lodge features design elements that harmonize with the resort’s natural surroundings, including a stunning chandelier made from quartzite rocks sourced on-site. Floor-to-ceiling windows showcase the vibrant desert landscape, known for its hiking, biking, and canyoneering. Inside, guests will find a gift shop, an Adventure Concierge desk, a full-service restaurant, and a café offering pre-packaged lunches for daytime excursions. Outside, there are hot and cold dipping pools, a yoga deck, fire pits, and a spacious patio where local musicians perform acoustic sets under the stars most nights.

Who is it for?

Adventurous couples and solo travelers eager to explore nearby national parks and monuments by day, and enjoy meticulously crafted meals under the stars by night. Dog owners who can’t bear to leave their furry friends behind. Under Canvas fans seeking additional comforts beyond a fire pit and casual dining. Traveling groups looking to reserve an outdoor venue for special celebrations.

The Location

Ulum Moab is enveloped by protected lands, including multiple national parks, monuments, and Bureau of Land Management areas, situated 25 miles south of Moab, Utah. It spans its own 221 acres of SITLA (School and Institutional Trust Land Administration) land, featuring juniper trees, rabbit brush, desert sage, pinyon pines, black-eyed susans, and tumbleweeds. Ulum pays monthly rent to SITLA, with the proceeds benefiting Utah's public school system.

Standing with your back to the main lodge patio and looking from left to right, you’ll first notice the Abajo Mountains and Elk Ridge, both part of Bear Ears National Monument, which is rich in petroglyphs, pictographs, Indigenous dwellings, and pottery shards. In the distance, where the landscape flattens out, lies the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. Although you can’t see the park's colorful spires due to the valley, they are approximately 50 miles away by car. On the right, you’ll spot Looking Glass Arch, the centerpiece around which the resort was designed, located on Bureau of Land Management land just a short hike from the lodge. The main building is encircled by 100-foot rust-colored cliffs on three sides, creating a natural amphitheater.

The Rooms

The property features 50 suite-style tents, each measuring 400 square feet and equipped with a king-size bed, a bathroom complete with a rain shower and Aesop toiletries, a cozy seating area with West Elm sling-back chairs and coffee tables, and a private patio. Each tent has both evaporative coolers and wood-burning stoves to ensure guests can achieve their desired comfort level. For cooler evenings, Pendleton blankets are available at the foot of the bed and on the sofa bed, which accommodates families with children. Additionally, cobranded Ulum/Parachute robes hang by the bathroom door.

The majority of the tents are oriented towards Looking Glass, with a few facing the canyon wall.

The Food and Drink

Unlike other Under Canvas locations where guests place orders at a counter and receive a number for their table, Ulum provides a more conventional dining experience at its restaurant.

Breakfast offerings are hearty, featuring items like a Breakfast Focaccia Sandwich with cage-free fried eggs, bacon, citrus-marinated kale, and tomatillo mayo, served with fingerling potatoes or Honey Corn Cakes paired with bison sausage gravy, eggs, green onions, and shaved gruyère. Since many guests prefer to have lunch off-site, there is no formal lunch menu. However, the café provides numerous grab-and-go options such as sandwiches, salads, hummus with vegetables, trail mix, fruit leather, and granola bars.

The dinner menu is packed with nourishing options that were particularly appealing after a long day of hiking. Notable dishes include the Salted Beets appetizer served on a bed of avocado with cashews and pickled peppers, and the Bison Burger topped with bacon, pimento cheese, pickled red onions, red wine barbecue sauce, and arugula. Whenever possible, Ulum's chefs collaborate with the local farm Easy Bees for their produce, which also garnishes cocktails and mocktails.

After sunset, the staff sets up a complimentary s'mores station with marshmallows, graham crackers, and a selection of chocolates.

Staff and Service

The staff is attentive, readily offering blankets if you're on the patio after dark, yet they remain unobtrusive. If you need anything, they're only a phone call or text away.

The staff also organizes on-site activities that reflect their diverse skills and interests, offering everything from yoga classes and watercolor painting to jewelry-making workshops and tea blending sessions. All classes are free for guests.

Accessibility

Although Ulum is classified as a campground, which comes with more relaxed accessibility standards, it is not fully ADA-compliant. However, the main lodge and one tent (number 11) do adhere to ADA guidelines, featuring accessible bathrooms and no stairs.

The staff is available to provide golf cart rides around the property, which is especially convenient for guests whose accommodations are located up a hill.

Going above and beyond

Ulum is committed to minimizing its environmental impact and preserving the stunning natural landscape around it. One way the retreat achieves this is by offering Rivian Waypoints Level 2 chargers for guests with electric vehicles, enabling them to charge overnight. Ulum also adheres to International Dark Sky principles by ensuring solar-powered path lights are directed downward and activate only when guests approach, thus safeguarding the night sky (and crucially, the visibility of the Milky Way) from light pollution.