Just Outside Oregon's Crater Lake National Park Is A Rustic Ranch Where You Can Glamp In An Authentic Tipi

Just outside of Oregon's Crater Lake National Park, home to some of America's cleanest air and most stunning hiking trails, is a unique glamping experience: spending the night in an authentic Native American tipi at a spot known as Heartline Ranch & Tipi Village. But Heartline Ranch ranch is only 30 miles from the southern entrance to Crater Lake National Park and the Steel Information Center, making it a great home base for exploring the  pristine lake and surrounding spectacular wilderness areas.

Heartline Ranch and Tipi Village has six beautiful tipis available for overnight stays along with six primitive camping sites, if you prefer to stay in your own tent. The six tipis have different aesthetic themes that are reflected in their exterior designs: red-tailed hawk, buffalo, wild mustang, eagle, elk, and a ceremonial tipi. Each contains sleeping pads, sleeping bags, and pillows, along with lanterns, insect-repelling incense, and indoor fire pits for heat (as needed). Outside the tipi, each site has a picnic table and a barbecue for cooking. There are communal outhouses and one outdoor shower on the property, with hot water on demand. 

Heartline Ranch is also dog-friendly, which certainly can't be said about every campsite you come across these days. But if you do bring your dog, it must be kept on a leash for the duration of your stay so it doesn't spook the rescue horses that also stay at the ranch. If you're sold on tipi stays after your experience at Heartline Ranch, further north you'll find another Oregon tipi village that's a perfect getaway from Portland and has a magical woodland setting.

Besides relaxing in your very own tipi, you also have access to endless miles of hiking trails right from the 250-acre Heartline Ranch, which borders the Winema National Forest. The ranch's owners even state on their website that "You could literally hike off this property all the way to Canada!"

Another thing you can do at the ranch takes place in the velvety blackness of the night. Utah may be famous for having more dark-sky certified spots than anywhere else in the country, but you'll find similar high-quality stargazing opportunities in this part of southern Oregon. One of the appeals of Crater Lake National Park is that it's situated in a dark sky zone — meaning its skies are not contaminated by artificial light. Other factors that contribute to a high-quality stargazing experience here are the area's high elevation (more than 6,000 feet above sea level), pure air, and the fact that the stars bounce off the lake's reflective surface, making them appear closer than they actually are. Heartline Ranch provides overnight guests with the perfect opportunity to stargaze right from their own tipi or campsite. For optimal viewing, it's recommended that you visit during the new moon and bring binoculars, a small telescope, and a red-light flashlight. 

The stargazing — as well as the sunrises, the sunsets, and the views anytime of day or night, really — are also fabulous at the nearby Crater Lake National Park, which is just down the road. Within the park, the rim of the caldera is a popular spot to watch the sunset. You can also watch the sky's changing colors as you cruise along Rim Drive, which circles Crater Lake.