Yurts, year-round … for you?

from 2022 Outdoor Adventures

State parks are perfect playgrounds // St. Cloud

BY SARAH COLBURN | STAFF WRITER

Visitors have been fl ocking to yurts yearround at Minnesota’s state parks. Yurts, round tents traditionally covered in skins or felts and used by nomadic groups, have become a unique, popular destination for Minnesotans looking for a rustic getaway. “It offers a really comfortable, cozy place to stay as you participate in your recreation activities,” said Jamie McBride, policy and operations specialist with the state park and recreation areas within the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The state parks system offers two yurts at Afton State Park, three at Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area and two at Glendalough State Park. Yurts are popping up at various recreational areas and rental property sites throughout the state. Some, like the state parks, are set up for basic camping while others are set up for “glamping,” or fancy camping, while still others, like the one at Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center near Spicer, are great for providing a staging area or home base for outdoor recreational activities. At the state parks, the yurts range in size from 16-20 feet in diameter

PHOTOS SUBMITTED Cuyuna Country State Park off ers three yurts for rent year-round. These yurts provide a cozy place to call home for the night while exploring the park during the day. (Above) A family enjoys a picnic near the yurt they’re staying in at Glendalough State Park. The yurts have space for sleeping and relaxing but all food prep and cooking is done outside.

(Below) A small portico covers the entrance to this yurt at Glendalough State Park.

and accommodate three to seven people, respectively. The yurts in the state parks are appropriate for year-round camping. They are fi nished with wood fl oors and wood stoves and offer basic furnishings including bunks and a futon/bunk bed. They are also equipped with a table, two chairs, two benches, a glider chair and a side table. These yurts have windows that open and a skylight in the domed roof. While at least one yurt in each park is ADA accessible, there are a number of ways for campers to reach them, including hiking, canoeing, snowshoeing and biking. These yurts don’t have electricity or indoor plumbing but are often located near primitive toilets. Cooking is done outside at a fi re ring and they typically have a food storage locker to protect food from critters.

Yurts page 9

Now Available Boat/Pontoon/ RV Storage MN - DNR AIS Certified Lakeshore Specialists for your Dock & Boat Lift needs

WE SPECIALIZE IN:

• Seasonal-Install/Removal • New & Used Sales • Relocating Docks/Boat Lifts • Storm Damage/Recovery/Salvage • Lakeshore Equipment Repair

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Yurts from page 8

The yurts typically book up as soon as the state’s 120-day reservation window opens, especially on weekends. “They’re serving a similar audience as the camper cabins, but we have far more camper cabins than yurts,” McBride said. “It is a bit of a novelty and once people book, we get them as repeat visitors.” Most of the yurts are placed in areas where there are lots of recreational opportunities. In Glendalough State Park, the yurts sit just off the shoreline of the lake and a paved bike trail. People can bike out to the site and canoe during the day. In Cuyuna, the yurts provide access for mountain biking adventures. “It’s a bigger space that offers a cabin-like feel but still maintains something more rustic than a camper cabin,” McBride said. “It’s roughing it a little bit.” At the environmental center, Kory Klebe, the program coordinator, said their yurt is available for

There’s plenty of space for overnight rental but in the winter, it only warms to about 10 degrees higher than the outdoor temperature, unlike the ones for rent in the Minnesota parks system. Klebe said their yurt is next to Kettle Lake and visitors use it as a home base for cross-country skiing, kick-sledding and snowshoeing at the center in the winter and fat tire bikes, kayaking and canoeing in the summer. sleeping and relaxing in this yurt.