Imagine sitting with friends inside a backcountry yurt as snow falls outside your circular tent, drifting lazily past windows rimmed with frost from the cold outside your warm canvas walls. Or, waking to a warm summer morning inside your yurt as a cool summer’s breeze flows gently through your yurt’s large screen windows.
Yurts, reminiscent of tents used by nomads on the steppes of Mongolia and Siberia, are round tents on a wooden frame with circular skylights and windows to provide illumination.
Colorado State Parks offers a variety of yurts designed to accommodate the casual camper or backcountry traveler. Yurts are available year-round.
Yurts are currently available at the following Parks:
Golden Gate Canyon has two yurts located in Reverend's Ridge campground that offer the perfect escape from Denver among aspen groves and pine covered hills. Both yurts sleep a maximum of six people. The yurts are equipped with two bunk beds and a twin bed.
Mancos has two yurts located at sites 22 and 24 that are available for rent year-round by reservation or on a first-come, first-served basis. Both yurts at Mancos have a wooden lattice wall and ceiling. They are nicely complemented with a wooden door, pinewood floors, a ceiling light/fan and a screened skylight in the center of the domed roof. Three large screened windows, a skylight and a ceiling fan keep these ultra-modern tents cool and comfortable in the summer, while the insulated walls and propane heater/gas-log fireplace keep them warm and cozy in the winter.
Pearl Lake has two yurts available year-round by reservation. Both yurts require a two night minimum stay from May 1 through November 30. Each yurt is furnished with a picnic table, four deck chairs, and two sets of bunk beds with the lower bunk being a double sized futon. Just off each deck is a picnic table and fire ring. You will need to bring your own bedding such as sleeping bags or sheets, blankets and pillows. During the summer, visitors can enjoy all the facilities Pearl Lake and nearby Steamboat Lake offer. Winter offers a completely different experience, as the yurts are accessible only by snowshoe, ski or snowmobile.
Ridgway has three yurts located on the Dutch Charlie site that will keep guests cool in the summer with three large screened windows and a ceiling fan. In the wintertime, insulated walls and a propane/gas log fireplace, shelter guests from cold winter winds while they revel in winter in the Rockies, nestled beneath the towering San Juan Mountains. As with all yurts in Colorado State Parks, you’ll need to bring your own bedding.
State Forest yurts are currently unavailable to rent, however, the park will post an update in spring/summer with regard to a new yurt program. For more information, see the State Forest Yurts and Huts page. State Forest also has Cabins for rent.
Sylvan Lake has three yurts located in a quiet spot at the top of the switchback up East Brush Creek (14 miles from Eagle, CO), approximately 9 miles from the campground sites and cabins. Each yurt has two double futons and one set of bunk beds, accommodating up to six people. The yurts are heated and have solar lighting. Each yurt comes complete with tables, chairs and cupboards inside, as well as a picnic table and a fire pit with a grill outside. You will need to bring your own linens and water. Other items you might want to bring include warm clothing and boots, lanterns and flashlights, matches and cooking utensils. These yurts make a great base camp for snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.*
* Yurts are not available for reservations during the winter months; first-come, first served availability may be affected by adverse weather conditions.
