News
State Park offers Yurt for guest to stay in
Scott Wagar
12/04/2012
For individuals who are looking for a different camping experience they will definitely want to check out Lake Metigoshe State Park’s yurt and get the cultural opportunity of the Central Asian people.
“The yurt is kind of unique,” said Larry Haugen, director of Lake Metigoshe Sate Park. “It’s a fancy camp is what it really is. It kind of has all the comforts of home. It has a gas fireplace, a small fridge in there and a nice couch, couple of chairs and bunk beds. You can basically camp in the outdoors with the convenience of a thermostatic control fireplace.”
A yurt is a circular tent with a bent wood-frame that is supported by a conical roof with ribs which connect to a lattice wall. The structure is covered in layered materials which assist in weatherproofing the yurt and granting it warmth in the winter weather.
The yurt dates back to the nomads of the 13th century in the steppes of Central Asia. The yurts of ancient times were made of bent wood that was steamed, with different types of fabric wrapped around the structure like wool, insulated with felt and where mobile for the nomads.
Although yurts in today’s modern times still have wooden-frame structure, the materials utilized to cover the frame are more state-of-the-art materials and are usually constructed to stay in one permanent location.
“Our yurt is made up of a heavy duty vinyl, almost like tarp material,” Hagen said. “On the inside we have an insulated layer on the inside to hold in some of the heat and the top has the same type of material with insulation as well.”
Outside of the state park’s yurt being heated for North Dakota’s cold winter temperatures, it has electricity for the purpose of lighting and other minor electrical devices. It also has a contemporary skylight which allows light from the sun to enter into the tent during the day and moonlight at the night.
“The skylight during the day light allows a tremendous amount of light in there,” Hagen said. “During the night, with a clear sky and full moon, the inside glows really well; so, it provides a nice atmosphere.”
The floor of the yurt is wooden with indoor-outdoor carpeting, which Hagen says keeps the chill off your feet.
With the nice accommodations inside the yurt, the state park is also keeping to some of the customs of the ancient yurts. For one, there is no cooking allowed in the tent.
“There is also no cooking allowed inside the tent. With the tent tarp materials we did want to push that because we don’t know how the material will hold up,” Hagen said. “We do allow something like a crock pot inside to warm up chili or something like that, but other than that there is no stove or oven in there.”
The yurt does not having any plumbed water inside the tent and it has an outdoor vault. Individuals can cook outside the yurt and there are public showers and bathrooms in the park which the yurt campers have access to while camping.
The yurt is located in an isolated area of the park and has a deck that looks out on one of the recreational area lakes. The tent is 20 feet in diameter and can hold up to four individuals.
The Metigoshe’s yurt has been in the park for a year, but Hagen stated that rentals for the tent have been slow, but he feels that will change as more people learn about this exclusive structure.
“A lot of people think it extremely unique, the comments and praise it has been given is that it’s cute, it is really cool, it’s unique and all that,” he said. “Most people opt to rent one of the three year round cabins we here with the running water them. However, if you are looking for a different experience, the yurt is the way to go. We are hoping as more people learn about the yurt they will want to have that adventure here.”
The origins of the yurt originated through meetings the park members hold throughout the year. Brad Pozarnsky, the field manager stationed out of Lake Metigoshe State Park who supervises all the state parks, and Mark Zimmerman, the park director out of the Bismarck state office, saw yurts and made the recommendations to place one tent at Lake Metigoshe State park and three at Cross Ranch State Park in Washburn.
Like the three cabins with running water, the yurt and another cabin without running water, is open year round and can be rented at $50 a night.
Presently, the state park at Lake Metigoshe is open for its wintertime activities, which includes cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, sledding and snowmobiling which is part of the Turtle Mountain Snowmobile Trail.
For more information on the yurt, or Lake Metigoshe State Park, call (701) 263-4651.