The big camping experience last winter was spending a night in a yurt at Kejimkujik National Park. The only problem was finding an open weekend to book one of the two Yurts at the park. With time running out, we booked a single overnight in late March at the Eel Weir Yurt.
Being in the off-season, the road was gated at the Grafton Woods parking lot. This meant an 8km walk-in to reach the Eel Weir site. Add another 6km to reach the new Yurt site at Pesowesk.
However, with the mild winter and very warm March, the snow had melted and the road in dry and made for good walking. The additional benefit was that you had to haul less items like clothing in your pack.
It took a little over 90 minutes to reach Eel Weir. The halfway point offers a lunch shelter at Gold Mines trail head. This was a smaller yurt with a large clear dome, allowing some light. Inside the shelter was a table and seats for four people.
Under better winter conditions, we would be cross-country skiing or snowshoeing to the campsite. A little sled or pulk would be used to haul more gear & food if we were staying more than the simple overnight. A bike & trailer would also do the trick if you time your visit early December or late into the season as we have done to avoid the snow.
We reached the campsite and took a few moments to check out the installation of the Yurt. Being at Eel Weir, the campsite is located in the parking lot. Yurt, two wood sheds, picnic table, outhouse and the Mersey River make up the site.
And that’s the main aspect of the Yurt experience, currently it is a winter only back country offering. You need to bring a few pieces of base gear: water filter system, axe, lantern, foam mattress, cooking pots & matches. Cell phone reception is possible with the right position, but turn your device off to save your battery.
The Yurt itself is a much larger structure than the images allude to, it can handle with comfort four people. You will find inside two bunk beds, a small table, four chairs & wood stove. With the wood sheds nearby, you won’t run out of wood since not a lot is required to heat up the Yurt. The insulation around the walls retained the heat very well and the stove top allowed for cooking & coffee brewing with ease.
In short, this is probably the best way to get someone out camping and still be very comfortable. The nightly rate is slightly more than a regular tent campsite, thus making it a viable choice. The best advice is to keep an eye when the Yurts will become available and to book a non-weekend stay.
What activities can do?
- cross-country skiing
- snowshoeing
- star gazing on a clear night
- find geocaches as part of the passport program
How was the sleep? Since we were the only two people in that section of the park. It was quiet until 3am when two owls started to get talkative.
[notice class=”approved”]Originally posted on novascotiablogs.com[/notice]