New Years in a Yurt

Have you ever winter camped in a yurt?

Last year I convinced my crew to go winter camping in a yurt at Algonquin Provincial Park during the new year celebrations.  This year we did a repeat and spent 3 nights at Mew Lake.   I will give you some tips and tricks on how to enjoy winter camping in a yurt and a little bit of what it is like during this time of year.

Booking a yurt…

This has to be the part that is planned ahead.  We booked our yurt 5 months to the day for this trip.  On the Ontario Parks reservation system, the booking for sites is open at that special 5 month ahead date.  We knew from last year that we would have to plan ahead again to get our choice of yurts.  At Mew Lake there are a few yurts to book, plus electrical sites, and then there are a whole bunch of non-reservable sites.  Since we do not own a hot tent (yet) or a trailer, and we were not prepared for cold camping, we had to book a yurt.

Planning is key. I have researched and visited Mew Lake many times, and knew which sites I wanted to pick from for this years trip.  With that in mind, I booked our yurt on July 29th for the December 29th arrival for three nights.  There is a minimum two night rental, and we knew from last year that we wanted the extra night this time.

Now the wait….

It seems like 5 months is a far ways away, but when you have so many other trips planned, Christmas and New Year’s was approaching fast. 

Things to bring…

1. If you have not yet been in a yurt, the ones at Mew Lake are equipped with one plug.  You will need to bring an extension cord to allow for extra plugs inside the yurt.  Since these are located on hydro sites, the cord must be attached to the outlets outside. If not, you run the chance of tripping the breaker inside. 
2. Depending on the weather, you may need an extra space heater.  This was something we opted for on this trip, knowing the temperatures would drop really low at night.
3. Crock pot and kettle! We actually didn’t use a crock pot, but we have a kettle to boil water for quick and easy oatmeal and hot drinks.  FYI, you can’t actually cook in the yurt, but a crock pot will warm your pre cooked meals in your car or outside the yurt.
4. Bedding! The yurts have bunks, but you need your own bedding.
5. All other outdoor gear for your enjoyment!!

Our adventure begins…

This year we brought our snowshoes and skates as there are many activities to do in the park. My hubby also got a new fat bike for Christmas, so that joined us on this trip too!  The railway trail is groomed in winter just for fat bikes, so he was super happy to try his out.

You would have thought that we owned and operated an outfitting store just by the amount of gear that we brought with us, but you can never be too prepared. Plus, we were car camping, so that means we can stuff our vehicle! Since we arrived fairly late that evening, our priority was getting our yurt set up and then we settled in for the night.

Saturday morning we were greeted with -36 degrees Celsius. I may be a bit weird, but I actually love getting up and “smelling” the air when it’s that cold outside.  I love the crispness.

Dan knew this was the “warmest” morning of our trip, so he got geared up and headed out for his fat bike ride down the rail trail.  His goal was to go from Mew Lake to the bridge that crosses into Pog Lake.  If you are wondering, he was super prepared for this.  We even gathered special supplies for him to carry just in case something were to happen on his ride.  He will always wear a helmet since you need to protect that noggin of yours, and this time he had an emergency blanket, fire kit, snacks and water.  I knew that if he didn’t return in a few hours I would probably have to go looking for him.

While Dan was out biking, Hayden and I went looking for the pine marten that hangs around the garbage area.  Alas, no luck for us. I did however find this strange 9 year old creature hanging out in the trees 🙂

Since there was a bit of snowfall overnight, the warden (Harvey) and other park staff were clearing off the ice rink. I got Hayden to help out since he likes to skate.  There are actually numerous shovels on site so that anyone can help clear off the snow.  The park staff will clear the snow and flood the rink in the morning so that it is ready for all campers to enjoy during the day.

During the remainder of our trip, we went on a couple of hikes (which I will be posting in the next couple weeks), and visited with LOTS of other outdoor people!  I wish I had pictures, but I was so busy chatting that I totally forgot!!! (Rooky mistake right there)

On Sunday (New Year’s Eve) we had one of our usual supper meals, pizza! We got the fire going outside and cooked these lovely pizzas on it. The boys opt for pepperoni and bacon, but I had some left over dehydrated mushrooms and peppers from the summer, so I added those to my pizza.

With midnight fast approaching, we cracked out the glow sticks and glow balls.  I must say, these are the best thing ever when you have children!  Hayden had loads of fun making silly faces from all the glow sticks. He even had extras that Camper Christina brought over for him.  He was in his glory!

Even the adults enjoyed the glow sticks.  Christina showed us her juggling skills (ya, bet you never knew that) and you can’t tell, but this is Dan LOL.

At 11:30 that night, we headed out to the fire and lit the sparklers to help ring in the new year. Being at Mew Lake during New Year’s, there are many people around the fire and in the warming tent.  Everyone is welcome and not only did we share our sparklers with other kids, but the park provides marshmallows and hot dogs.  I think my son must have eaten an entire bag of marshmallows over this weekend.

Alas, we said goodbye to 2017 and hello to 2018!  2017 has brought a lot of fun and adventures for us as a family, and there will be many more in 2018.

Check back in the next couple of weeks for my write up on the hikes we completed over this weekend in Algonquin. Even though there was an extreme cold warning in the area, it didn’t stop us from getting outside and enjoying ourselves! Thanks for reading.