About the yurts

Bunchgrass yurt was replaced in 2019 and is now a 20 foot yurt that sleeps 8. Note: We moved the yurt about 200 feet to the east! Please check the new coordinates if you are familiar with the location!

Sleeping is provided on bunks and two cots, equipped with eight nice, thick sleeping pads. The yurt is equipped with a wood stove for heat and melting snow for water, a snowmelt pot (only to be used for drinking water), a two burner propane stove for cooking, LED lanterns, and all the utensils, silverware, cookware and crockery needed for your meals. There are drip cones and paper filters for coffee making and to filter snowmelt if so desired. There is ample TP. Paper towels are stocked, but some groups run through rolls in days and may or may not be there. Ample cloth towels are stocked.

    • Bunchgrass yurt is 3.6 miles up the Bunchgrass drainage over 2,000' vertical gain.

      • The trailhead parking is at: 41.893097°, -111.565595°. The yurt is at: 41.918630°, -111.623500°.

Steam Mill yurt was replaced in 2021 and is now a 20 foot yurt that sleeps 8! Sleeping is provided on bunks and two cots, equipped with eight nice, thick sleeping pads. The yurt is equipped with a wood stove for heat and melting snow for water, a snowmelt pot (only to be used for drinking water), a two burner propane stove for cooking, LED lanterns, and all the utensils, silverware, cookware and crockery needed for your meals. There are drip cones and paper filters for coffee making and to filter snowmelt if so desired. There is ample TP. Paper towels are stocked, but some groups run through rolls in days and may or may not be there. Ample cloth towels are stocked.

  • Steam Mill yurt is 3.3 miles up the Hell's Kitchen drainage and Franklin Basin over 1,500' vertical gain.

      • The trailhead parking is at: 41.930440°, -111.563537°. The yurt is at: 41.959807°, -111.607973°.

Private privies are set off from the yurts for nature's call. These pit toilets can be taxed towards the end of the season, so there is a strict policy to not put toilet paper in the privy. Instead, used TP must be placed in paper bags after use (paper bags are provided). At the end of your stay, or as needed, burn the bag in the wood stove (with a small fire, of course). Future guests will appreciate your compliance. And there is ample hand sanitizer.

    • Note: These two yurts are well into the backcountry, with no markings as to their location or the trail to them! Often there will be an uptrack established by a previous group, but this can be erased quickly by a storm or strong winds. Further, these canyons are utilized by day recreationists so not all trails lead to the yurt. Strong map and compass skills are advised, or better is a GPS unit. We still use our phones as a navigational backup after using these yurts for 15 years. There are many affordable apps to use a mobile device as a GPS with map baselayers. Even Google maps can be used, free, offline for navigation purposes.

      • Cellular and data coverage is minimal around these two yurts. Reliable coverage on Verizon (our carrier) is available on nearby ridgelines. In cases of emergencies, the injured party should be bivouacked and accompanied either in place or at the yurt and another group member should contact the authorities for rescue. Search and Rescue (SAR) knows the location of the yurts and surrounding terrain, and are highly capable of extricating those in need. To this date our guests have not needed their service, but we have seen SAR extractions from the area over the years by snowmobile, snowcat, and helicopter.

    • Both of these yurts are in winter motorized closure areas to benefit non-motorized recreation. These closures should be respected, but if they are not, a violation report can be submitted to the Forest Service at this link.

Green Canyon yurt is a 24-foot diameter yurt that sleeps up to twelve people. It is located at the end of the Green Canyon groomed ski trail (i.e., the end of the summer road), so it offers a good introductory yurt experience for new skiers or snowshoers. For the adventurous, it is a great base camp for ascents of Bierdneau Peak and beyond. Like the Bunchgrass and Steam Mill yurts, it includes sleeping pads, a wood stove (and plenty of firewood( for heat and melting snow for drinking water, a propane stove for cooking, LED lanterns, and a full array of kitchen utensils, dishes, and cookware for 12. The Green Canyon yurt is served by a permanent vault toilet.

    • Green Canyon yurt is 3.5 miles up the winter groomed road over 1,200' vertical gain.

      • The trailhead is at: 41.769053°, -111.769191°. The yurt is at: 41.794475°, -111.719881°.

Please note that none of the yurts have cell coverage. You will not be able to use your cell phone for navigation unless you pre-download map base layers and use your phone's GPS while in airplane mode.

To see maps of our yurt locations, please see the Resources section of our website, under the "For our guests" link on the upper left.

See photos of the yurts and surrounding terrain at our Facebook page.