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PrintYurts in Yellowstone
On the trail of the elusive three dog day
Dunraven Pass is one of several destinations for guided cross-country ski tours with Yellowstone Expeditions in Yellowstone National Park.
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We’re at the summit of Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone National Park. Mount Washburn towers to the east and the snow is so deep that only the bright-red top of a stop sign tells us we’re standing six feet above the roadway.
We made the easy trek up the pass on Nordic skis, gliding along a sunlit path. I’ve been over Dunraven Pass before, but only in my car, and usually with my hands gripping the steering wheel, hoping not to hit a gaggle of tourists ogling a herd of deer.
But here it is early March, not a car in sight, and the only tourists are myself and the group of eight I’m with. We stand, mouths agape, marveling at the quiet, untouched beauty of rolling hills and sharp peaks rising out of the wintery landscape. I feel like I’m seeing Yellowstone for the first time—and, in fact, several in our group are.
Admittedly, before signing up for this adventure I would never have considered a weeklong trip to Yellowstone in early March staying indoors at night, let alone while holing up in a primitive yurt. Usually when this time of year rolls around in the Tetons, I’m looking for a reprieve from winter, having already spent months on skis. But there we were, jumping into a snow coach in West Yellowstone, Montana. We would soon be heading into the park for our adventure with Yellowstone Expeditions, based out of their Cross Country Skiers Yurt Camp.
As the drivers fired up the snow coaches, guides helped load our skis and gear bags. A few hours later, our snowcoach rolled into the yurt camp, revealing rows of the private tent cabins Yellowstone Expeditions refers to as “yurtlets.” They stood neatly positioned in front of the two main yurts, which held a common area, dining room, and kitchen. The yurtlets varied in size and space; ours was small but amazingly comfortable and warm, with its own propane heater, double bed lined with fleece, and plenty of wall pegs for hanging and drying ski clothes and gloves. I was happy to learn that I could either cocoon in the privacy of the yurtlet or hang out in the common area with others.
The entire article can be read in the Winter 2012 issue of Jackson Hole Magazine.
