A Winter Treat . . .

Looking for a place to get away from the stress of city life? How about a snowshoe or backcountry ski trip to a yurt?There's no better place to sit back, relax and take in the silent beauty of an Idaho winter.

The Portneuf Range Yurt System is made up of five mongolian yurt-style structures located in the mountains of Southeast  Idaho. They're for everyone: families with children can reach the easier yurts, while backcountry skiers and boarders will find delightful powder runs at the two yurts located high in the range. In addition, the Bear Lake Yurt is located up Bloomington Canyon near Bloomington, Idaho.

If you're not familiar with a yurt, it is a beautiful, dome shaped structure with a plastic skylite for watching the stars at night. Each yurt is outfitted with bunk beds, a wood burning stove, Coleman white gas cooking stove and lantern, pots, axe and fire wood.

Ideal for back country touring, Southeast Idaho is known for its exhilarating wide open powder slopes and uninhibited cross-country travel. The yurts along the Portneuf range are spaced so skiers can make yurt to yurt trips--or, if desired, parties can ski into one yurt and make day trips with the yurt serving as a base camp.

The yurt system is made possible through the work of many volunteers and the cooperation between the Idaho State University Outdoor Program,  Bear Lake Backcountry Skiers, Caribou National Forest, Bureau of Land Management and private landowners.