At the center of the glamping craze across Colorado and beyond are yurts. These are the round, wood-framed tents paneled by windows looking out to surrounding beauty and topped by skylights letting in the stars and the moon.
Once refuges fashioned by Serbian and Mongolian nomads, yurts are now the highly sought, highly Instagrammed abodes up for reservation at select Colorado state parks year-round. Winter could be a magical time to go.
Golden Gate Canyon: The park of pine, aspen and craggy promontories becomes a winter wonderland as temperatures begin to drop. Raise the enchantment with yurts sleeping up to six on two bunk beds. Stay warm with a heater inside or campfire ring outside.
Sylvan Lake: Drivers exit Interstate 70 for Eagle and quickly swap ski resort traffic for a rough road winding into the woods. The yurts are nestled far back among the aspens. They sleep up to six with bunk beds and futons. There's a campfire ring right out the door.
Pearl Lake State Park yurt
Skiing to a yurt at Pearl Lake State Park in northwest Colorado. Photo courtesy Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Pearl Lake: This scenic site is a hidden gem aptly named. Leave Steamboat Springs' resort masses behind and venture on to the park that you very well might have to yourself. Feel free to explore or choose to stay nice and cozy in the yurt, which sleeps up to six.
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Yurts at State Forest State Park in northwest Colorado. Photo courtesy Colorado Parks and Wildlife
State Forest: Yonder Yurts is the company overseeing the modernized accommodations at Colorado's largest state park. The website lists a variety of yurts with a variety of sizes, views and means of access, ranging from short to 5-mile treks via snowshoes or skis.
Ridgway: The reservoir at the center of the park is the main draw in the summer. The yurts make a case in the winter. Sleeping up to six with a propane heater and gas log stove, they serve as memorable base camps for a getaway to the San Juan Mountains.
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Inside a yurt at Mancos State Park in southwest Colorado. Photo courtesy Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Mancos: The park sits in an overlooked slice of southwest Colorado between Durango and Cortez, beside a mountain-framed reservoir that goes silent in the winter. Solitude awaits in the two yurts with wood lattice walls, pinewood floors and gas-heated log fireplaces.