Having a private bathroom was quite the luxury when yurt camping in Arlington.
We’ve camped at a bazillion places in Washington, Idaho and Oregon, but this was the first time we had our own commode.
We stayed in the “honeymoon” yurt at River Meadows Park, 20416 Jordan Road in Arlington. The Snohomish County Parks Department really thought of everything when it created this new camping experience.
The park’s six yurts are lattice-framed, canvas-covered round structures with wooden floors. Consider them the Lexus of rental campground spots, compared to a Hyundai tent you pitch yourself.
The luxury model is furnished with a made-up bed, coffee table, futon and ample deck overlooking a lush meadow.
It wasn’t honeymoon-y for us, as we took along our best friends, Tom and Jackie Williams of Lynnwood. We’ve stayed together at many lovely spots, including the house for rent at Kayak Point, log cabins at Flowing Lake, Cama Beach on Camano Island and in a tree house in Gold Bar.
I tell them to grab an overnight bag and off we go.
We were greeted by campground hosts who showed us our assigned parking spot. At the door of our yurt was a key box, so you have to know the code to get your door key. A snail was affixed to the wooden porch roof. It never moved during our stay, so we think it was dead.
The yurt is roomy inside. We rolled up the canvas-covered windows for more light, but didn’t open the dome roof, to keep out bugs. It’s spacious, not cramped like in a tent. There was a coffee maker for our convenience.
When you relax on the bed or couch at night, you can see stars through the roof window. It’s an appropriate view, considering we paid $90 for our overnight stay.
Each spot has its own fire pit and picnic table. The big draw at River Meadows Park is its proximity to the Stillaguamish River. Just a short hike through the woods took us to a private, sandy beach. We climbed on a log that jutted into the water and enjoyed the solitude.
Taking a different path back to the yurts, we walked along the edge of the meadow. Across the way was a traditional campground. We were in a bit of a hurry to play our favorite game, Upwords, so we headed back to camp.
We took snacks but had dinner in town at the Blue Bird Cafe.
Biting bugs appeared hungry when we returned to the yurt, so we took our game indoors before bed. It was quiet and we were utterly protected inside the structure. Before sunset, Tom called us out to the deck to see two deer walking through the field.
Yurt Village is on the orchard portion of an old homestead. Our yurt was 20 feet in diameter. We peeked at the 16-foot diameter models, which featured bunk beds and could sleep four to eight folks who like one another.
About the bathrooms: You get a key to your own private room with a toilet, sink and shower.
How nice was that?
Quiet time begins at 10 p.m. at the yurts. You’ll be ready for bed after all that Arlington fresh air.
Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451; oharran@heraldnet.com.
How to reserve
Snohomish County Parks Department offers six yurts for camping at River Meadows Park, 20416 Jordan Road in Arlington.
For more information about camping in Arlington yurts, call 425-388-6600 or go to www.snoco.org and search under parks.
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