Soon, more people will be able to camp in Snohomish County without ever driving a tent stake in the ground.
The county parks department plans to build a yurt village on a bend of the South Fork Stillaguamish River at River Meadows Regional Park in Arlington.
Unlike the nomads in Mongolia, the county won’t be using animal skins wrapped around poles on a dirt ground. Today’s yurts are 16 feet across, wrapped in canvas and have hardwood floors, electricity, heat and skylights.
There’s even a locking door.
The county is hiring a Mukilteo company for $630,000 to build six yurts at River Meadows, as well as carve paths and install water lines and restrooms.
The new yurts will be available to reserve for camping in late summer. Until then, campers can reserve yurts at the county’s Kayak Point Regional Park.
The project is part of a push to offer more camping in county parks, county parks director Tom Teigen said.
“We’re finding more and more people want to get out and camp but want the ‘convenience camping’ experience,” Teigen said. “Young families can spend a weekend right on the river out there, near the meadow and the old apple orchard. It seems like a world away but it’s really only a half-hour by car.”
The village of 10 yurts at Kayak Point Regional Park are popular and booked more than half the year, Teigen said. Yurts rent for $40 to $70 per night, with the higher fees covering RV parking.
For the uninitiated, yurts are a good baby step before plunging into the great outdoors, said Nancy Mar of Seattle, who was camping at Kayak Point.
“If you were wondering if you really like camping, then this (yurting) is the way to go,” she said.
Yurts can counteract the damp, sometimes unpredictable Northwest weather, said Linda Louie, another camper.
“There’s a dry place you can always go to,” she said. “There’s a guaranteed good camping time, it does not matter what the time of the year.”
First-time camper Craig Lee said: “I rarely step foot out of the Hyatt, but it’s not bad so far.”
Each yurt costs about $14,000, Teigen said. The county plans to build them with decks.
The county collected about $50,000 last year from yurt rentals, Teigen said.
“It’s a pretty good return on investment,” he said.
Campers pack a sleeping bag to spread out on the county’s hypoallergenic mattress, Teigen said. They bring their own coolers with food and drinks and battery-powered lanterns and they’re set.
The county plans someday to add another four yurts at River Meadows when more money is available, Teigen said.
Families often rent the yurt village for reunions or group events, Teigen said.
The new yurt village will give another option for families to camp close to home for a good price, said County Councilman John Koster, who represents District 1, which includes River Meadows and Kayak Point parks.
“They’re pretty nifty little dwellings; not quite a tent, not quite a cabin, they’re something in between,” Koster said.
The popularity of yurts and the rental fees help the county steer more money toward building parks, Koster said.
“The model that the county’s trying to develop for parks is generating some revenue,” Koster said. “Tom has shown some real leadership in moving in that direction.”
Photographer Darren Breen contributed to this story. Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.
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