Carolyn and I had the pleasure to re-visit Porcupine Mountains State Park this past March and do some more winter Yurt Camping.

On our first Yurt experience, we spent only 1-night, and we both agreed that this was definitely not enough time. This year we reserved 2-nights with the ambition to see more of the park. The winter yurt and cabin reservations fill up really fast, so the only availability they had was in late March. We figured there would still be plenty of snow left, but mother nature had other plans this season…

For reference, Munising achieves roughly 200 inches of snowfall each winter season. But this year we only got about half that much, and other areas in the UP saw similar reductions, including the Porkies. What we thought was going to be a snow shoe/ ski adventure turned more into a mud-hiking and ice adventure. Getting outside in the spring can be a real challenge sometimes!

We arrived on Friday afternoon to cloudy skies and 30 degree temperatures. After checking in, we had a pleasant 3 mile trek along the wonderful Little Union River to the Little Union River Yurt. We unpacked our things and started a nice fire in the wood stove. The evening was spent playing scrabble, drinking cheap wine, relaxing and reading. The yurt is nicely situated on a slight bluff overlooking the winding Little Union River below it. The sounds of the gurgling river, crackling fire and wind are all you can hear in this picturesque place.

After a good night’s rest we woke up the following morning, had some breakfast, and began a long hike around the winter trails section of the park. The park grooms several dozen miles of trails that surround the ski mountain on the eastern edge of the park. The trails are usually suitable for cross country skiing and snowshoeing in winter, but for us it was just an icy, muddy and sloshy hike in our winter boots.

We first hiked up to the East Vista, which rewards views of mighty Lake Superior. After taking a break, we hiked west towards the West Vista, passing along the top of the downhill Ski Mountain. The West Vista grants views of the escarpment that rises north above Lake of the Clouds, although the lake is not visible from here. Both viewpoints are spectacular.

We circled back to the yurt along the southern trail that runs along Union Spring. By the time we got back to the yurt the sun was shining and the temps were in the 50s. A lot of the remaining snow was melting and bare spots appeared in places that were covered in the morning. Carolyn joked that we should eat dinner on the outside picnic table. Our feet were hot and sore from walking in heavy boots for over 10 miles.

Within an hour clouds moved in and it started to drizzle, with air temperatures dropping. By late evening there was a wintry mix and then later this transitioned to constant snow. The wind howled through the sugar maple forest that surrounded us, frequently rattling the side of the yurt. With a warm fire going we watched the snow fall outside the windows, drank more of our budget wine, tested our diction over another game of scrabble and enjoyed another very quiet evening.

The following morning we awoke to 3-4 inches of fresh snow. Spring yesterday, winter today. The seasons were going in reverse directions. We reluctantly packed up our belongings, wishing that the two nights could be extended even further. We packed in our snowshoes and were glad we had done so. We snowshoed the 3 miles out to our car and back to the everyday in crisp sunshine.

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West Viewpoint

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Some helpful tips to Yurt camp at the Porkies:

  • It would help to bring a lantern along. Headlamps work just fine, but a lantern would have been nice. We will plan to bring one next time.
  • We recommend bringing a top sheet for the beds and also a sleeping pad. All yurts have two bunk beds with a top and bottom. The mats provided on these beds are kind of dirty and rock hard.
  • Reliable fire starters are helpful to quickly get the stove going in the winter.
  • There is plenty of firewood stacked nearby and an axe provided to chop the firewood into smaller pieces – so no need to bring your own tools.
  • The trails are well marked and easy to follow when they are groomed.
  • Reserve a Yurt or Cabin in July or August if you want to guarantee a spot for December, January or February. Reservations are made through the Michigan DNR website.
  • Clicker here for a map of the winter trails.
  • Have a blast!