When Tonya and Stephen purchased land in the wilderness of Alaska, they knew it would be a challenge to build. Their land is bordered by the Chugach National Forest on one side and the Wrangle St. Ellias Wilderness Preserve on the other, 1 mile east of the Copper River. Since it’s very remote, with the closest road 25 miles away and 35 miles to the closest village, the only access is either by boat or aircraft.
Bringing the yurt to the site by helicopter.
They chartered a helicopter service and made twelve trips to bring in all of the materials for the deck and the yurt. The loads were placed high upon a bench, which offered a fantastic view of the lake in front and the surrounding mountains. With the help of three friends, they set out to build their yurt in the wilderness.
Building the deck for the yurt
They cut a trail into the site and moved all the materials to allow for the set up of the Yurt. After clearing the area of all the alders and trees, they began setting the foundation blocks. At the end of the 1st day they had the foundation set and half the 2X6 floor installed. Not too bad for a 16 hour day! By the end of the 2nd day they had finished the floor, erected the lattice wall, compression ring, rafters- and the liner, insulation and cover for the roof (this was a 12 hour day). On day three, they installed the fabric wall and insulation and were finished by lunch time…32 hours from start to finish!
Completed yurt
They plan to use the yurt as all-season retreat, so they installed a solar system for power. It has a full bathroom (with shower), full kitchen (with refrigerator, freezer and stove) and a wood burning stove from Englander to heat the yurt. They installed a well to fill the 200 gallon cistern. The yurt is a fully functional home, but it’s just located in the wilderness of Alaska. They have leather sofa and chair, full sized bed and a cafe style dinette set. The yurt is over-looking the lake, which offers a chance to watch the Trumpeter Swans and their 2 cygnets, bears, beavers, eagles and a host of other wildlife.
Beautiful interior
Stephen and Tonya had looked at several options for their wilderness home: wood frame, log and yurt. They investigated several yurt manufactures, and settled on the 27′ Colorado Yurt because the finished product was excellent and the options were what they looked for. Plus, they told us the customer service was excellent! They thought the instructions were very good to follow.
They are looking at setting up 2 additional yurts and offering them as a wilderness experience for those who wish to really get back to nature. They could also be used for winter time helicopter skiing groups.
Stephen and Tonya have now spent the summer in their yurt and love everything about it. They say, “Colorado Yurt, you produce an awesome yurt!!! Thank you!” and “PS. The fishing is great!!!”
Wow! Look at that fish!
standing unit with a flexible outlet tube and set it between the lattice and screen window to vent, and we just rig the fabric and vinyl around it to make it mostly air-tight). We’re working out a balance between use of this unit and effective use of doors and windows to catch the breeze. Heating has been relatively easy, as it stays cozy and warm in the winter. Also, it fascinates us how many small spaces the bugs and spiders manage to find. It’s a good thing we don’t mind sharing our living space! We also now have a Great Dane addition to our household, who is a year old now and quite large. So that brings our total to two humans, two dogs, and two cats in a two-yurt setup!
surprised how nice it feels inside, even if they were a little skeptical before arriving. It’s fun to share our place and encourage people to explore yurt living. In response to many requests, we finally made a video tour that we could post on 
When 
Monarch has great ski terrain and the most amazing view from the top of the Panorama lift. From there you can see the San Juan mountains sitting way off to the south, and the Gunnison valley stretching out between. On a clear day, it does seem that you can see forever. When you point the boards down hill, it’s a long and exhilarating trip to the base. There are many routes to the bottom, and all of them are prime Colorado skiing. The other great things about Monarch Mountain include: short lift lines, plentiful annual snowfall (350 inches or more), great prices and really friendly staff.
Junior Mountain is a unique part of the Monarch ski school- a program specifically designed for 7-12 year old skiers and boarders. They spend the entire day as a group, starting at the yurt, going out to the mountain, then coming back to the yurt for lunch and other activities. The kids and their families usually had the initial reaction of “What is a yurt?!” But, by the end of the day, the young skiers and boarders thought the yurt was one of the coolest parts of the Junior Mountain experience. 
They came to see it as their private hideaway- so much more unique and personal than a room in the base lodge. After the first full season of use, the management at Monarch is also very happy with the yurt. Eric Ramsey of Monarch Mountain said, “We are very pleased with the yurt we purchased from Colorado Yurt Company. It’s been a perfect mix of form and function creating a unique environment that has enhanced our guest experience.”
