By Vanessa Grieve

vgrieve@journalnet.com

    Imagine a winter getaway where you can ski to the door of an overnight destination or take a family trek through a snowy wood to spend the night inside a covered canopy.

    Eastern Idaho residents and visitors won't have to look far to enjoy a winters night in a cozy Turkish-style yurt in one of the Idaho State University Outdoor Adventure Center's (OAC) yurts.

    The Portneuf Range Yurt System has five yurts ranging in accessibility from beginners to advanced backcountry adventurists.

    Justin Dayley, the OAC outdoor recreation coordinator, said last year was the first year backcountry enthusiasts could ride to the top of Pebble Creek Ski Area and ski down the backside of the mountain to the Bonneville yurt location, formerly the McNabb yurt.

    "It was a great hit with our users who wanted to take the backside of the mountain and ski to the yurt," Dayley said. "Even though the ski season started with a low snow load it allowed for great skiing (later in the season)."

    While the season is still early and a solid snowpack is still forthcoming, Dayley said people have been hiking to some of the lower yurts.

    New this year is raised flooring in the Skyline and Catamount yurts.

    "The new floors are elevated up off the ground with beautiful tongue-and-grove wood floors," Dayley said. "It's a wonderful improvement to both Catamount and Skyline. Before they had floors they were more on the ground. They are a nicer quality of floor and (were) installed to improve the over appeal of the system."

    The system includes the Skyline, Catamount, Inman, Jackson Creek and Bonneville yurts.

    The Skyline and Catamount yurts are classified for beginner to intermediate recreationalists. The Skyline yurt is about a 1.5-mile trek. The Catamount yurt is about a 2.25-mile trek.

    The Inman yurt required intermediate skill and is about a 3.5-mile trek.

    The Jackson Creek yurts are accessible from two routes by intermediate to advanced mountaineers, distances ranging from 2.5 to 3 miles.

    The Bonneville yurt is for advanced mountaineers.     The 16-foot and 20-foot yurts have capacity for five to six people.

    Dayley suggests people scout out the location of a yurt before taking a group of people. Information on these yurts and the Portneuf Range Yurt System can be found on the OAC website at www.isu.edu/outdoor.

    People looking to go on a guided trip can register for one of the OAC's yurt trips planned in Feb. A trip to the Catamount yurt is slated for Feb. 22-24. Advanced skilled trips to Jackson Creek and Bonneville are slated for Feb. 16-18 and Feb. 9-10, respectively.

    The OAC rents most all the gear required for treks to yurts including snowshoes, cross-country skis, sleeping bags and is available to the general public.

    The OAC said reservations are still fairly open, but if people are looking to book a certain weekend or catch a full moon on a trip to consider booking early. Dayley said bookings until Dec. 10 are at half price and full price during the regular season until March 20.

    "If somebody has a specific date, they'll want to get in and get a date," he said. "With five yurts we can generally accommodate folks. ... Holiday weekends book up pretty quick."

    More information can be found online at www.idu.edu/outdoor, by calling 282-3912, or stopping by the OAC location on the ISU campus inside the Student Union Building.