I have had my eyes on this specific yurt for years now. Located in Bayfield, Wisconsin and overlooking Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands, it’s dreamy. I am so happy to have finally checked this experience off the bucket list. It was a beautiful adventure, and there was a lot of unexpected hard work involved. Ha! I definitely booked before I read all the information. In this post I’ll tell you all the details you need to have an amazing stay with your family. You are going to love this adventure!

Details:

Location: Bayfield, Wisconsin (see Airbnb listing at bottom of blog for more details)
Hike in: 0.8 Miles – Difficult
Amenities: No electricity, no water, wood burning stove, dry wood provided for indoor fires, fire pit, bear box, outhouse with toilet paper provided, 2 bunk beds single on top/double on bottom, no linens, table with six chairs indoor and large picnic table outdoors.
Safety Tips: Be bear aware and use bear box, watch out for wood ticks and poison ivy, check to make sure smoke and carbon monoxide detector are working upon arrival. Cell phone coverage was pretty good for us at the yurt, but you will want to bring a solar charger or other charging method as there is no electricity.
Check in: You will be provided a code from the Airbnb host to unlock the door about a week prior to your stay.
About the area: You are located on the outskirts of Bayfield. From the yurt you have direct access to miles of hiking, and CAMBA mountain bike trails. In winter months access to the yurt is only by skiing or snowshoeing as hiking could damage the trails. Access to all of the trails is included in your stay. Have your confirmation email handy to serve as your trail pass.
Parking: Is in a small, designated, well marked lot. It feels like the middle of nowhere but there are houses and a mountain bike lot nearby so we felt the car was relatively safe. We had no issues.
Rules: Rules will be listed in the yurt, they are standard Airbnb rules. Leave the place as you found it. This means restocking wood, cleaning the inside of the woodstove, sweeping, wiping tables, etc.
Cost: After taxes and fees I paid less than $100 per night. Cost is subject to change. See Airbnb listing for current rates)

Our Experience:

Dates: Late May, 2021
Guests: Myself, My mom, My two kids – Maevy (7) and Mikey (5)

In typical Lacey fashion I failed to read all the details before booking and read about the hard 0.8 hike in a few days before the trip. I knew we had to hike in, I just didn’t know it was straight uphill on gravel and rocks! So carrying all of our gear was difficult, and I totally had to be a super mom! We brought along a small pull able grocery cart but the wheel broke immediately. A wagon or cart would be nice, but it would still be very difficult as it is very steep and rocky.

The trail begins uphill and is very well marked. While following the signs to the yurt you cross over multiple mountain biking paths. Follow the red signs to Yurt #2 Terra Cotta. The trail is at first a mix of grassy areas and rocky areas and then turns to gravel. The gravel section is by far the hardest section. It is very steep uphill. You pass the sign to turn off to yurt #1. You could not see it from the path. Continue towards the red signs. When you get to the top of the gravel hill you cross a service road and continue down a nice, flat grassy path for a bit. Then it turns into a wider path and eventually you come up to the guests only beyond this point sign! The photos don’t capture the elevation at all!

After this you pass the outhouse and wood storage before coming to the yurt and the amazing view. From this panoramic view of Lake Superior you can see all of Pikes Bay, four of the Apostle Islands (Madeline, Basswood, Stockton and Michigan),and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. On Michigan Island you can even see the lighthouse if you look close enough! Its truly spectacular!

The yurt itself is awesome. It has a nice big deck off the front with a large picnic table. You access the yurt with a code, so keep it handy. Inside the yurt there are two bunk beds with double beds on the bottom. Bring your own linens or sleeping bags. There is also a wood burning stove and dry wood available right inside the cabin. When we arrived it was a cold day so we got the fire going right away. It took a couple hours to really warm up but then it was fabulous.

Located outside the yurt, a short walk downhill, is a fire ring with a spectacular view. The dry wood is only for indoor use but there is plenty of wood laying around outside that you could use. You could also carry in dry DNR approved wood. There is also a bear box that you should put all scented items in at night. All cooking should be done outdoors unless it is winter. There is also a box located outside to put hot ashes. When you leave you will use this when cleaning the fireplace.

We had such a great time during our stay and definitely want to come back. I will for sure bring bikes next time because the trails looked really rad!

A couple quick tips:

• Don’t forget flashlights or lanterns, there are two hooks inside the yurt to hang tent lights or lanterns from.
• Do nightly tick checks, we saw two ticks throughout or stay
• Bring bug spray and sun screen
• Pack light! Its a hard walk!
• Bring a solar charger or ration phone battery as there is no where to charge your phone for emergency use.
• Bring water for drinking, washing dishes, brushing teeth
• Bring a garbage bag to carry out your trash

I hope that this blog told you everything you need to know to plan an amazing yurt adventure in Bayfield, Wisconsin.

LINK TO BOOK BELOW

For Airbnb link – CLICK HERE! 

Wishing you an amazing adventure in a magical place! Feel free to ask any questions in the comments or by message.

Much Love & Happy Travels,

Lacey