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Not everybody packs a tent or pulls a trailer when visiting Utah. People from around the world are often limited to hotel rooms when touring the Beehive State.
But there are other options, and they are growing.
Dead Horse Point State Park near Moab is the most recent Utah state park to add yurts to its accommodations.
Three of the large, round structures will open for rental at the park Oct. 1. Each can sleep up to six people with a queen-size bunk bed and a full-size futon. Air conditioners and a furnace mean the yurts will be open throughout the year.
"Two of the yurts look into across the La Sal Mountains and into the Colorado River canyon," said Dead Horse Point State Park manager Megan Blackwelder. "An hour before sunset you can see the canyon turn bright orange. It will be particularly beautiful every day at sunrise and sunset. Ninety percent of our visitors come from out of state and a lot of them are not campers. We wanted to offer a different experience and give people another way to spend the night in the park."
Dead Horse, whose visitors numbered 260,000 in 2013, also offers 21 campsites for tent campers or recreational vehicles.
Blackwelder recently stayed in one of the yurts in order to better explain to people the experience.
"We had some major thunderstorms with lots of lightning and a ton of rain," said Blackwelder, who spent the night with her young daughter. "We felt safe and warm. It was great way to experience the storm."
The yurts at Dead Horse, according to Blackwelder, have been in discussion for roughly a decade. Two yurts were placed on the site of the former group camping site at the park.
"The group site was not heavily used, and we thought we could make better use of the area," Blackwelder said.
The yurts do not have private bathrooms. Restrooms are provided nearby for people staying in all three yurts.
Park officials expect that mountain bike riders visiting Dead Horse for the 16.6-mile Interpid Trail will be drawn to the yurts.
The relatively new trail rated for riders from experts to beginners runs right by the yurts.
Yurts, and other alternative lodging like cabins and teepees, are nothing new at Utah state parks. They have become a popular part of the state park experience.
"I've been trying to get into the yurts at Goblin Valley State Parks for years," said Utah State Parks director Fred Hayes. "Yurts are something that southern Utah desert slickrock tourists really get into. They like the primitive nature of a yurt, but there are enough creature comforts to draw them."
Hayes called the scene from the Dead Horse yurts "the nicest view in the country."
The yurts at Dead Horse will cost $80 per night and reservations can be made at http://stateparks.utah.gov/.
Hayes says his agency has learned a lot about yurts in recent years namely, how to get them built and how popular they are.
"We need the money to build them, and as long as the demand is there, we will do it when we have it," Hayes said. Many Utah state parks offer more than campsites for campers and RV enthusiasts. Costs range from $30 a night for teepees to $50-80 for cabins and $60-80 for yurts. Reservations can be made at http://stateparks.utah.gov/ or by calling 800-322-3770.
Parks with yurts
• East Canyon
• Goblin Valley
• Rockport
Parks with cabins
• Bear Lake
• East Canyon
• Green River
• Hyrum
• Jordanelle
• Kodachrome
• Palisade
• Starvation
• Wasatch
• Yuba
Parks with teepees
• Fremont Indian
• Red Fleet
• Scofield
Source: Utah State Parks