Let’s put some Glam in our Camping!

Glamping is a way to experience the great outdoors without having to rough it too much. I want heat. I want light. I do not want to sleep on the cold, hard ground with the bugs and the bears. There are ADA accessible tent-sites in Montana and that is wonderful. However, some of us need a bit more coverage than a tent has to offer. There is only one ADA accessible yurt in all of Montana and NO PUBLICLY AVAILABLE ACCESSIBLE CABINS!

The Swan yurt is available at Big Arm State Park at Flathead Lake. The yurt is 20-ft wide and 10-ft tall. It is made of a wood lattice frame covered with insulated canvas walls. It has a skylight that opens, screened windows, solid floor and a locking door. According to Shelley Juvan, ADA Access Coordinator for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, it has an asphalt path along with an ADA-compliant latrine next door. The shower house at Big Arm is also ADA accessible.

For only $45 per night, May through September, it is a really great deal. You only need to bring bedding, cooking utensils, personal toiletries, a flashlight and a container for water. A pet is allowed, but must be on a leash.

You can make a reservation and find more information online (Search: Big Arm State Park) or call 1-855-922-6768.

Oregon seems to be at the forefront of improving visitability to its state parks and can serve as a model for other states. Fourteen Oregon Parks have yurts and cabins, fully ADA accessible, available to campers with disabilities. They use the terms “rustic” and “deluxe” to distinguish between simpler units (rustic) and larger, more elaborate units (deluxe). Probably the most important difference is that in all cases, “deluxe” units include kitchen facilities and a bathroom with shower. Costs vary. A Deluxe cabin (max of four persons) will cost $80-$90 per night–affordable if you consider that each person would pay only $20 per night for luxury glamping!

Oregon’s rustic yurts cost much less–in the $20-$40 per night range. Very reasonable and still comfortable but without the frills! Bathrooms and showers are in a separate building, but they are wheelchair accessible.

You can make reservations and find more information online (Search: Oregon State Parks) or call 1-800-452-5687, 8 a.m.- 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays.