Blind Hollow: Logan’s hidden winter retreat

When snow falls in Logan Canyon, groups of backcountry skiers can hike up the trails of Blind Hollow Trail and spend the weekend in Utah State University’s backyard winter campsite: the Blind Hollow Yurt. 

Managed through USU’s Outdoor Program, this Mongolian-style winter yurt gives both students and non-students a unique opportunity to experience Logan winters up close. 

Unlike a tent, the circular design of yurts make them more spacious and allows for better protection against weather elements. This makes them ideal shelters for winter camping.

“Yurts are not permanent structures, and they wear out over time,” said Dan Galliher, USU Campus Recreation outdoor programs and facilities associate director. “The yurt that’s up there now is the second one.”

The original yurt was built by USU in 1996 and later rebuilt in 2007. OP made the yurt available for trip reservations to provide Logan’s outdoorsy community with a local opportunity for winter camping and multi-day backcountry skiing.

“The yurt trips are definitely one of our more involved winter trips,” Galliher said. “It is not ‘glamping’ by any stretch of the imagination.”

The yurt is located atop the mountains of the Bear River Range, surrounded by trees, snow and roughly 2,500 feet of elevation. The only way to get there is on backcountry skis or snowboards.

“Hiking on backcountry equipment is not like hiking in your hiking boots,” Galliher said. “It’s much more strenuous.” 

On the first day of the trip, backcountry skiing groups must hike up roughly 4.5 miles of snow to reach the yurt campsite. According to Galliher, this can take groups anywhere from 2.5–7 hours depending on experience and skill level.

“We typically recommend that you can ski a black diamond at a ski resort and have had some backcountry experience,” Galliher said. “Any days that they’re up there, the main emphasis is to be out skiing.” 

The yurt is equipped with a full camp kitchen and bunk beds for six, along with sleeping bags, cots and a wood-burning stove. Guests only need to bring their ski equipment and food.

“It will fit up to nine people — not very comfortably, but you can get nine people in there,” Galliher said. “It’s definitely a very rustic backcountry skiing yurt.” 

OP hires student yurt hosts during the winter season to keep the yurt in good condition between rentals and to help assist backcountry skiing groups. 

Clayton Shaw decided to become a yurt host after attending three backcountry yurt trips himself. He has now been a yurt host for the past two seasons. 

“I start off by giving them a little bit of information about what it takes to get up there,” Shaw said. “I make sure that they have all the information they need as far as where everything is in the yurt, where they’re supposed to dig snow to melt water, what areas work well to ski in and what areas they should avoid.” 

Yurt host duties also include hiking up to the yurt at least once a week to restock supplies like toilet paper and fire starters, chop wood and shovel snow. 

“There is no established trail in the winter,” Shaw said. “So when I go up, I also put up a track that vaguely follows the summer trail, and from there, everyone can kind of ski where they want to.” 

According to Shaw and Galliher, yurt hosts do not stay for the duration of the trip and are mainly there to serve as informational consultants. 

“As the host, I just get them set up and turn them loose,” Shaw said. 

Once the yurt host leaves, it is up to the group to manage the yurt and explore the landscape for themselves.

OP offers two kinds of backcountry skiing yurt trips: private and university-led.

“If people are renting it out themselves, they spend the whole time up there backcountry skiing,” Shaw said. “If they’re on a university trip, their trip leaders are up there picking the run list and everything for them.”

Yurt trip attendees get to spend all day exploring miles of Bear River backcountry and popular riding terrain around Blind Hollow. 

“It is a wilderness area, and they’re pretty much on their own,” Shaw said. “I think that’s what a lot of people like about the yurt.” 

According to the U.S. Forest Service, a wilderness area is where motorized equipment and development are illegal. Places are dubbed wilderness areas in order to preserve and protect their natural ecosystems. 

“When you’re out there, it’s pretty much just you and the group that you went with, which I think is awesome,” Shaw said. “It is a beautiful area.”

Yurt rentals are typically open from late December to the end of March. The fee for students is roughly $300, and the fee for non-students is roughly $500.

“These are always one of our most popular trips,” Galliher said. “Most of the time, students who go have never been camping in the winter before, and they’ve possibly never seen a yurt.” 

According to Shaw, another appealing characteristic of the yurt to guests is the convenience. 

“Camping involves bringing in your stove and camp gear and everything and then possibly digging out a spot to pitch a tent and being really cold overnight,” Shaw said. “At the yurt, you can be camping in the winter — in the snow — with a lot more comfort than if you just went to any old trailhead.”

The yurt is maintained through USU student fees, giving students priority access to weekend reservations and a discount on ski equipment rentals.

“Our mission is to provide opportunities for adventure and discovery, and this fits right in there,” Galliher said. “It’s very adventurous, especially if you’ve never done it before, and that’s what we push through OP.”