This Yukon family is living in a yurt in the woods, and they love it

Aug 04, 2023

It's made of sheep wool felt, camel hide, horse hair ropes and mostly natural products.

There's no electricity, running water or lights.

For this Yukon family, it's home.

"It's a traditional Mongolian yurt that was brought over to Dawson city this past summer," said Melissa Antony.

The yurt is situated on a plot of land they purchased about 20 kilometres south of Dawson City.

She moved there with her husband, son, six sled dogs and a cat in September. Shortly after, they knew the yurt was a permanent solution for their housing needs.

"We are blown away by the engineering of the structure and how the lifestyle keeps us in check with reality and the nature around us," Antony said.

The Yurt isn't very big — it has a six metre diameter — but that's a part of its charm.

"A person needs to be really organized and tidy living in such a small space," she said.

Her nine-year-old son Isaiah also sees the perks of such tiny quarters.

"I like that it's small and I can always find my cat," he said.

This time of year it's covered in snow, and comes with challenges.

"We need to keep the roof clean of snow to avoid structural collapse from too much weight," she said.

There's also just one window, and it's at the top of the yurt.

"I'd rather look out a window at the side because there's not much to see out the top," said Isaiah.

"Living in yurt can be dark in the winter because my mom always loses her headlamp and then uses mine."

On the bright side "the dome is fabulous for looking at the stars or northern lights at night," his mother said.

The family decided to go without windows to ensure they'd be warmer during winter months.

"We wanted as much insulation as possible and windows would cause a lot of heat loss," Antony said.

They added an extra layer of felt insulation and with their wood stove have no issues getting it warm and toasty, even when it's -50 C outside.

Inside you will find their beautiful handmade furniture.

"We had to custom build all of our furniture to fit the round shape and build our beds so they fold into benches during the daytime to create space to move around," said Antony.

Underneath is where they keep their food.

"Our fridge is below a section of the floor that lifts up and is cooled by the permafrost below and our freezer is the rooftop," she said.

It's definitely been an adventure for this family as they adjust to their new life.

"We appreciate the lifestyle so much and don't wish for anything more elaborate than the basic lives we live in the yurt."