Maine Forest Yurts

A friend had mentioned a place in Maine that has yurts for rent, so we put it on our list of possible places to stay during our trip to Maine. While doing our research, Maine Forest Yurts popped up on an AirBnB search, and we figured that it was a sign. We booked the Hemlock Ridge yurt for 4 nights the week before Christmas.
The day of our arrival, Page was in constant contact with me via text. She had started the wood stove to warm the yurt up for us and met us at the entrance when we got there. She offered to take us up to the yurt since they were all located a ¼ mile in from the parking area, but we haven’t had many opportunities to play with the 4-​wheel drive on our Trailhawk, so we let the kids hop in Page’s off-​road vehicle and followed her to Hemlock Ridge.
None of us had ever stayed in a yurt before, so we were pleasantly surprised upon walking in. It is a wide open space with a wood stove (wood and kindling is provided), two sets of bunk beds, a futon, kitchen (with everything needed for preparing meals), and dining table in the middle. There is neither electricity nor running water. There were two sport jugs filled with water, and Page brought us refills as we needed them throughout our stay. There is a composting toilet, «outhouse», that was not at all unpleasant to use and an outdoor shower, which we did not use because it was way too cold to be showering outside. There is also wood on the other side of the road directly across from the yurt for outdoor fires, but it is $ 3, which based on an «honor system»
The trails are easily hiked, and there are canoes and kayaks available for use (they only ask a $ 10 per day donation) in Runaround Pond. We chose only to hike, as the pond was largely iced over. While hiking during our first full day there, we actually ran into Bob as he was doing some work on the property. For those who don’t know who Bob Crowley is, he is the 2008 winner of Survivor and the owner of Maine Forest Yurts. He is very down-​to-​earth and pleasant, as well as generally very interesting to read about. We enjoyed our brief chat with him immensely.
There is also a lot to do nearby if you’re not content to stay on the grounds during your stay. Bradbury Mountain State Park is just a few minutes away, and neither Freeport nor Portland are unreasonably far.
It was such a pleasure interacting with Page and Bob, and the Crowley family’s love for what they are doing is clearly reflected in how they treat their guests. We absolutely loved our stay here and look forward to future visits.

We had a wonderful time at Maine Forest Yurts! The owners were kind, responsive, and helpful. The yurt was well maintained, clean, and spacious. We were able to take 30 minutes drives to Portland and a beautiful state park. The yurt has a stove/​oven, a gas grill with utensils, cooking utensils/​vessels, a drip coffee pot, a tea pot, bowls/​plates/​mugs/​wine glasses, and a sink; this is all very convenient. And, they’re dog friendly!
We stayed in the Hemlock Ridge Yurt. There were two bunks beds that were very comfortable, and one queen sized futon that was less comfortable; I would suggest using the futon as a couch and bringing an air mattress. There’s plenty of space for an air mattress.
The canoes were fun; the pond is cute and there’s a lot of little frogs and fish to see. The man-​made pond for swimming is still under construction a bit, but it was fun. There’s a little bit of sand to sit/​play on. And you’re close to a state park lake with a beautiful beach for some serious swimming; and the yurts are not too far from the coast.
No one of us, including the dog, got a tick. We used bug spray the whole time, and we were all fine. It definitely wasn’t super buggy when we were there. I definitely recommend keeping up with the bug spray!
There are some things you should consider if you’re going to stay here:
1. The yurt has an outhouse, and there are no regular toilets. I actually didn’t mind the outhouse. It was clean and didn’t really smell bad (of course it has a smell, but it really wasn’t that bad). My parents came to visit the yurt after refusing to stay there due to the outhouse; they both admitted it wasn’t that bad. My advice, don’t get caught up on the fact that the yurt has an outhouse, it’s actually quieter than a regular toilet.
2. The yurt has a solar shower. I had never used one before, and I was in for a surprise! It’s a plastic sack that you fill with water, and it has a little tube coming out the bottom so you can spray water on yourself. The sack heats up with sunlight. This is obviously not the fanciest shower you’ll ever use, but it’s not so bad. I recommend heating up some water in the yurt, and then filling the bag. It’s worth the effort! I also recommend bringing body wash instead of bar soap. This is because you stand on a wooden palette while in the shower; if you drop the soap, it ends up falling in between slats and getting covered in sticks and dirt. Therefore, bring a bottle of body wash instead. If the solar shower bothers you, you can always go to the beach and use the beach showers, or you can rent a «pool pass» at a local hotel and use the locker room there.
3. Most cars cannot make the trek to the actual yurts. The property is beautiful, but very hilly and rugged. Most cars cannot park next to the yurt; you have to park at the ranger station. They provide you a wagon that can climb, and the owners gave our stuff a lift in an ATV for check in/​out. So we were able to use the wagon after returning from grocery shopping and what not. It was not a big deal for us not to park next to the actual yurt; the walk is short and the ATV did most of the heavy lifting.
Ultimately, my boyfriend proposed to me by the lake! :) We had a wonderful time and we’ll definitely be back.