I thought it would be super cute to have another camping vacation with some of my Toronto gays! So I partnered with Ontario Parks for a fall camping weekend in a yurt! 🎪
My fav gay twins Adam & Luke told me they wanted to go camping with me after our first gay camping trip at Wayhome this summer, and my new gay friends Chris and Mike sparked interest in having a boys weekend too!
So a gay camping trip worked out perfectly for us boys as well as Bronte Creek Provincial Park who wanted to host us in one of their yurts for the weekend!🎪
Related post: 17 Photos of Gays Gone Wild: Camping Edition
What the heck is a yurt you ask? To be honest, this was my first time hearing the word yurt! And when someone mentioned yurt for the first time, I thought it was a type of burp or fart.
I was clearly wrong!
Camping in a yurt is basically glamorous camping! And who doesn’t love the sound of that! #Glamping #YurtLife
Yurts are originally based on Mongolian huts and were often used as a traditional home in Central Asia.
Yurts are round, with straight walls that go up to the top of the entrance and then bend to come together at the peak of the roof. Traditional yurts will have room at the top for smoke to escape, but ours had a skyline window to look at the stars!✨
Many yurts in Canada can survive and be used in Spring, Summer, Fall and or Winters. However, our yurt couldn’t be used during the winter unless there was a woodstove built in to heat it during our extremely cold winters.
Basically, our yurt was kind of like that magical tent in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (4th HP movie for those non-fan muggles).
I tend to go camping at least 2-5 times a year! From camping in tiny tents to fully decked out RVs & Trailers. It’s hard to compare a Yurt to other forms of camping because it’s just so unique!
I would say a yurt is a mix between a tent and cabin! Our yurt was a wooden structure with a front door that locked and had a roof that reminded me of a heavy-duty tent. It was very weatherproof and safe, unlike most camping tents.
The yurt at Bronte Creek had a deck with a fully equipped BBQ and thankfully we had Chris who is an amazing cook to make us a delicious brunch the first morning we were there!
ALSO, our yurt came with electricity! #blessed
I usually bring an external battery pack to charge my phone while camping without electricity, however, it was so convenient having electrical plugs in our yurt to plug in a fan (because it was insanely hot in Canada that first fall weekend) or to charge a total of 5 iPhones.
Related post: GAY CAMPING CHECKLIST: What Gays Should Bring Camping
Renting a yurt for the weekend is perfect for those who might be new to camping! Also, if you’ve never been camping but want to try camping in Canada, Ontario Parks has a program for beginner campers called Learn To Camp and you can learn more about the program here.
Yurting is also good for those who don’t like camping in a tent (*cough* most of my glamorous friends). Your able to sleep in a bed instead of an air mattress on the ground and our yurt came with the extra sense of security since our door had a lock.
The fact that we could light a campfire, enjoy a beautiful night making smores and then go inside to a warm bed (there was heating in our yurt as well) was really nice.
When you have to put out your fire, sometimes the nights can get chilly. Which is why I recommend a snuggle buddy in my Gay Camping checklist – click here to read it!
Besides the incredible yurting experience, what I liked most about Bronte Creek Provincial Park was how close it was to Toronto! If you need an escape from the city, Bronte Creek feels like your in the wilderness, even though you’re in the middle of two major cities: Oakville & Burlington.
I’ve grown up camping in the middle of nowhere and if you needed to go to a Walmart, a liquor store or buy something you need, it’s a hassle and usually a long drive. We were able to drive to a Walmart and Liquor store within 10 mins of our campsite, so the convenience of camping near major cities at Bronte Creek was a huge plus!
I like to relax and chill at the campsite all day and night, but if you’re someone who gets bored easily, Bronte Creek has a lot to offer including Hiking, Fishing, Biking and Swimming (additional fee to use the pool area) FYI!
During the first weekend of fall, Bronte Creek had a Harvest Pumpkin Festival and had haywagon rides, pumpkin picking and so many fall activities! It was definitely geared towards children, but as adults, we also had a fun day partaking in fall activities! We even had a cute fall photo shoot!
If you’re in the Greater Toronto Area or planning to have a visit in Toronto and want to have a glamorous camping weekend in a yurt, definitely check out Bronte Creek Provincial Park! FYI Ontario Parks is celebrating 125 years in 2018 so definitely get out and explore now and in the new year!
Related post: First Gay Camping Trip in Canada ⛺
Ryan Thomas Woods is the voice behind Out With Ryan. He’s an LGBTQ+ Activist & Travel writer for this website and many other publications. He was recently voted 2018’s Travel Influencer of Year in Canada and dedicated the award to all LGBTQ+ travelers making the world a better & safer space for our community, as he strives to do on his website & social platforms.
