Editorials

Camping at Cachuma Lake in a Yurt can be relaxing affair

By Marla Jo Fisher The Associated Press
Friday November 01, 2002

CACHUMA LAKE — Friday, 7 p.m. I feel darn smug, sitting here around the campfire. 

Unlike us, everyone else here in this campground is hurriedly setting up their Friday night campsites. 

Not me. 

It’s only been 15 minutes since we arrived at Cachuma Lake, in the Santa Ynez Valley east of Santa Barbara, but we are already sitting around our campfire, drinking our first glass of Chilean merlot. 

The reason I’m feeling so pleased with myself is that I had the foresight to book us into a pair of yurts. That meant that all we did was drive into this scenic park, deliciously whizzing past the long lines of campers waiting to register, get our sleeping bags out of the car and toss them onto the bunk beds, and, presto, our work was done. 

Well, actually that’s an exaggeration. 

We had to open the wine — and light the fire, too. 

Now you’re probably going to ask me what a yurt is. 

I first learned about yurts while reading a fishing magazine in my mechanic’s waiting room. 

I already knew about Cachuma Lake, the picturesque cobalt-blue reservoir on scenic Highway 154 in the Los Padres National Forest that provides water to Santa Barbara County. 

I’d always been interested in camping there, even though most of the people attracted to the campground are anglers, and I don’t fish. 

So, when I read in the fishing guide that you could rent something strange called a yurt, I immediately wanted to do it, just because the word appealed to my writer’s imagination. 

A yurt is a round canvas tent, designed from the homes used by nomadic tribes in Mongolia. 

The yurts at Cachuma Lake are made from a waterproof canvas skin hung over wooden scaffolding, with a wooden floor and surrounded by a wooden deck that seems to hang over the water. 

They have windows with canvas flaps that can be rolled up, electricity and a fluorescent light, and are furnished with wooden bunk beds with waterproof foam mattresses, and resin tables and chairs. 

You even get an electric heater to ward off any evening chill. 

Outside the yurts, each campsite has a barbecue and a fire ring, and is pleasantly shaded by huge, old, friendly looking oak trees. 

While the accommodations are rustic, the view is strictly five-star. But there is a definite shortage of peace and quiet in this huge campground, which holds some 550 campsites that are fully occupied on summer weekends. 

People seeking solitude would be better served by venturing a bit farther east to one of the U.S. Forest Service campgrounds a few miles from here. 

But the lake is the big attraction here, and it is just gorgeous, one of the most beautiful lakes in California. 

No swimming is allowed because the lake is a drinking water reservoir. But there’s a swimming pool and there are other family attractions, including a miniature golf course and a marina with boats available for rent. 

My friends also approve. We finish off the merlot, talking in the dark around the campfire, until it’s time for bed. We sleep comfortably, listening to the gentle lapping of the lake on the shore. 

On Saturday morning, songbirds awaken us, and we rise feeling rested and relaxed. 

Then, the crisis occurs. 

The propane for our camp stove has been left behind, meaning there’s no way to make coffee or breakfast. This could get ugly. 

However, that’s not a problem here, because we can just stroll down to the marina grill. 

After breakfast, we pack a lunch and drive south a few miles to Paradise Road, turning onto a pleasant country lane that includes several national forest campgrounds. A few miles of driving lead us to a series of swimming holes along the Santa Ynez River that are fun to explore. 

After a hike, we drive north again and visit the Firestone Vineyard. 

In recent years, wineries have begun charging their customers for the privilege of tasting, so we each ante up $7.50 for the right to sample several reserve wines and also taste at the smaller Curtis Winery next door. 

We bring back a few bottles to enjoy around the fire. We also stop in the tiny hamlet of Los Olivos to buy cheese, crackers and dessert, proving yet again that we are having an un-wilderness experience. 

We stay up late talking, and enjoy the moment when we hit the sack. 

Sunday. Another blissful morning, with the lake shrouded in mist that burns off as the day wears on. We are so lazy that we almost miss the wildlife tour of the lake on a pontoon boat that leaves from the marina. 

Afterward, it’s time regretfully to pack up and head home. But, again, it’s a simple matter of rolling up our sleeping bags and stowing the cooler and stove in the car. If we’d been willing to eat all our meals at the grill, we could even have dispensed with cooking altogether. 

 

If You Go... 

 

GETTING THERE: From the south, take Highway 101 to the San Marcos Pass exit, Highway 154. The park entrance is about 20 miles from this point. From the north, take Highway 101 to Highway 154. Cachuma Lake is about 20 miles east. 

 

GENERAL INFORMATION: Yurt reservations are taken up to one year in advance. Fees range from $45 to $55 per night depending on yurt size and the season. There is a two-night minimum stay for weekends, and a three-night minimum stay for all major holidays. 

For information/reservations, (805) 686-5054 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.