MANY FELLOW COLORADANS THIS MORNING are waking to fire crackling in
the weathered steel of a wood-burning stove, to the sharp,
evocative aroma of brewing coffee, and to the wilderness laid
silent and serene under the weight of midwinter. They are not,
however, snug in their king-size beds at a mid-mountain
ski-in/ski-out condominium.
No, they are enjoying the simplified and rugged hospitality of one
of several dozen shelters in Colorado’s backcountry specially
adapted for public accommodation. With 56 cabins, huts and yurts
(heavy-duty tents) from which to choose among a growing list,
Colorado has the most extensive system of backcountry huts in the
country, enabling those with four-season outdoor appetites to enjoy
nature’s most challenging of seasons, winter, without having to tie
themselves down to a resort or commit to the work of snow camping.
For those willing to sleep in a custom-made wooden cabin heated
only by a central wood-burning stove fueled by wood they chopped
themselves, for those agreeable to melting snow for drinking,
cooking and
cleaning, and for those whose midnight excursions to the outhouse
at 11,000 feet under the guidance of a headlamp in subfreezing
temperatures recall the blissful memories of childhood camping
trips, the rewards are not measured in quantity but in quality.
“Before hut trips, one had to winter camp to experience the
backcountry,” says Carbondale writer and ski mountaineer Lou
Dawson, author of “Colorado 10th Mountain Hut & Trails.”
“Staying at huts was the exception. Those of us who used to winter
camp and use huts knew it was a special experience, and the huts
have opened the backcountry up to everyone. Hut trips have taken on
a value in and of themselves as a complete outdoor experience.”
Indeed, by loading a pack on your back, strapping skis or snowshoes
to your feet, venturing a few miles through forests and up
mountainsides and leaving your day-to-day responsibilities at home,
you are relating to the outdoors closer to its own terms. You are
then free to enjoy the simplicities of a warm shelter, delicious
food and the camaraderie of friends – not to mention the pure
aesthetic delight of linking turns in knee-deep powder.
With dozens of huts to choose from you have a wide range of
locations, routes and accommodations when planning your trip.
Almost all huts belong to a linked system of huts connected by
trails to enable multiday, extended hut-to-hut adventures. For a
summary of how to plan a hut trip, see the accompanying story. For
a sampling of various trips, read on.
Last Dollar Hut
For small groups of fitter-than-average backcountry
adventure-seekers, a trip to Last Dollar Hut in the Sneffels Range
of the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado has plentiful
rewards. It is no small affair to get to, and that makes being
there a reward in itself.
Last Dollar Hut lies almost 2,000 vertical feet above its trailhead
and covers 4.6 miles of increasingly steep and avalanche-prone
slide paths as you travel, so use caution and plan on most of
winter daylight hours to get there.
Last Dollar Road cuts a ribbon through some of Colorado’s most
scenic aspen forests as it climbs, making it a favorite of
Coloradans year round. In winter, the leafless groves cast long
shadows across undulating powder fields, creating some lovely
scenes. Be sure to take your camera.
The last mile of the journey really tests your will to continue as
it climbs almost half of the trip’s vertical feet on a treeless
slope to the hut at the edge of a spruce forest. Once there,
however, you get to enjoy one of the finest panoramas in the state,
a view that takes in the Silverton West Group of the San Juans, the
Wilson Peaks and the La Sal Mountains in Utah to the west.
Glades of aspens and spruce offer snowriders plenty of options,
while the peaks to the east call to those with greater vertical
aspirations. For sun-worshipers, the south-facing open slopes near
the hut are perfect for relaxing and recuperating.
Lost Wonder Hut
With a name as spellbinding as Lost Wonder Hut, you might expect to
find it amid light-swallowing trees as tall as skyscrapers through
seemingly impenetrable mountains. Truth is, this cozy cabin is one
of the most accessible huts I’ve visited and lies close to some
terrific alpine backcountry in the San Isabel National Forest near
Monarch Pass.
The downside is that a few snowmobilers use the trail, as well, and
that tends to spoil the serenity of the area. They do, however,
pack the trail and make the going a bit easier.
The trail climbs rather steeply from the parking area along U.S. 50
but then settles into a moderate grade the remainder of the way,
following a summer-use 4-wheel-drive road 3 miles to the cabin. You
cross an avalanche runout zone at the foot of 13,745-foot Mount
Aetna close to the cabin, but the route is rather safe.
The hut itself is a converted miner’s cabin with large south-facing
windows and a small deck – perfect for relaxing in the sun, taking
a nap or picnicking. Spacious and comfortable for eight to 10
people, it can handle several more on its two floors but becomes
ostensibly less roomy.
The real appeal of this trip, though, is the opportunity for
backcountry exploration. Glades and bowls in the surrounding valley
offer plenty of skiing and riding terrain, although avalanche
dangers exist. Farther up the valley you can top out at Chalk Creek
Pass for breathtaking views and even venture to the inimitable town
of St. Elmo if you have enough time and energy.
10th Mountain Division Hut
The 10th Mountain Division Hut shares its name with the hut system
honoring the elite Army corps of troops stationed at nearby Camp
Hale who trained in Colorado’s Gore and Sawatch Ranges for ultimate
deployment in Europe’s Alps during World War II.
Like the 29 other huts in this system linked by a network of
trails, the 10th Mountain Division Hut is generously equipped,
divided into a common area ground level and sleeping quarters
above, and is accessible by experienced novice skiers. The trail
crosses no avalanche zones and takes 4-6 hours. With only 1,300
feet of vertical climb over 4.4 miles, the route is generally
moderate in slope.
Because the route uses a combination of criss-crossing paths as it
passes through alternating forests and meadows, use a map and
compass and closely mind trail markers.
Once you have arrived at the hut and are ready to explore, there
are several options. The forests and meadows around the hut offer
safe and easy territory for low-energy outings, including the short
hike to tranquil Slide Lake. The lower slopes of the glacial cirque
to the west host glades for carving turns. To the north, a ridge
high above the hut offers views of the Mosquito Range to the east
and the carpet of the San Isabel National Forest to the south. For
those with serious vertical aspirations, 13,209-foot Homestake Peak
offers another 1,800-plus feet of climbing to a 360-degree
panorama, including views of the Holy Cross Wilderness Area to the
west. Carving turns on the descent is a well-deserved payback.
Harry Gates Hut
Perhaps the greatest reward for enduring a long and grueling hike
carrying a pack in the cold of winter to a hut in the middle of
nowhere is knowing that you are in a very remote and secluded spot
where you are reliant upon yourself and the people you came with
for your survival.
Or maybe it is the love of nature and enjoyment of good friends a
day’s foot travel away from the hassles of civilization that makes
the trip worth the trouble.
If so, then Harry Gates Hut offers enough reward for anyone willing
to make the 10.8-mile (one way) journey. The route begins with a
steady ascent of 5.3 miles along a forest road through aspen and
spruce forests to Crooked Creek Pass. After a 3-mile descent that
skiers will love and snowshoers will envy skiers for, the route
levels out and passes pastoral Crooked Creek Reservoir before
encountering the quiet beauty of Lime Park, a natural open space
park of hills and valleys and a sheer-faced canyon ringed by aspen
forests and wilderness peaks.
The final couple of miles to the hut is another steady ascent
through spruce trees, with the final few hundred yards marked by a
small sign to the hut. The setting of Harry Gates Hut is as
tranquil as any, nestled against the western edge of the Holy Cross
Wilderness Area with a backdrop of peaks with names such as
Avalanche Peak, Fools Peak and Burnt Mountain.
You will want to spend at least two nights at Harry Gates Hut – the
largest of the huts in Colorado – enjoying the comfort of its
spacious three floors and exploring the nearby terrain on your day
between. Just remember to reserve some energy for the exit
journey.
Hidden Treasure Yurt
If staying in a multistory log cabin is a little too luxurious for
you, consider a trip to the Hidden Treasure Yurt in the White River
National Forest near Eagle. In a throwback to 19th-century
homesteading, you will be amazed at how comfortable and warm a
canvas and wood tent can be, given the extremes of its alpine
winter setting.
Despite its smallness – about 20 feet in diameter – and thin walls,
a yurt is not at all the cramped icebox you might expect. The
canvas is extremely thick, sealed and supported by a wooden frame.
The heat from the wood-burning stove is ample enough to warm the
entire space. The floor and door are wood, elevated above the
ground and well-crafted to prevent draughts. And its forested
setting buffers it against the elements. After all, these huts are
modeled on those used by nomads of Siberia and Mongolia, so they
are durable and weather-tested.
While not the longest journey of those in this story, the route to
the Hidden Treasure Yurt may have you feeling like a Mongolian
nomad by the time you reach it. The hut is 6 1/2 miles in and gains
more than 2,000 feet – half of that in the last third of the
journey. Redemption, however, lies just beyond the yurt on the west
face of New York Mountain: 1,000 vertical feet of above-treeline
snowfields with no avalanche danger in sight. The spectacular views
span a panorama of central Colorado: from north to the Gore Range
to south to the Elk Mountains. So be sure to bring your thirst for
adventure.
The route to the Hidden Treasure Yurt is straightforward and easy
to follow, identified by trail markers and signs. It begins in
Yeoman Park south of Eagle, follows a forest road through aspen and
spruce forests for 4.2 steadily ascending miles to the hamlet of
Fulford, then climbs through dense forests more steeply along
singletrack to the yurt, marked by a sign.
Matthew Lancaster is a writer and photographer in Denver. He has
been hut tripping for seven years and doesn’t plan to stop.
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Winter travel in Colorado means being prepared for any driving
conditions and telling people where you are going and when you will
return. For road conditions, call the Colorado Department of
Transportation, 303-639-1111 or visit www.
cotrip.org.
Last Dollar Hut is accessed by Last Dollar Road. To reach the
trailhead, drive west from Telluride about 7.2 miles on Colorado
145 to the Deep Creek turnoff, near mile marker 75. Follow Deep
Creek Road to Last Dollar Road and turn left, continuing until the
trailhead, about 3 1/2 miles from Colorado 145. The trailhead has a
plowed parking lot. Last Dollar Hut is part of the San Juan Hut
System, costs $25 per person per night and sleeps eight. For
reservations and information, visit www.sanjuan
huts.com or call 970-626-3033.
The trailhead to reach Lost Wonder Hut is along U.S. 50 at
Garfield, 4 miles east of Monarch Pass. Park in the lot across the
road from Monarch Lodge. The trailhead is uphill from the
snowmobile rental shop, marked by a sign to Boss Lake. Take the
right fork at the sign, following the trail to Boss Lake.
Reservations are $24 per person per night for the winter season and
can be made at www.lost
wonder.com or 719-539-3382. Lost Wonder Hut is independently owned
and operated.
The 10th Mountain Division Hut is near Tennessee Pass. From
Leadville, drive north on U.S. 24 7.2 miles from its junction with
Colorado 91 to the Crane Park turnoff (FR 100), 1.6 miles south of
Tennessee Pass. There is parking just off the road. The 10th
Mountain Division Hut System website, www.huts.org, has a wealth of
information. Reservations are $26 per person per night and are
available through the website or at 970-925-5775.
Both Harry Gates Hut and Hidden Treasure Yurt are reached through
Eagle along Interstate 70. Take the Eagle exit south into town and
turn left on Capital Street, continuing south toward Sylvan Lake.
Signs lead the way. Take Brush Creek Road 10 miles to a fork. Turn
right and continue 5 miles to Sylvan Lake State Park for the
trailhead to Harry Gates Hut, or left onto CR 415 and go 6.6 miles
to Yeoman Park and the trailhead to the Hidden Treasure Yurt. A
4-wheel-drive vehicle is recommended in either case.
Harry Gates Hut sleeps up to 16. Cost is $26 per person per night.
Reservations may be made at www.huts.org or by calling the 10th
Mountain Division Hut System at 970-925-5775.
The Hidden Treasure Yurt sleeps up to 8 and costs $150 total per
night. It is privately owned and may be reserved by calling
800-444-2813. For more information see
http://backcountry-colorado-yurt.com or call 800-444-2813.
