Tag Archives: huts colorado

Grand Huts Association: $100,000 expansion grant

Congratulations!  According to an article in the SkyHiDaily News,  a major grant from private donors will help fund the second hut in The Grand Huts Association.

Their first hut (the Broome Hut pictured here), which took 15 years to get permitted and built, was completed in 2012 at a cost of $400,000.  Located in a remote location with excellent back country skiing, materials were delivered to the site by helicopter.  The hut is very popular and operates close to full capacity in winter and at about half-capacity in summer.  Located on US Forest Service Land near Winter Park Colorado, the Grand Huts association hopes to eventually grow to 5-7 huts, creating a hut-to-hut system from Berthoud Pass to Grand Lake in Grand County.

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Hut-to-hut in USA: situation and outlook

Hut to hut in the USA: situation and outlook

by  Sam Demas and Wilson Josephson

[Note: This 2015 post is out of date.  See our book for more recent analysis of huts in USA.  Will update later.]

Sam August 2021

This is a preliminary overview of the 15 hut-to-hut systems in the USA.  There are a number of systems under development or expanding, and I’m hoping readers will tip me off to others that should be included.  Currently these 15 systems comprise 107 huts, yurts, and cabins, and offer 1,496 beds for long distance hut-to-hut hikers, bikers and skiers. This sketch of hut-to-hut infrastructure in the USA provides an overview by region, and very briefly discusses: business models, recreational uses, staffing, and some. Based on the data presented, it concludes with some musings about the future of hut systems supporting long distance human-powered travelers in the USA.  hut to hut in usa

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Mountain huts and yurts: Colorado Mechanical Survey Results

Note on Operations:

By Mary Ann DeBoer, Spruce Hole Yurt

Huts and yurts in Colorado and southern Wyoming offer everything from the luxurious to rustic in backcountry, off-the grid living.   A 2014 survey of 25 hut and yurt operators from the Colorado Hut and Yurt Alliance, highlights many creative solutions to the everyday problems of providing water, light, heat, sanitation and communication in remote locations.   The survey represents 56 huts and 10 yurts that operate on either public or private lands.

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Trip Report: Hut to Hut Hiking in the San Juan Huts

Where: San Juan Huts, Ridgway, Colorado, http://sanjuanhuts.com Hiked the Sneffels Traverse in late August, from Last Dollar Hut to Silverton, staying in four huts.

Amenities: The huts are basic, but comfortable. They have good cooking facilities, wood stove (which we didn’t need in August), nice areas for seating outside, and great outdoor settings.

Trip description: Four of us made the delightful 30 mile trek and thoroughly enjoyed hiking day after day at tree-line, circling around Mt. Sneffels though the woodlands and pastures. On the first two days we gathered lots of Chantrelle mushrooms, which enriched our risotto and other meals. We happened to be hiking in parallel with two couples, who were great company. The huts offer basic comfort, conviviality, and a chance to rest and recreate after a nice days walk.

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Founders Profile: The San Juan Hut System — a father-daughter story

Joe and Kelly Ryan

A father-daughter story

by Sam Demas

Joe Ryan built his huts to provide people an affordable backcountry journey to enjoy nature, to learn outdoor skills, and to benefit with health and healing. A generation later his vision is a reality — beyond what he had imagined — and continues to evolve in partnership with his daughter Kelly Ryan.

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