Top 10 Alpine Huts in the United States Colorado Rockies
The 10th Mountain Division Hut Association operates the largest system of backcountry huts in the United States: 34 huts across 500 miles of suggested routes in the Colorado Rockies. The system is named after the 10th Mountain Division, the elite ski troops trained in the Colorado mountains during World War II, many of whom returned to establish the Colorado ski industry. The huts range in elevation from 2600 to 3600 m and are used for both winter ski touring and summer hiking; each hut provides bunks, a wood stove, propane cooking, utensils, and a basic food cache.
1. Janet's Cabin, 3350 m — Holy Cross Wilderness, Eagle County
Janet's Cabin is named for Janet Boyd Tyler, a daughter of the 10th Mountain veteran George Boyd who donated the land. At 3350 m in the Holy Cross Wilderness above Vail, it accommodates 20 people and is one of the 10th Mountain system's most dramatic high-elevation huts. The approach from the Vail area takes 3–5 hours by ski in winter. Summer hiking access is available from the Lime Creek drainage.
2. Eiseman Hut, 3350 m — Holy Cross Wilderness, Eagle County
Adjacent to the Holy Cross Wilderness at a similar elevation to Janet's Cabin, the Eiseman Hut is connected on a winter ski route and serves as a partner overnight in the Vail-area hut system. Capacity 16.
3. Polar Star Inn, 3200 m — Fryingpan River drainage, Pitkin County
On the 10th Mountain route south of the Fryingpan River valley, the Polar Star Inn provides accommodation on the traverse between the Aspen area huts and the Eagle County huts. At 3200 m with classic Colorado high-country views. Capacity 20.
4. Margy's Hut, 3370 m — Maroon Bells Snowmass Wilderness, Pitkin County
High in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness above Aspen, Margy's Hut is one of the 10th Mountain system's most scenically positioned huts — surrounded by the Elk Mountains with views of the Maroon Bells (the most photographed mountains in the United States). At 3370 m; capacity 16. The approach from Aspen is one of the more demanding in the system; the rewards match.
5. Shrine Mountain Inn, 3140 m — Vail Pass, Eagle County
On the Vail Pass near the highway at 3140 m, the Shrine Mountain Inn complex is the most accessible 10th Mountain hut — reachable from the Vail Pass I-70 interchange in under 2 hours by ski. Three separate A-frame structures with a collective capacity of 30. Used heavily as an introductory hut for first-time 10th Mountain users.
6. Vance's Cabin, 3010 m — Leadville area, Lake County
Near Leadville — the highest city in the United States at 3094 m — Vance's Cabin at 3010 m is one of the original 10th Mountain huts and has capacity for 20 people. The Leadville area ski terrain is some of the most historically significant in Colorado: the site of Camp Hale, where the 10th Mountain Division was trained.
7. Skinner Hut, 3350 m — Sawatch Range, Lake County
Named for 10th Mountain veteran Bill Skinner, the Skinner Hut is on the main 10th Mountain Division route between Aspen and Leadville. At 3350 m in the Sawatch Range with good access to Colorado's highest peaks (Elbert 4399 m is accessible in summer). Capacity 16.
8. The Friends Hut, 3140 m — Elk Mountains, Pitkin County
A 10th Mountain hut managed under a separate Friends of the Huts organisation, providing a connection between Margy's Hut and the Braun Hut system in the Crested Butte area.
9. Lindley Hut, 3540 m — Elk Mountains, Pitkin County
At 3540 m — one of the highest huts in the 10th Mountain system — the Lindley Hut provides access to above-treeline terrain in the Elk Mountains above Aspen. The views from the hut are among the most dramatic in the Colorado system.
10. McNamara Hut, 3270 m — Fryingpan River drainage, Pitkin County
Named after a 10th Mountain veteran, the McNamara Hut at 3270 m serves the Fryingpan-Roaring Fork drainage ski traverse and provides summer access to the high basins below the Williams Mountains.
Booking the 10th Mountain system
All 10th Mountain huts are booked through the 10mtnhuts.org reservation system. Reservations open in May for the following winter season; popular huts (Margy's, Janet's Cabin) fill within minutes of the reservation opening. Huts accommodate groups of 1–20 people; the full hut rental is the standard booking unit in winter, meaning you may be sharing with strangers unless your group takes the full capacity.
The 10th Mountain Division: historical background
The 10th Mountain Division was formed in 1943 to train elite ski troops for mountain warfare. Training took place at Camp Hale near Leadville, Colorado at 3048 m — the highest military training facility ever built by the United States Army. Approximately 14,000 soldiers trained there in conditions of extreme cold, altitude, and mountain terrain. The division fought in the Italian Apennines in 1944–1945, breaking the German Winter Line in a series of night climbs on fortified ridgelines.
After the war, returning 10th Mountain veterans became the founding figures of the American ski industry: they built Aspen, Vail, Sugarbush, Whitefish, and several other major ski resorts. The hut system they created in the 1980s was a conscious attempt to return to the mountain culture of their wartime training — simple overnight facilities in remote terrain, connected by skiing, reachable on human power rather than mechanical infrastructure.
Colorado winter hut travel
Winter use of the 10th Mountain huts requires solid ski touring or snowshoe skills, avalanche awareness training (Avalanche Level 1 minimum is recommended), and the physical fitness to carry a 20 kg pack for 5–8 hours in potentially deep snow. The Colorado Rockies in midwinter receive heavy snowfall — Vail Pass averages over 500 cm annually — and the approaches to the higher huts involve avalanche terrain that must be assessed before each trip.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (avalanche.state.co.us) provides daily forecasts for each of the Colorado mountain zones. The forecasts are essential pre-trip reading for any 10th Mountain hut approach in the winter season. All hut approach groups should carry beacon, shovel, and probe and have tested their rescue skills before entering the backcountry.
Summer use
The 10th Mountain hut system is open for summer hiking and mountain biking as well as winter skiing, though summer bookings are easier to obtain than the coveted winter slots. In summer, the huts provide a base for hiking to the surrounding high peaks, with several Colorado Fourteeners (peaks above 14,000 feet / 4267 m) accessible within a half-day's hike from huts including the Skinner Hut (near Mount Elbert, 4399 m) and Margy's Hut (near the Maroon Bells, 4270 m).
Explore on the map
10th Mountain Division Huts — including Vance's Cabin and Janet's Cabin — are plotted on the Open the map. Use the Colorado filter to see the full network across the Rockies.