Sierra Club Hut System
For the adventurous outdoor enthusiast, the Sierra Club offers a unique experience. The operation is a commercial venture with an altruistic flare that is as easy on the pocketbook as it is on Mother Nature. Any of five huts near the spine of the Sierra Crest can be reserved for backcountry travel with a warm, group sleepover available at the shelter of your choice.
The huts and accommodations at the lodge are available for non- Sierra Club members as well as members
All huts are equipped with wood burning stoves and a supply of firewood ... but food, supplies, and bedding must be carried in.
DESCRIPTION:
Base lodging is also available at the Sierra Club’s Claire Tappaan Lodge in Norden. The nearest hut is perfect for novices -- it sets back only a half mile from the Lodge. But for any of the huts, reserve well ahead. Weekends are popular.
The huts and accommodations at the lodge are available for non-Sierra Club members as well as members.
Huts and adjacent area descriptions:
Claire Tappaan Lodge is rustic with a friendly, casual atmosphere, affordable nightly rates, with great family-style meals as part of the plan. Guests provide their own pillow, sleeping bag or comparable linens and towels. Doors do not lock. Accommodations vary from small rooms to bunkhouse dormitory style. Guests will perform a brief chore each day as part of the communal-style accommodations.
Each backcountry hut is a day's to two days’ ski apart. They are also about a day's journey from various trailheads. The huts give ambitious skiers a chance to ski along the Sierra Crest without having to snow camp (unless you are going between Benson and Ludlow Huts).
All huts are equipped with wood burning stoves and a supply of firewood as long as supplies last into the spring. Outhouses are available, but food, supplies, and bedding must be carried in. Sleeping is usually on wooden floors.
Warming Hut is about ½ mile behind the Lodge. It is available for “practice” or introductory overnight outings. There are groomed trails in the area and lessons are available. Sleeps 15, outhouse available.
Peter Grubb Hut is a 3 mile trek and an 800’ elevation climb from I-80 at Donner Pass. Excellent intermediate to expert cross-country skiing available in Round Valley or on the slopes of Castle and Basin Peaks just east of the hut. It can be difficult to find the hut with fresh snow or whiteout conditions. Normally, the trail is used heavily and easy to follow. Sleeps 15; two-story outhouse available.
Benson Hut is a 6 mile trek with a 1200’ elevation climb from Donner Pass on Old Highway 40 near Lake Mary. Ski mountaineering skills are necessary and the route is treacherous in bad weather. Bare, wind-blown ground can be encountered along the Crest and dangerous cornices form on the east side of the divide. Around the hut only expert skiing is available. Arrangements can be made with Sugar Bowl Ski Area to ride the chair to the top of Mount Lincoln. This saves over 1000 feet of uphill climbing. Sleeps 12; two-story outhouse available.
New Bradley Hut is the latest addition to the system after the historic hut was relocated from the original site that now lies within the Granite Chief Wilderness. Access is from Highway 89 south of Truckee. The un-groomed trail follows a road for over 5 miles with a gradual 1500’ elevation climb. Meadows and open timber stands near the cabin are favorite play areas. Silver Peak is a nearby challenge that can be skied on roads until the last 1000 feet in elevation. Benson Hut can be reached with a 4-5 mile trek through steep terrain that can be hazardous from avalanches. Sleeps 15; two story outhouse available.
Ludlow Hut is the most remote and can be difficult to find in poor weather although it sets a short distance above Richardson Lake. Access is from the west shore of Lake Tahoe traveling six miles up the McKinney Creek Road with a 1000’ elevation climb. There is good practice skiing coming in as well as around the hut. Sleeps 15; two-story outhouse available.
| Parking Elevation: | 7000 feet | Base Elevation: | 7000 feet | Summit Elevation: | 8350 feet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Claire Tappaan Lodge and the Warming Hut 7000’, Peter Grubb Hut 7800’, Benson Hut 8350’, New Bradley Hut 7550’, and Ludlow Hut 7400’. |
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| Snowfall | 600 inches | Season | November through April | ||
| Parking: | Plowed with no fees | Skiable Area | 2400 acres | Groomed | No | Terain Park | No |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snowmaking | Au naturel, naturally. Annual snowfall varies not only annually but also by hut location. |
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| Runs | Beginner | 0% | Intermediate | 0% | Expert | 0% | |
| Description | Each of the huts is surrounded by hundreds of acres of skiable terrain. |
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| Lifts | 0 | Types | None but Sugar Bowl’s Lincoln Mountain lift is useful to get to Benson. |
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| Contact(s) | Main: (530) 426-3632 |
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| Website(s) | www.sierraclub.org/outings/lodges. Reservations can be made online. |
DIRECTIONS:
To Sierra Club Hut System
From San Francisco/Bay Area/Sacramento Valley to Claire Tappaan: Take Interstate-80 east to the Norden/Soda Springs Exit. Follow the Donner Park Road (old Highway 40) east for about 2 miles. The lodge is on the left but not readily seen from the highway.
From Reno, Nevada to Claire Tappan: Take Interstate-80 west to the Norden/Soda Springs Exit. Follow the Donner Park Road (old Highway 40) east for about 2 miles. The lodge is on the left but not readily seen from the highway. The road continues east to Donner Lake and Truckee but is usually not kept open east of Donner Pass in the winter.
ACTIVITIES:
Snowshoeing (Rating: Best)
Two of the Sierra Club’s Huts are reachable by the average snowshoer – given good weather and snow conditions. Access to the Peter Grubb Hut is shortest and most of the terrain is delightfully gentle. Only the short climb up the face of Castle Pass is challenging. Although it is further into the New Bradley Hut, the route follows a road on a gentle grade for the whole route.
Huts are equipped with wood burning stoves and outhouses, but food, supplies, and bedding must be carried in. Don’t forget to factor in the need to backpack in your supplies. The weight can affect you stamina as well as your balance on steeper slopes.
Nordic Cross-country Skiing (Rating: Exceptional)
Exploring the snow-covered crest of the Sierra Nevada from Donner Pass to the ridges high above Lake Tahoe, can be the ultimate cross-county adventure. Four huts constructed and managed by the Sierra Club make the experience attainable by enthusiastic skiers with at least moderate skills. Each hut is within a day’s journey from trailheads, and at least two of the huts are within a day’s trek of each other. Weather and snow permitting.
All four huts are equipped with wood burning stoves and outhouses, but food, supplies, and bedding must be carried in. Don’t forget to factor in the need to backpack in your supplies. The weight can affect you stamina as well as your balance on steeper slopes.
Skiable terrain around each hut is bounded only by a skier’s skills – plus the weather and snow conditions. Gentle valleys and broad ridges are within minutes of all but Benson which is the most challenging hut to reach. And arguably the hut with the most spectacular setting. That’s saying a lot when compared to the awesome surroundings of the other huts.
You need to prepare physically as well as carry in proper equipment and supplies. Map reading and terrain identification skills are a must. Weather and snow conditions can change within hours. An easy trip can become a test of your survival skills.
