Hut of the Month: Sangree M. Froelicher
10th Mountain Huts
March 16, 2026
Located outside of Leadville, the Sangree M. Froelicher Hut is a fantastic intermediate option for hutgoers in both winter and summer seasons.
A ‘Moderate Challenge’ – and Plenty of Fun – in Winter and Summer
With a winter travel distance of 3.1 miles on our standard route from Buckeye Gulch Trailhead, it’s a great choice for groups looking for a skin or snowshoe route that is on the shorter side, but also provides a fair bit of challenge, with roughly 1,500’ of elevation gain. Sangree M. Froelicher Hut can also be accessed from the Ski Cooper Trailhead, for a longer, more difficult and less-traveled route; or be integrated into a hut-to-hut itinerary to/from the nearby Emmelyn Hut, which is unmarked and requires strong navigational skills.
In summer, the best access into the Sangree M. Froelicher Hut is by hiking or biking along the marked winter ski trail, which takes summer visitors across a combination of trail and dirt roads. While the hut is technically accessible by vehicle, via the ‘Mt. Zion Road’ that runs near the hut, the road is extremely rough even for 4WD vehicles, and is not recommended for summer access. For day hikes around Sangree M. Froelicher Hut, visitors can drop down into the basin below the nearby Buckeye Peak and hike to Buckeye Lake, or hike to the top of Buckeye Peak itself for beautiful views of the Sawatch Range.
With its close proximity to Denver and the Front Range, and its relative accessibility, Sangree M. Froelicher Hut is a popular choice in both seasons. It’s also great for large groups, holding up to 16 people for standard hut trips, across two separate rooms and a larger communal sleeping area.
Alpine Resource Center for School Groups
This hut is also a highly popular choice among groups in 10th Mountain’s Backcountry Exploration Program (BEP), for educational groups and non-profits. In addition to being a great intermediate option for these groups, the hut also offers an outstanding extra ‘classroom’ resource, available exclusively to BEP groups: the Alpine Resource Center (ARC). The ARC is a unique 600-square-foot area on the lower level of the hut, with its own heat stove, and a comfortable reading, study, and seminar area.
A Deep History, and a Story of Honor
The Sangree M. Froelicher hut was first built in 1998, and was originally called the Belvedere Hut, as a memorial to the 975 men killed in action, and 3,891 wounded, in the Apennine Mountains of Northern Italy in the spring of 1945 during WWII. The original ‘Belvedere Hut’ was privately owned, and booked for public rentals by 10th Mountain Huts. 10th Mountain Huts purchased the hut in 2003 – thanks to the generous support of many donors, through an extensive fundraising effort led by Chuck Froelicher, brother of the late Sangree Mitchell “Mitch” Froelicher, for whom the hut is now named.
Staff Sergeant Sangree M. Froelicher, 1st Platoon, Company B, 1st Battalion, 86th Mountain Infantry, was killed in action in Sassomalare, Italy, on March 4, 1945, and was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his “courageous and aggressive leadership” on the day he died. To learn more about Sangree M. Froelicher and his troop, and the extended rich history of the Sangree M. Froelicher Hut, please visit the link here. This page includes a piece written directly by Chuck: “Profile of a Trooper – Sangree M. Froelicher,” which provides many great details about his brother’s heroic story.
Book Your Stay at Sangree M. Froelicher Hut!
Like all huts owned directly by 10th Mountain, Sangree M. Froelicher Hut is booked by the space, so it can be shared by multiple parties, or a single group can book all 16 spaces. This hut also offers 50% off bookings for children 12 and under. The availability calendar can be found here, and reservations can be made through our online booking program here. To inquire about a Backcountry Exploration Program booking, please visit this page and complete the questionnaire.
