Understanding Seasonal Hut Closures, and Fall Hut Trip Opportunities

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“Why are the 10th Mountain Huts closed in the fall, and how can I take a fall hut trip?!” It’s a question we’ve received many times over the years, so we wanted to break this topic down to help users understand our seasonal hut closures, and which huts they can still visit in the fall.

We know how much our hut users value their time at the huts, and we want to offer as many opportunities as possible for folks to get into the backcountry and take in all the magic of a 10th Mountain hut trip. But there’s a lot that goes into enabling that ‘magic’ to take place, and significant work being put in by our field teams – especially during the summer months, when we have full access to the huts – to ensure that we’re providing an exceptional experience for our hutgoers. On top of that, we need to approach our work in a way that promotes hut durability, so we can honor these same standards for visitors well into the future.

The variability of conditions and lack of reliable road access in the fall limit our team’s abilities to perform these tasks effectively, which is why we close our huts for October and most of November (until the day before Thanksgiving). 

But, there are still options for hut users to take a trip this time of year, when the changing of the seasons provides a unique perspective and the backcountry is especially quiet. 

Read on to learn more about all the critical work taking place at the huts through the summer months; to take a closer look at 10th Mountain Huts’ seasonal schedule; and to explore the opportunities available for hut trips throughout the fall. 

 

Maintaining the Huts, and Promoting Hut Durability & Visitation for the Longterm 

Anytime the 10th Mountain Huts are open for visitors (in winter, too!), our field crews are hard at work performing regular ‘hut checks’ and completing an extensive list of tasks to keep the huts in tip-top shape for each visiting group. This includes things like thorough cleaning and sanitization of the hut and outhouse, restocking supplies, shoveling and splitting wood as needed, checking all equipment and making any necessary repairs or replacements, carrying out any items accidentally left behind by visitors, etc. 

On top of that, the summer months provide a critical window of opportunity for the 10th Mountain Huts field teams (and many volunteers) to perform deeper maintenance tasks at the huts, which help us get them fully equipped and ready for the winter season ahead, and further promote their durability for the long-term. This time is strategically utilized by our teams to complete a broad range of tasks, from general upkeep to larger repairs and improvement projects. 

Some of the ‘regular’ tasks that happen every summer include: 

• Extensive deep-cleaning of all areas of each hut
• Inspecting, inventorying and restocking all items in the hut, from silverware to can openers, to flashlights, to safety equipment, to toilet paper rolls, to pillow cases – we count every last item!
• Chopping, transporting, and stacking all firewood for the upcoming season 
• Fire prevention work, from clearing deadfall to building burn piles, and more
• Inspecting and maintaining cisterns, chimneys, fireplaces, stoves, etc. 
• Clearing trail debris and ensuring proper route markings
• And so much more…! 

Additionally, each summer season there are various repair and/or improvement projects taking place across the huts to bolster their sustainability – from staining decks, to replacing roof panels and/or rotten logs, to repairing damage from local critters, and plenty more. 

All of these tasks play a critical role not only in keeping the huts well maintained and in great shape for our visitors when they’re in use, but also in ensuring we’re taking proper steps to keep them thriving well into the future. A huge kudos goes out to our field teams and volunteers for squeezing so much great work into this short seasonal window!

Once October hits in the high country and conditions start to be more variable, road accessibility for our vehicles to our 10th Mountain-owned huts becomes undependable, and we can no longer reliably complete the work required to keep the huts open and operating to our standards. At this point we wait for the snow to fly, when our teams can go in on skis to get back to their regular hut checks, helping to make your winter hut trips fun and memorable!

Understanding the Seasonal Schedule: When are the Huts Closed, and Which Huts are Included?

While there are certain huts within the broader 10th Mountain system that are open year-round, the 10th Mountain-owned huts* – as well as several of the private huts within our system – are all closed a few specific months of the year, as follows: 

• May and June in the spring [when we face similar access issues due to variable spring conditions]
• October and most of November (until the day before Thanksgiving) in the fall

Given those closure dates, our operating seasons for the 10th Mountain-owned huts are: 

• Day-before-Thanksgiving through April 30th for the ‘Winter’ season
• July 1st through September 30th for the ‘Summer’ season

Within this framework, there are select huts that are open for both Summer and Winter, and others that operate exclusively in Winter, depending on seasonal accessibility.

To note, all of the Alfred A. Braun Huts, along with the Friends Hut, operate on a slightly different schedule, with their Winter season running from Thanksgiving through the end of May – and are all open exclusively for winter use. 

To see a complete list of the huts and their respective seasonal availability, visit our huts page here. 

*10th Mountain-owned huts include: 10th Mountain Division Hut; Benedict Huts (Fritz & Fabi); Betty Bear Hut; Eiseman Hut; Fowler-Hilliard Hut; Harry Gates Hut; Jackal Hut; Margy’s Hut; McNamara Hut; Peter Estin Hut; Sangree M. Froelicher Hut; Skinner Hut; and Uncle Bud’s Hut.

 

How to Take Advantage of Fall Hut Trip Opportunities

As mentioned above, there are a select few huts in the greater 10th Mountain system that are open year-round and throughout the fall season – either because their road access is substantially more reliable, or because they require walking into the huts, on relatively short, straightforward routes. These include the Shrine Mountain Inn huts above Vail Pass, and the Point Breeze and Continental Divide Cabins on Tennessee Pass. In addition, the Broome Hut in Grand County is open for much of the fall, and Vance’s Cabin is also open throughout the month of November this year. 

For hut-goers looking to get out in the later fall months, these huts offer the perfect opportunity. Full availability can be viewed here, and reservations can be made here.

And don’t forget: for those huts that are not open year-round but do operate through the Summer, hut users still have all of September to utilize the huts, which typically allows for peak leaf-peeping opportunities and is an amazing way to kick off the fall season. Summer 2026 reservations are open now, so if you’d like to get one of those prime fall bookings locked down for next year, we encourage you to jump on it!