Continental Divide & Point Breeze Cabins Continental Divide Cabin

Route Description

Start at the Tennessee Pass Trailhead. At the southerly edge of the parking area, just a few feet from Highway 24, you’ll find a Forest Service “double post” trailhead sign. Take the trail starting at the “double post” trailhead, and follow the trail marked as the Continental Divide Trail and Colorado Trail (small white triangles). This trail is also marked with the usual 10th Mountain blue diamonds. Ski for approximately .5 miles through lodgepole pine forest, then turn off on a well marked side trail that takes you the last .3 miles to the cabin.

Locations of Observed or Reported Avalanche Activity: No avalanche activity has been reported along this suggested route.

Trailhead Directions

Transportation

Route Description

Park at the Crane Park Trailhead. Beginning at the trailhead, travel approximately .3 miles west up the road to a fork in the road where the suggested route begins and goes towards the creek. Cross the creek and follow the trail along the north side of the creek for an east ascent of just under a mile to a well marked intersection with the Colorado Trail coming in from Tennessee Pass. Take the Colorado Trail northerly 1.75  miles to the Continental Divide Cabin.

Trailhead Directions

Parking

The Crane Park Trailhead parking is marked with blue 10th Mountain signs. It is in an obvious area within sight of the main road.

Transportation

Route Description

HUT TO HUT distances are usually longer than from trailhead to hut. Use winter specific topographic maps. Routes between huts are not often used so may not be tracked; navigation and breaking trail may be particularly challenging.

Take the Colorado Trail southwest 1.75  miles to the well-marked intersection with the trail coming in from Crane Park Trailhead. Proceed south and after another short climb and some curves you’ll intersect Wurt’s Ditch Road. Continue straight on the Colorado Trail.  Continue as the suggested route takes you on a west and northwest route leading up the North Fork of West Tennessee Creek 1 mile to pass just north of Lily Lake (10,589 feet). Swing right (north) as you pass Lily Lake, cross the creek and a marshy area, then climb north for 1/2 mile to a low-angled clearing. From here the route climbs northwest for 1 1/4 miles along the south side of the south fork of Slide Creek through a series of clearings until it reaches the south end of a large flat marshy area just below and to the south of the hut. The trail to this point can be confusing because of myriad snowmobile and ski tracks. In general, it follows the south Slide Creek drainage, but winds around enough to make “drainage tracking” hard. Your best insurance is to take great care near Lily Lake to identify the distinct cone of Homestake Peak. Using this as a landmark, pay attention to your map, compass, and altimeter to stick to the trail. The suggested route has blue diamonds, but don’t depend on them for navigation.

You can see the hut from the south side of the last low-angled marshy clearing—it’s perched on a low-angled hillside on the north side of the clearing. With poor visibility this could be a confusing area, so take care.

Locations of Observed or Reported Avalanche Activity: No avalanche activity has been reported along this suggested route.

Transportation

Route Description

Hiking Option on Colorado Trail:
Start at the Tennessee Pass Trailhead. At the southerly edge of the parking area, just a few feet from Highway 24, you’ll find a Forest Service “double post” trailhead sign. Take the trail starting at the “double post” trailhead, and follow the trail marked as the Continental Divide Trail and Colorado Trail (small white triangles). This trail is also marked with the usual 10th Mountain blue diamonds. Hike for approximately .5 miles through lodgepole pine forest, then turn off on a well marked side trail that takes you the last .3 miles to the cabin.

Hiking Option on Closed Access Road:
A gear cart for hauling gear is left near the green gate at the Tennessee Pass parking lot, for use on the closed 1 mile access road which you can hike in on instead of the Colorado Trail to get to the Continental Divide Cabin. Please return the gear cart after use unless your group has booked both cabins exclusively.

Trailhead Directions

Parking

Parking is obvious on the west side of the road opposite the turnoff to Ski Cooper. There is an outhouse at the parking area.

Transportation

Route Description

From the junction of Highway 24 and 91 at the north end of Leadville, take Highway 24 north for 7.3 miles. Take a left onto a dirt road (Road #19). At this left turn there is a sign mounted on an antique road-grader for Webster’s Sand and Gravel – where you’ll find 10th Mountain’s Crane Park Trailhead parking. Park in a designated parking spot, and start your hike.

Hike on Road #19 for approximately 1 mile until you reach the Wurtz Ditch Road (#705) – turn right onto Wurtz Ditch Road (#705) and continue for about 1/2 mile to where the Colorado Trail intersects the road. Turn right onto the Colorado Trail and in approximately 1 3/4 miles you’ll turn left onto a spur-trail. Follow this spur-trail a short distance to the Continental Divide and Point Breeze Cabins.

Transportation