Colorado
10th Mountain Huts: Camp Hale to Fowler-Hilliard
About this ski route
The 10th Mountain Division Hut Association maintains a network of backcountry huts across the Colorado Rockies, named for the mountain troops who trained here in the 1940s. This tour starts where that training happened. Camp Hale sits on the valley floor at about 9,250 feet, and the Resolution Creek road climbs from it toward Ptarmigan Pass and the hut. Eight miles and roughly 2,500 feet of climbing sounds modest until you do it on skis with several days of food on your back, finishing above 11,500 feet.
The Resolution Creek road out of Camp Hale to Fowler-Hilliard Hut, an introduction to the 10th Mountain Division hut system.
Highlights
What earns the trip
- A staffed hut system with wood stoves, bunks and kitchens at 11,500 feet
- Starts at Camp Hale, the valley where the 10th Mountain Division trained
- Ptarmigan Pass at 11,775 feet, the high point of the road
- Terrain around the hut supports days of touring from a fixed base
- The route connects onward to Jackal Hut and to Shrine Mountain Inn
Stops
- 1
Camp Hale Trailhead
Where the Resolution Creek road leaves US 24 on the valley floor.
- 2
Ptarmigan Pass
The high point of the road, at 11,775 feet.
- 3
Fowler-Hilliard Hut
The hut, at roughly 11,500 feet.
When to go
Best time to go
January through April. The hut season runs roughly Thanksgiving through late April.
Planner estimate for the mapped line: 33 min
Before you go
Know before you go
- Hut reservations are required and the popular dates are allocated by lottery months in advance.
- The Resolution Creek road is groomed for snowmobiles. Expect shared use and give way.
- The line here follows Forest Roads 702 and 751 the whole way, about eight miles. The shorter winter ski route leaves the road lower down and switchbacks up to the hut in about six and a half.
- The approach crosses avalanche terrain. Check the CAIC forecast and carry rescue gear.
- Altitude is a real factor. The hut sits at roughly 11,500 feet and the road tops out higher still.
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