Grand County has great potential to develop an eco-friendly backcountry hut system. The area historically had a number of huts which have fallen into disrepair and are no longer usable. Many ski country locations have benefited from the development of backcountry hut systems, such as Summit County, Aspen, Vail and Telluride. Proximity to Denver, excellent terrain and an established Nordic ski infrastructure make Grand County a natural place for an extensive hut system. Devil’s Thumb Ranch, Snow Mountain Ranch, Sol Vista, Grand Lake Nordic Center, and Latigo Ranch serve Nordic skiers throughout the county – and countless miles of national forest and wilderness terrain extend beyond the boundaries of these facilities! GHA is working to rebuild a modern eco-friendly hut system in Grand County.

More than 70 cabins dot the Colorado High Country, localizing impacts and offering shelter to hikers, skiers and mountain bikers. It is our vision to enhance backcountry recreational cabin facilities in the forests of Grand County. Grand Huts Association will work to open to public use cabins already in existence on public and private lands and to build new structures where appropriate to assist in managing intense use of fragile ecosystems.

For more than 100 years Europeans have recognized the need to centralize the impacts of thousands of citizens who love to escape into wilderness. Hundreds of cabins, lodges and restaurants dot the Alps and mountains of Scandinavia. Increasing use requires responsible users of our “back yard” to make similar efforts to keep our mountains from being loved to death.

An important part of the project is to develop an outdoor education plan focused upon the local ecology of sub-alpine and alpine environments, snow science and avalanche hazards, and Tread Lightly! backcountry travel, targeted at hut and trail users as well as local schools, creating great venues for teaching.