Larig Leacach Bothy Courtesy Wikipedia
Is Scotland missing out on a key mountain tourism niche?
The Ramblers in Scotland think this may be true, and are proposing a pilot project to test this assumption.
While the Scots have “Bothies” — unimproved backpacker shelters — European-style huts are not part of the accommodations infrastructure for walkers in Scotland, Wales, England. They rely on a robust network of B&B’s and hostels. This leaves gaps in mountainous regions.
Hut to hut in the USA: situation and outlook
by Sam Demas and Wilson Josephson
[Note: This 2015 post is out of date. See our book for more recent analysis of huts in USA. Will update later.]
Sam August 2021
This is a preliminary overview of the 15 hut-to-hut systems in the USA. There are a number of systems under development or expanding, and I’m hoping readers will tip me off to others that should be included. Currently these 15 systems comprise 107 huts, yurts, and cabins, and offer 1,496 beds for long distance hut-to-hut hikers, bikers and skiers. This sketch of hut-to-hut infrastructure in the USA provides an overview by region, and very briefly discusses: business models, recreational uses, staffing, and some. Based on the data presented, it concludes with some musings about the future of hut systems supporting long distance human-powered travelers in the USA. hut to hut in usa
Hut-to-hut at Mount Tahoma: a history and a love story
MTTA is a labor of love. Bob Brown loved back-country skiing and wondered why he had to travel to Colorado to ski hut-to-hut when they had such great terrain in Washington. He rallied others and they created the Mount Tahoma Trails Association (MTTA), an all-volunteer hut system. Judy Scavone came along, fell in love with the trail and hut system, became an inspirational volunteer, and she and Bob fell in love. This is the story of their shared passion for the outdoors and of their dedication to MTTA and to its remarkable corps of volunteers. The current strength and quality of MTTA is a testament to the work of this couple and their volunteer friends. Many people helped make MTTA what is today. This story is about two of them: Bob and Judy.
Spring 2012, Karly Siroky, High Hut Manager.
High Hut Trail Guide Excerpts
Notes kindly compiled by Leyton Jump, Manager of High Hut, Mt. Tahoma Trails Association
OUR MISSION
2005
The Mt. Tahoma Trails Association operates and manages for public use a year-round hut-to-hut trail system adjacent to the slopes of Mt. Rainier, offering trail users of differing skill levels and economic backgrounds a safe and inspirational backcountry experience. MTTA leadership maintains a functional working partnership with all stakeholders (MTTA members, trail users, volunteers, and our host land owners) based on mutual trust and honesty. Volunteers provide labor to achieve this mission.
by Sam Demas
Creating more opportunities for people to use huts to support long distance hiking, biking, skiing is a complex undertaking. If not done well, the potential for doing environmental harm is as great as the potential for doing educational and recreational good.
Part 1 of this article outlined the potential benefits. Part 2 outlines the challenges in thoughtfully regulating, siting, creating, and operating hut systems. Future posts will provide greater detail in many of these areas, and the operational profiles on this site provide information on how specific hut systems handle these challenges. The audience for this piece is young people planning or dreaming of starting a hut system; it may also interest recreation planners and land managers.
Joe and Kelly Ryan
A father-daughter story
by Sam Demas
Joe Ryan built his huts to provide people an affordable backcountry journey to enjoy nature, to learn outdoor skills, and to benefit with health and healing. A generation later his vision is a reality — beyond what he had imagined — and continues to evolve in partnership with his daughter Kelly Ryan.
How many huts exist and where are they?
We are experimenting with a modest project: Hut Systems Map of North and South America. Our map initiative is just one of many. We hope to coordinate our work with that of some of the growing number of hut mapping and listing projects worldwide. Some are focused on a particular state, region or nation, while others global in scope. Following are some initial examples to provide a sense of the range. We will add others as we learn about them.
A few people around the nation know a great deal about how hut systems operate. But in the U.S. there is very little written about how hut systems are designed, built, and operated. Almost nothing is known about the economics and demographics of hut systems. And, other than the Colorado Hut and Yurt Alliance, there are no formal mechanisms for information exchange among those who do know. This will need to change if we are to learn from each other, develop “best practices” and ensure that hut systems are operating optimally for their clients, for their owners, and for environmental protection.
h2h aims to stimulate activity in filling this gap in the nation’s knowledge base by publishing “operational profiles”. We are at the beginning of this process and have three so far:
In response to several tragic deaths from exposure and subsequent concern for hiker safety, the the AMC started building huts and shelters in 1888 and celebrated the 125th anniversary it’s hut system in 2013. Carter Notch Hut, built in 1914, celebrated its Centennial last year.
After the first AMC hut, Madison Springs, proved popular with hikers, AMC member Harvey Newton Shepard, who had studied European hut systems, recommended:
….a few additional huts be constructed, with good paths thereto, so that uninteresting walk of three to seven days may be made without the encumbrance of the carrying of blankets or provisions…… this is the kind of public work in which the Club should engage.
Twenty-three members of the Colorado Hut & Yurt Alliance met in Crested Butte on April 3 to discuss a range of issues of common interest. Following is an abstract of the minutes of the meeting: