Arestua Hut

Arestua Hut is a mountain hut owned and maintained by the Colorado Mountain Club in the Roosevelt National Forest. Its heated interiors make for a cozy stopover for backcountry skiiers and snowshoers to rest up before hitting the trail home.

The trail to Arestua Hut starts from the Eldora Mountain Resort right by the Eldora Nordic Center. Snowshoers can get the national forest access pass for free from the Eldora Nordic Center. Access to the Jenny Creek Trail in the national forest requires passage through the ski area. To access the Jenny Creek Trail, ask for a special pass from the nordic center that opens a door for you to get into the ski area. Stopping by the ski area is not optional. Ask for directions from the Nordic Center.

This trail is not busy in winter, so you might not see a lot of people. Snowshoes are required in snowy conditions, and spikes will not be enough in winter. After a 0.3-mile access trail through the ski area, the Jenny Creek Trail/Guinn Mountain Trail climbs gradually from Caribou Flat for about 0.7 mile and then drops about 250 feet over the next half-mile or so. After that, the trail climbs steadily.

Follow the Jenny Creek Trail/Guinn Mountain Trail. About 1.29 miles from Caribou Flat near Eldora Mountain Resort, Jenny Lake Trail and Guinn Mountain Trail split. Continue right to follow the Guinn Mountain Trail from here on. Signage at the trail junction is difficult to interpret, so be aware and look carefully for the junction. The gradient gets tougher from here, and with snowshoes it is a slow climb. Between 3.5 and 4 miles, there is a tricky traverse section that could slow you down. Allow extra time to negotiate that section.

The total distance to Arestua Hut from the Nordic Center is close to 4.5 miles. The Guinn Mountain summit is also close to the hut. Snowshoers can rest up at the hut, bag the summit, and head back home. Overall, this is close to 9 miles round trip (in snowshoes) and takes close to 6.5 hours plus any time you spend in the hut.