CMC Boulder Group Cabins

The Boulder Group of the Colorado Mountain Club owns two cabins in the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest. The cabins are operated in accordance with the terms of a Special Use Permit issued by the US Forest Service.

- Brainard Cabin (General Info, Reservations, Bible & Other Documents, Snow Report, Events , Miscellaneous)

- Arestua Hut (General Info, "Reservations", Snow Report, Events)

Brainard Cabin

The Boulder Group of the Colorado Mountain Club built the Brainard Cabin in 1928. The cabin is located at 10,405 feet in the busy, beautiful Brainard Lake area of Roosevelt National Forest. The cabin provides an easy access to the eastern portion of the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, including Long, Isabelle, Mitchell, and Blue Lakes, as well as Mt. Audubon, Mt. Toll, Pawnee and a few other peaks.

The cabin is day-hosted (from approximately 10:30 to 2:30 only) by CMC member volunteers on most winter weekends, and is open to all visitors wishing to warm up and have some hot cocoa. A donation of $1 per person is requested to pay for supplies. The cabin may be reserved for overnight use by up to 12 people. However, the leader of each group must first complete a training course in the use of the cabin. (To request information about the next training session, please email the [javascript protected email address]Training sessions are offered throughout the year whenever eneough people express interest. The cabin is supplied with the basic necessities; users need only to bring food, sleeping bags, and flashlights. (For the really light traveler, wool blankets & pillows are available at the cabin.) The cabin requires hundreds of hours of volunteer effort to maintain. Please consider participating in the annual work party in September or other work days throughout the year.

Cabin policy:  Responsibility for the cabin, its contents, and party members, rests with the person who is issued the combination to the locks. One or more members of a party reserving the cabin must have experience in operating the cabin (such as by completing the training course). The Boulder Group offers training sessions for new users at the cabin each fall and upon request throughout the year. Because of its proximity to the road, the cabin is vulnerable to vandalism and theft. Please keep the shutters closed and the door locked when you are not there.

Cabin reservations:  The current Brainard Cabin reservation calendar can be viewed at any time, and is updated daily. Spots in the cabin cost $12 per person, per night, whether adult or child, member or non-member of the CMC. To reserve spots in the cabin, send an email request to [javascript protected email address]. Once the Reservations Coordinator has verified that you are a qualified user (have been trained on cabin use), you will receive an email request for payment via PayPal. Payment may be made with any major credit card, and is required in full at the time your reservation is made. Once payment is received, your name and the number of people in your party will be added to the calendar.

Cancellation/refunds:  Because of high demand between November and April, cancellation requests must be received six weeks before your scheduled trip in order to be eligible for a refund. Regardless of the timing, if you cannot use all of the spots you've reserved, please let us know so that others may enjoy the cabin.

Brainard Cabin Bible & other documents:  The current version of the Brainard Cabin Users Manual and other reference documents can be viewed by clicking the links below:

Snow Report:  Please report your experiences at the cabin and in the area online at the new Facebook group, so that others going up soon know what to expect. Occasionally, emails received by the Reservations email account will be posted at this group. The University of Colorado and CDOT operate several weather stations in the area - the closest being on Niwot Ridge about a mile southeast of the cabin. Eldora & CDOT also offer current weather information. Links to these are included below:

Events:  Recent and upcoming events are listed below. Please help maintain the cabin by participating in the annual woodcutting/cleanup/maintenance party or other activities.

Miscellaneous:  Cabin users should be aware that there is no cell phone service at or near the cabin and the emergency phone at Brainard Lake is broken. Though no access guarantees are made, other users have had success in contacting the Front Range via handheld Ham radios. The cabin is equipped with a 2m 1/4 wl ground-plane antenna which is tuned for 155 MHz but will work with 144-148 Mhz. It is fed into the cabin with 50 ohm coax cable and terminated with PL259, BNC, and SMA connectors. Licensed Ham operators recently contacted the following repeaters: Longmont Amateur Radio Club's repeater on 147.270 (100Hz CTCSS tone), the Fort Collins repeater (145.115), the Loveland repeater (147.195), and the 145.31 CC repeater on Mt. Thorodin. Note that the cabin has a 12 volt lighting system, but no electric plugs of any kind. --- Please do not use any electronics in the cabin without obtaining the permission of everyone in the cabin. ---

Kids & the cabin:  The cabin was constructed by adults for adults, but has hosted children as young as six weeks old. Be aware that the access to the sleeping area is a ladder, the wood stoves do get hot, and the outhouse is all the way down the hill. Freestanding baby gates (three segments of a Superyard) are available at the cabin - ask Reservations about them if you'd like to use them.

Return to Top

Arestua Hut

The Boulder Group also owns the Arestua Hut (aka Guinn Mt. Cabin), a cozy and secluded relative of the better-known Brainard Cabin. This hut is located at around 11,000 feet on Guinn Mountain, and provides a winter shelter for cross-country skiers with breathtaking views of the Front Range and the plains. It has a wood-fired cook stove, and comfortably accommodates six to eight people overnight on built-in bunks and in the loft. There is no photovoltaic lighting, so bring extra batteries for your headlamp. PLEASE DO NOT BRING CANDLES. The hut is usually accessed from the Jenny Creek trail that runs behind the Ho Hum lift at the Eldora Mountain Resort. Parking and trail access is provided near the stone pillars marking the entrance to the Resort. The Jenny Creek trail is well-marked, but steep and narrow in many places. A GPS track of the route (in _.gpx format) can be obtained by clicking: Jenny Creek to Arestua Hut GPS Track

"Reservations": The Arestua Hut is not day-hosted and does not require or accept reservations for overnight use. It is available on a first-come, first-served basis. It is a crowded night or a long ski out when two parties both show up to use the cabin, so to help prevent double occupancy please look at the "old reservations calendar" or the new "reservations calendar" to see if anyone else is planning to be there. To add your own "reservation" (purely as a courtesy FYI to others) send an email to the [javascript protected email address].

Snow Report: The nearest weather station is located at the Eldora Ski Resort. Their snow reports can be accessed by clicking: Eldora Snow Report

Events: Recent and upcoming events are listed below. Please help maintain the hut by participating in the annual woodcutting/cleanup/maintenance party or other activities.

Return to Top

** Alternative formats on this information are available on request to people with disabilities.

In accordance with the Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) To file a complaint of discrimination: write USDA, Director,Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.