DENVER — Miles away from the sprawling city lights of Denver, a series of mountain cabins have helped outdoors enthusiasts explore the Colorado backcountry in comfort for a generation.
Skiers, hikers and mountain bikers can ditch their tents for one of 29 large log cabins scattered across the central Rockies. Each hut is built about eight miles apart, connected by 350 miles of sometimes rugged terrain.
Managed by the Aspen, Colo.-based 10th Mountain Division Hut Association, the cabins offer a good night's sleep on hut-to-hut trips.
"There's nothing comparable in North America to the 10th Mountain system," said Buck Elliott, who has been guiding tours using the huts since the early 1980s through his Vail-based Paragon Guides.
"To get something similar, you have to go to Europe and the Alps," he said. "It's a feather in Colorado's hat."
The two-story cabins have wood-burning or propane gas stoves, large kitchens, sun decks and enough room to sleep 16 or more. Outhouses make up for the lack of indoor plumbing, though some cabins boast saunas and water pumps. The views are spectacular: Most of the huts sit above 10,000 feet, nestled amid snowcapped peaks.
In July, 17 huts open for the summer. Hikers and mountain bikers can access lakes for fishing or rock climbing spots, and day hikes offer bird watching, wildflower spotting or other outdoor recreation.
"It's pretty much across the board of what you can do, plus comfortable shelter," said Ben Dodge, executive director of the hut association. The group operates 14 of the huts but takes reservations and offers information for the entire system.
In the winter, there are suggested routes between huts that require strong navigation skills. Summer routes are better maintained, Dodge said, ranging from four-wheel-drive roads to single-track trails.
"You don't have to worry about bushwhacking or carrying your bike," Dodge said.
Two-wheeled carts are often available at the trailheads to help carry gear and Forest Service roads come within a quarter mile of some of the huts. Bringing vehicles is discouraged, though a support vehicle can help young children or older adults who may have a hard time hiking, Dodge said.
The namesakes of the hut system are soldiers who trained in the 1940s at Camp Hale near Leadville, a mining town 100 miles west of Denver.
The unit defeated Nazi troops on Monte Belvedere, a peak in northern Italy, in February 1945. Soldiers scaled a 1,500-foot cliff at night, enabling the subsequent drive by the Allies that helped liberate Italy.
The 10th Mountain soldiers were known for their mountaineering skills, refined during three years of high-altitude training in subfreezing temperatures, according to Louis Dawson, who penned a history of the unit for the association's Web site.
Many 10th Mountain veterans returned to Colorado after the war, including hut system visionary and founder Fritz Benedict. Five of the huts are named in honor of veterans.
The first cabin was built in 1982, funded by donations from former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara. He promised to remove the first two huts if they weren't successful, Dodge said.
But the huts still stand, named in honor of McNamara and his wife, Margy, along with the 27 other huts in the mountains near Leadville, Aspen and Vail.
"A lot of the 10th Mountain huts are nestled right up near the wilderness," said Cindy Carpenter, who works for the hut association. "They're definitely in the backcountry of Colorado."
Reservations are required, and be prepared to answer some questions about personal backcountry experience.
"The huts were designed for intermediate backcountry skiers," Carpenter said. "You have to know what you're doing. You have to have navigation skills, you have to be prepared for all types of weather. A sunny day can quickly turn to rain and lightning."
Private rooms are available, but sharing rooms is common. Also, make reservations early. About 9,800 nightly spots were reserved last summer.
For people unfamiliar with the area or uncomfortable with their navigation skills, guides are available in Aspen, Edwards, Boulder and Vail.
Many guides lead multi-day mountain biking and hiking trips. Some offer horseback riding or hiking trips using llamas, which are popular for families with young children.
On the Web:
10th Mountain Hut Division Association - www.huts.org