tuolumne ski hut

I’ve been out there once. It’s great, but it’s a big gamble. There are only about 10 bunks, and it can fill up occasionally. So that’s a long way to walk just to find out you’re sleeping in a tent. There are rangers that live out there in the winter, and apparently they will enforce the 10 person limit.

Tuolumne is nice in the winter, no matter what. Just make sure you go in with the mindset that you might not actually be staying in the hut.
It’s about 17 miles there. TPR used to drive cats up and down the pass, which made travel a bit easier (mostly on the way out because you could just glide down the road). But they aren’t operating anymore. Still, you’re just following the road. So it’s pretty easy. Just long. The first part of the road faces south and goes through a number of major slide paths, so plan accordingly.

The terrain is fun. Nothing huge, but you can’t beat the scenery. Most of the skiing is done around Cathedral Peak and Unicorn, etc…. but some of the domes can be skied as well.

@kings run east wrote:

how long is the first part of the road that goes through the slide paths? is it 2 – 3 miles or more like 8 – 9 ?

2-3 miles sounds about right. Once you hit the big corner below Ellery Lake, you’re pretty much in the clear all the way to the hut.

I guess you gotta go far for the truly breathtaking scenery anymore. Seventeen miles is farther than I’m willing to go as a relative newbie just to possibly end up in a tent.