There is no better time than right now to get into the mountains and do a little recon for winter ski touring adventures. With Huckleberry Hut being only a 7km walk (1600’ elevation gain over 1.5 hrs) from the parking spot on Porto Rico Road just south of Nelson BC and sunny skies it was the ideal opportunity for my son and I to check out the cabin and terrain.
The cabin sleeps 4 people on two bunks quite uncomfortably and there is a fold down table that makes the cabin quite roomy while cooking or playing cards.
The road which takes you up to the alpine is literally littered with big juicy huckleberries, which explains the namesake of the cabin.
You may see the odd Grouse pecking around on the roads and trails on your walk up to the multiple mine sites that you can explore in the alpine (be sure not to actually go inside them though).
Views from Midday peak include a good portion of the Bonnington Traverse. That’s Grassy Mountain on the left and Siwash Mountain on the right side of the photo which are the locations for the first two huts along the Bonnington Traverse, Grassy Hut and Steed Cabin.
Grassy Mountain offers several backcountry ski routes just above Grassy Hut which is located just below the saddle in the middle left of the photo.
Siwash Mountain has incredible ski touring terrain with Steed Cabin located directly in the centre bowl.
Looking to the North East it’s easy to see Whitewater’s Glory Ridge terrain, along with popular backcountry ski locations White Queen, Half Dome and Ymir Peak.
Directly North of Midday Peak is Cabin Peak, an aptly named peak since it lies directly above Huckleberry Hut, or should I say cabin? The backcountry ski terrain which is accessible from Huckleberry Hut is all detailed over here in our routes section.
If you are looking for an easy access summer hiking location for kids then this cabin is it. Or, if you want an easy access winter backcountry skiing objective then Huckleberry Hut offers that up as well. You can book the cabin on the Kootenay Mountaineering web site for $10/person/night.
Some of the gear that we took along on our trip that we also reviewed here on the site are the Suunto Ambit2 which captured all the GPS data you see below on the maps, the super light and convenient GSI Pinnacle Dualist Pots, the light, convenient and incredibly delicious Mountain House Freeze Dried Foods. The protein packed Bounce Balls, MSR's Whisperlite Universal Stove that works with almost any fuel, the Vapur Anti-Bottles including their new Micro Filter 1L anti-bottle which we are currently reviewing. The Mont Bell Down Hugger 900 Sleeping Bag which is the perfect cabin bag, the Osprey Aether 85 Pack which was recently updated, the Oboz Beartooth Boots which are waterproof and oh-so-comfortable, the Westcomb Tango Hoody with Polartec Alpha insulation. The Montane Air Jacket with eVent waterproof/breathable fabric, the Black Diamond Ultra Mountain Carbon Trekking Poles which are super light, the Kuhl Raptr Convertible Pants which easily go from pants to shorts and the down insulated Exped DownMat UL 7 which is the lightest down mat we have tested to date.
As you can see from the map below the access is pretty straight forward along gravel roads and old over-grown mining / quad trails. Access this map here.
Once at the cabin accessing the alpine is only a short 1000’ climb up the road where you are spit out on the saddle below Cabin Peak and Midday Peak. Access this map here.
For all the stats, times and coordinates on Huckleberry Hut, hiking routes, access and many more adventures check out our Suunto Moves Count page here.
