Photo Courtesy of Gene Glasunow

Mt Tahoma Trail Association's (MTTA) Groomed High Hut Trail

Permit: Discovery Pass ($10 for the day, $30 Year) Purchase in Store

 Length:

• Upper Parking Lot: 5.5 Miles Roundtrip
• Lower Parking Lot: 7.7 Miles Roundtrip

 Elevation:

• Peak/High Hut: 4,760 ft.
• Upper Parking Lot: 3,000 ft.
• Lower Parking Lot: 2,360 ft.

 Difficulty: Hard

 

Description:

Named for Brunhilde Wislicenus (a devoted mountaineer and skier who helped rebuild the Snow Bowl Hut after a 2007 fire) this alpine hut is a part of a 3 hut system (including High Hut and The Yurt) that make a great trekking or mountain biking (snowshoeing or ski touring in the winter) multi-day trip. The trail begins as a road and passes by Lower Yurt Trail at 0.9 miles, reaching a low saddle at 1.33 miles. Follow the trail to the left, catching glimpses of Rainier as the trail begins to climb again for about 0.8 miles before peaking beneath a line of prayer flags strung above the trail. Stay on the trail until it hits the road again, and in another 2.5 miles you’ll hit the hut! From here, you can see Rainier, Adams, St. Helens and even the Olympic Mountains on a clear day. If you choose to stay the night, there are great day hikes to Griffin Mountain and Anderson lake. Book your stay at www.skimtta.com.

 

Current Conditions:

Due to Covid-19, overnight stays are not available at any of the huts in the snow bowl system. The trail and parking lot are open though. With summer hitting hard the snow is melting fast, but there still is a little snow on the trail. No need for traction devices currently, but would recommend poles. As of 06-20-2021 the gate to the upper parking lot was closed which makes it a little farther of a hike. 

 

 

Directions/ Road Conditions:

From Ashford, drive west on SR 706 for about a mile, turning left onto DNR Road 1 right before the Baptist Church on the left. Follow Road 1 6 miles to the Sno-Park lower parking lot, where you can find toilet facilities to use before your hike.