San Jaun Snow Treks

Now there are two structures with more to come that are located in the San Juan Mountains near Creede Colorado. The new Lime Creek Yurt is located on Fisher Mountain. The Yurt elevation is at 10,500 feet and is 5 skiing miles from the Fisher Hut.

The Fisher Mountain Hut is located on Fisher Mountain near the vast and awesome Weminuche Wilderness, it’s elevation is 10,860 feet. From the hut deck one has an excellent view of the headwaters of the mighty Rio Grande River in the canyons and valleys below the hut. The Fisher Hut has a spectacular view that is rarely observed out anyone’s front door. There is plenty of advanced and intermediate skiing terrain nearby. The hut provides a cozy and warm place to stay on cold winter nights. The two trailheads are located 1 mile apart.

The new Lime Creek Yurt is located on a forest service road 5 miles from the trailhead. The Lime Creek Yurt is located on Fisher Mountain also. The Yurts elevation is at 10,500 feet and is 5 skiing miles from the Fisher Hut. there is an excellent view of the beginnings of the Rio Grande river down in the valley below. It over looks the beautiful Lime Creek canyon and has excellent north slope backcountry skiing nearby. There are lots of open steep slopes near the yurt due to a 600 acre timber blow down which occurred a few years ago.
There is plenty of skiing terrain and a comfortable place to stay on cold winter nights. The huts trailheads are approximately five hours (270 miles) from Albuquerque, four hours (200 miles) from Santa Fe and Los Alamos, NM, and five hours (250 miles) from Denver.

Copyright 2008 San Juan Mountain Snow Treks, Inc.

San Juan Snow Treks Inc., is operated under a permit from the U.S. Forest Service in the Rio Grande National Forest.

The Fisher Mountain Hut is located 5 miles up Forest Service Road 527 off Middle Creek Road on Ivy Creek Forest Service Road 526. The trailhead parking is approximately 15 miles from Creede at 9500 feet elevation. The 5 mile ski is moderately difficult but is a very scenic ski indeed. There is a 1500 foot elevation gain during the 5 miles on a easily followed Forest Service road.

The Fisher Mountain Hut is a wooden cabin structure 12′ wide by 24′ long, and stands on a 16′ wide by 32′ long deck. The views off the deck are spectacular! It will sleep up to six people comfortably. The hut has a wood stove with plenty of wood to burn, propane lights and stove. There is an adjacent room with an indoor composting toilet! It also has beds, a table, chairs, pots and pans, all the utensils you need, and it is lighted with propane lanterns. You can melt all the snow you need for drinking and cooking.
The new Lime Creek Yurt is a 16′ diameter structure. The yurt sits on a 7′ high deck and has a composting toilet connected to the deck. It also has a wood stove with plenty of wood to burn, a propane stove, and propane lights. It has two bunk beds that sleeps four people, chairs, table, pots and pans, with utensils. Also you have all the snow to melt for water.
A person need only bring their food, warm clothing, and a sleeping bag.

The Lime Creek Yurt site was discovered in the fall of 1996. A temporary warming hut was installed in September of 1997 to evaluate the site. Skier accessibility, snow depths and availability of skiable terrain surrounding the site was found to be excellent.
In October of 1997, a tornado like wind blew down approximately 700 acres of spruce and fir trees. The blow down extended several miles at 11,000 feet in elevation but missed the newly constructed warming hut. After two winters it was decided to install a 16 foot diameter yurt with a composting toilet!. This yurt is a very welcome addition to the proposed named Weminuche Lynx back country ski hut system which was initially started with the Fisher Mountain Hut. New huts are planned to be installed starting with a Heart Mountain Yurt. The following year, a Cooper Mountain yurt is planned. the proposed Cooper Mountain yurt would be 4 miles from the Lime Creek yurt located at an elevation of 11,000 feet near 11,966 foot Cooper Mountain. The Heart Mountain yurt would be 8 miles from the Cooper Mountain yurt at an elevation of 11,000 feet near Wolf Creek Pass.