Throughout our trail system we have three huts; The Equipe Hut, The Bjornloppet Hut, and the Osborne Ridge Hut. These three huts have compelling histories and hold many dear memories to numerous trail users. Below are their stories for you to enjoy and find inspiration to visit these huts and take in their striking views.
The Three Hut Tour: a wonderful route in our trail system that takes you to all three huts.
Strava Map Here: https://strava.app.link/RZXoKs9qHHb
The Equipe Hut: A Destination with a 360-Degree View
The Equipe Hut was built from locally milled wood from Big Trees State Park during the 1980s. For the price of two mountain bikes, the General Manager, David Swofford, of the now-closed Cottage Springs Ski Area on Highway 4, helped build the Equipe Hut near the site of today's Reba's Meadow Cafe. The original Equipe Hut had a tow hitch, and when there was enough snow, a snowcat pulled the hut up the Equipe Trail to its current location. Initially, the hut was to be pulled back down to the store for the summer, but during the first attempt to pull the hut away, the tow hitch broke, so an agreement was made with the Forest Service to keep the hut in place. Now, the hut is a memorable destination for cross country skiers and snowshoers and is home to many fond memories, snacks, and pictures.
The Bjornloppet Hut: and its compelling History
The Bjornloppet hut is the twin to the Equipe hut, both made of milled lumber from the Big Trees State Park and assembled by the Bear Valley Cross Country Center and David Swofford, the past owner of the closed Cottage Springs Resort. On a blue-bird day, looking northwest from the Bjornloppet hut, you can faintly see its twin, especially if you pack binoculars. In the early 1980s, the Bjornloppet hut was tucked away in the aspen trees below the Scenic Vista Trail and was a beautiful destination for the overnight Bearly Backcountry program that the Cross Country Center ran with REI as an introduction to snow camping and backcountry skiing, led by the instructor Christine Taylor, who is now the owner of Outer Aisle Foods. This program ran for about two years, and then the hut was towed by a snowcat over snow up to the top of the Scenic Vista Trail, where skiers and snowshoers take in the breathtaking views. The Bjornloppet Hut has been the setting of a few season pass holders' engagements and continues to be a home for many beautiful memories.
The osborne ridge hut: the story of perseverance
Around the mid-1990s, the Bear Valley Cross Country Center, now known as the BVAC, purchased two huts from the Cottage Springs Resort; one hut is the Sledding and Tubing (Slube) Shack, and the second is known as the Osborne Ridge Hut, which uniquely was first made to be a mini coffee shop at the base of the Cottage Springs Resort. The XC Center lowered the countertops to create places to sit and added a tow hitch to pull the hut to its current home at the top of the Osborne Ridge Trail, where the hut had stood tall for bountiful seasons until the incredible winter of 2022/23 where Bear Valley had received over 56ft. of snow and the Osbrone Ridge Hut was close to being deemed condemned due to significant damage. Luckily, locals spoke up, and thanks to the skillful John Dube and his son, who worked hard to rebuild the hut for many more seasons to come.
The BVAC’s trail system is 65 kilometers of groomed paths over 3,000 acres that ranges from meadow flats to vista points allowing for memorable adventures in the Sierra Nevadas.
