10th (Tenth) Mountain Division Huts and Summit Huts Online Guidebook
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Lenado Trailhead
ELEVATION: 8,640 feet
HUTSKI.COM FREE TOPO MAP: Lenado
GPS: 348 792 E, 43 45 474 N
HUTS ACCESSED: Margy's, McNamara
USGS 7.5 min map: Aspen
10th Mountain Huts map: Smuggler Mountain

From Glenwood Springs and Interstate Highway 70, travel east on Hwy 82 approximately 32 miles and turn off on Smith Way. If you're starting from Aspen, drive 8 miles downvalley (toward Glenwood Springs) to Smith Way. Note the Smith Way intersection is located .8 mile west of the turnoff for Snowmass Village/Snowmass Ski Area.

Drive north on Smith Way for .5 mile, cross a bridge over the Roaring Fork River, and continue to a 3-way intersection just past the bridge. Turn left (north) at Upper River Road, (CR 17) and travel north for 1.5 miles to the sharp right turn (east) onto the Woody Creek Road (CR 18), also known as the "Lenado Road". Proceed approximately 8.4 miles to Lenado, a group of homes and various mining and logging ruins. Continue through Lenado .4 miles to the marked 10th Mountain winter hut parking area on your right. A sign, and a chain with a lock, mark the parking area. The combination for the lock on the chain is the same as the hut combination.

Depending on snowplowing, you may be able to driver farther up the road. If so, feel free to drop off people and gear, but park at the designated 10th Mountain parking area unless it happens to be a season or time of year with very little snow. In that case, if you drive quite some distance up the road simply park at any pullout that looks appropriate.

The Woody Creek Road begins as a paved road then soon becomes narrow and unpaved. It is fine for 2-wheel drive in good conditions, but it is one of the last roads the county plows and may have areas of slick mud or ice, so beware after storms. In the summer you can drive the road past the winter closure. It switchbacks about 5 miles to 10,910 feet, just below the summit of Larkspur Mountain: a good starting place for hikes and bike rides.

Spruce Creek trailhead is a short distance farther along the road from 10th Mountain Huts parking. It's indicated by an obvious signboard.

 
 
 
 
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Please note: The information in this website is based on the experience and research of the site owners and their sources, may not be accurate, and might not be perceived as accurate by other persons. Therefore, extreme care should be taken when following any of the backcountry skiing 10th Mountain Huts, Summit Huts and Braun Huts routes described in this website. This website is not intended to be instructional but rather is a guide for backcountry users who already have the requisite training, experience, and knowledge for the activities they choose. An advanced level of expertise and physical conditioning is necessary for even the "easiest" of the routes and activities described herein. Proper clothing and equipment is essential. Failure to have the necessary knowledge, equipment, and conditioning will subject you to physical danger, injury, or death. Some backcountry skiing routes for 10th Mountain Huts, Summit Huts and Braun Huts have changed and others will change; avalanche hazards may have expanded or new hazards may have formed since this website's publication.

Mission statement: The mission of HutSki.com is to provide backcountry skiers and other Colorado hut users with a complete set of high quality free topo maps, plentiful how-to information, and brief route descriptions that include alternate routes as well as standard trails.