Warming Huts

Sno-Park warming huts

Several Washington Sno-Parks offer trailhead or trailside warming huts. These warming huts usually offer wood stoves and seating. Some are cozy and inviting. Others are bare-bones survival structures.

2021

Before COVID-19, the trailside huts drew snowshoers, skiers and snowmobilers to socialize and relax. A few trailhead huts provided a place to change clothes, cook a meal or even spend the night with advance reservations.

While some huts are open for the 2020-21 season, we advise visitors to duck in and warm up but keep visits short and follow COVID-19 protocols (including face coverings and social distancing from those in other households).

Ask yourself this question before entering a hut: Does the risk of exposure to cold outweigh the risk of exposure to COVID-19?

The following huts are open, with noted restrictions, this season:

Mount Spokane, Vista House — open weekends and holidays for takeout food only.
Mount Spokane, Selkirk Lodge (Nordic area) – open for use of the restroom.
Mount Spokane trail huts (Nova Hut, Snowshoe Hut, Tripp Knob Hut, CCC Cabin) — open for emergency use.
Fields Spring State Park, Puffer Butte and Snowflake huts — open for emergency use ONLY.
Marble Mountain Sno-Park trailhead hut — open.
The U.S. Forest Service may open other shelters on the lands it manages.
- USFS huts sit miles apart and can be difficult to reach.
- Visitors should contact the appropriate ranger district to inquire about the status of their shelters.

The following huts are closed for this season:

Fields Spring State Park, Puffer Butte and Wohelo Lodges (emergency use only)
Mount Tahoma Trails Association huts near Road 1 and Road 92

Other things to consider:

Most huts are small and warm, with little ventilation.
The huts will not be cleaned to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) standards.
Recent CDC guidance states that 15 minutes is the longest people should stay in such indoor facilities with people outside their household.
Other indoor facilities may not be accessible, or open hours may be reduced.
One’s private vehicle may be the safest place to change clothes or warm up.
- Visitors should have a full tank of gas for their winter outing.

Visit our COVID-19 page for more information on responsible recreation during the pandemic.