How To Snowshoe To Peter Grubb Hut: Unique Overnight Stay

Fancy snowshoeing to a backcountry hut? Peter Grubb Hut is one of the coolest hidden gems I’ve found in California, and you can actually snowshoe there.

The Peter Grubb Hut is one of backcountry huts located in the Tahoe National Forest, and is commonly used as a skiing base near Castle Peak. We chose it because it’s the easiest hut to get to, perfect for a beginner snowshoeing trip.

If you’re looking for a unique overnight snowshoeing experience that’s not too difficult – you’ve come to the right place. I’ll be sharing what you need to know about this adventure and how it’s like staying in Peter Grubb Hut for the night.

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Trail overview

You get to enjoy snow-covered mountain peak views as you make your way along the Pacific Crest Trail to Peter Grubb Hut.

Make sure you give yourself plenty of time if you’re relative new to snowshoeing because it can be extra tiring especially when you’re carrying a backpack full of sleeping supplies and food.

Distance: 3 miles (one-way)

Duration: 1.5 to 2.5 hours (one-way)

Elevation gain: 800 ft

Difficulty: Moderate

Map: AllTrails map

The trail begins along Castle Valley North Road near Soda Springs, with a gradual and steady incline until it takes you over Castle Pass. From there, you’ll join the Pacific Crest Trail just below the ridge line as you traverse across and down towards Lower Castle Creek.

The Peter Grubb Hut is easy to spot – unless it’s buried under snow after a huge storm. Try to see if you can spot the surrounding peaks, such as Castle Peak, Basin Peak and Andesite Peak.

Booking your stay at Peter Grubb Hut

This hut was built in memory of Peter Grubb, an adventurous young lad from San Francisco who passed on in 1937 during a Europe bicycling tour with his freinds. He was only 18 years old at the time, so it’s a bittersweet story.

The hut can accomodate up to 15 people, and it is often fully booked on weekends. To stay here, you’ll need to book a spot in advance and it costs 35 USD/night per person. You can look up more details and check for availability here.

Getting to the trailhead

• Distance from San Francisco: 3 hours
• Distance from South Lake Tahoe: 1.5 hours
• Distance from Reno: 50 minutes

The trailhead starts just off I-80, and you’re encouraged to park at the Donner Summit SNO-Park. It costs $30 per vehicle for 2 days ($15 per day). You’ll need to make payment online and print out the confirmation to be left in your car.

The SNO-Park parking lot is not big, but we didn’t have any trouble getting parking. There are a few portable toilets which will be your best option until you reach Peter Grubb Hut.

To get to the trailhead, you’ll need to cross below the underpass to get to the other side of the road. From there, you’ll see a slope that starts parallel to the main road, and before curving away towards the main trail.

You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see a board with a map and a signpost for directions.

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What to pack

Most of these items will be the same as the usual winter hiking gear, with the addition of a few snowshoeing essentials.

Snowshoeing essentials

Snowshoes

Warm and layered clothing:

• Non-cotton base layer and mid layer
• Insulated socks
• Beanie

Gaiters: To keep snow out of your boots

Gloves

Shades: Reduces sun glare reflecting off the snow

Trekking poles: For balance, especially on slopes

Rain jacket: Protects you from unexpected wet conditions

Insulated jacket: Keeps you warm during breaks

Other daytime essentials

Backpack

Water bottle

Toilet paper and trash bags: To pack out all waste

Headlamp: A safety essential in case it gets dark

Lightweight pot and backpacking stove: To melt snow for water in an emergency

Map or GPS device: Offline map on your phone or a physical map

Satellite communication device: For SOS calls in emergencies

Portable phone battery

What you need for the overnight stay at Peter Grubb Hut

Sleeping pad: For insulation from the cold hut floor

Quilt or sleeping bag: Rated for winter conditions

Socks: A dry, warm pair reserved for sleeping

Food (dinner, breakfast, and snacks)

Portable jump start kit: In case your car refuses to start the next day

Safety tips

Check the weather: Verify conditions are safe and stable before your trip

Watch for avalanche warnings: Be aware of avalanche-prone areas and carry safety gear if needed

Avoid stepping into creeks: Snow can hide flowing water underneath, making it dangerous

Start early: Begin your hike early to ensure you reach the hut before dark

Avoid wearing cotton: It retains moisture and can lead to hypothermia

Carry a map: Have a downloaded offline map or physical backup for navigation

Our experience snowshoeing to Peter Grubb Hut

We went on this snowshoeing adventure in mid April which is considered lake winter. There was still quite a lot of snow, but it was slowly becoming slushy as the weather warmed up.

For us, it was perfect weather for an overnight snowshoeing trip since daytime temperatures were in the low 40s F. It was so much fun (though tiring) and I highly recommend this adventure. Here’s how it went.

Starting on the trail to Peter Grubb Hut

We started on the trail admittedly a little late, thinking we’d only take 1.5 hours to get to Peter Grubb Hut and still have time to enjoy an early dinner before sunset.

Now with the benefit of hindsight, we’ve learnt that we take about twice as long snowshoeing with a packed backpack.

Even though 800 ft elevation gain looks like a piece of cake for normal hiking, it felt much different when snowshoeing. I was panting so much and had to take frequent breaks.

Even then, we had so much fun walking through the forest, and enjoyed the view of Andesite Peak on our left and the valley on the right.

We met fellow snowshoe hikers along the way, but only one skier – which made sense since the snow wasn’t ideal for skiing anymore.

Crossing over Castle Pass

The biggest milestone we had along the way was to get past Castle Pass, because that’s the most elevation gain we’ll have.

At this point, we knew that we were a little behind schedule, and it was already golden hour – the hour before sunset.

This held us back a little longer because we were so excited about the amazing lighting, and started taking pictures along the ridge as a mini celebration for getting over Castle Pass.

After Castle Pass, we were less than 1 mile away from Peter Grubb Hut but in the moment it felt really far.

That could also be because we took an accidental detour by following the ridge line towards Castle Peak, rather than taking the lower trail to traverse the side of it. Thankfully we quickly realized it and backtracked.

I was a little nervous about traversing the side of the slope as I forgot to bring trekking poles, so I went slowly on this part of the trail.

It wasn’t really clear what the best route was as the previous snowshoe prints were not very obvious, and based on our GPS we were just slightly off the “proper” summer trail.

Thankfully it went alright and we found the trail that all other snowshoe prints converged towards. We even saw some snowmobile tracks too.

From there, the trail led us downhill and we found the Peter Grubb Hut easily.

Staying overnight in Peter Grubb Hut

Now, this is the most exciting part of the snowshoeing adventure – the actual overnight stay at Peter Grubb Hut.

There are many features of this backcountry mountain hut that amaze me, here are some of them:

• Ladder on the outside leading to the second floor (sleeping area) in case the snow gets too high and the main door becomes inaccessible
• Wood stove with firewood provided (to be used prudently)
• An outhouse toilet with a ramp and two floors in case the bottom one gets blocked by deep snow
• Solar panels that provide electricity for the hut lighting
• Communal dining area

By the time we got to the hut, the sun was already setting, so we quickly oriented ourselves and started preparing dinner. There was only another pair staying for the night, so it was fairly quiet for most of our stay.

Since there’s no running water, we had to melt snow from outside which we collected using the pots at the hut. They also have a propane stove that we could use to boil water, and we used that for our instant noodle dinner.

We spent the rest of the night in front of the warm wood stove, and waited for it to die down before going to bed. It actually helped to warm up the sleeping area while we had it burning.

However, don’t be mistaken as it will get cold through the night. Make sure you have a sleep system that’s suitable for cold weather camping.

Conclusion

If you’re looking to go outdoors during the off-season, but are not quite ready for winter camping yet, snowshoeing to Peter Grubb Hut for an overnight stay could be the perfect way to ease into it.

It’s also a short enough trail at just 3 miles, such that you can bail easily if the weather turns or you realize you’re underprepared.

Hopefully you now have a better idea of what to expect for your overnight snowshoe trip to Peter Grubb Hut. This could even be a stepping stone towards your winter backpacking adventures as you gain more confidence on snowshoe trails.