The Bailey Hut is spoken of in hushed and reverend tones among the backcountry skiing community in the Rogue valley. Surprisingly, there isn't a lot of good beta on the hut and securing a trip can be difficult. You have to call early to get the good dates and it's always a gamble with the winter weather. However, if your trip has good snow conditions and beautiful weather then get ready for some of the best skiing!
Hut Details
Phone: 541.498.2531
Reservation: Open around the 14th or 15th of September every year.
Parking: Park at the Three Lakes Trail Snow Park
Skin in: budget for 2.5 hours
Cabin: Three story A-Frame. Second and Third floors are for sleeping and main level is for cooking and hanging out by the fireplace. There is a bathroom! It is located off the back side of the main floor. Bring your own TP!
Kitchen: There is a table to cook on and a couple big pots for melting water on the fireplace. Bring your own stove, cookware, and food.
Bailey Hut 360 from Travis Caldwell on Vimeo.
Lighting: You can burn candles on the main floor, but a good lantern goes a long long ways.
Firewood: The cabin is stocked with firewood, but funding is low and if you have the ability to bring in your own firewood it is a tremendous help.
Drive Time: From Ashland head North on I5. Take the Crater Lake exit and get onto Crater Lake highway. Stay on Crater lake highway until it turns into hwy 230. Continue on hwy 230 until you reach the Three Lakes Trail snow park. The snow park will be on your left. The drive will take approximately 2hrs as long as the roads are clear. If there is bad weather allocate more time for driving there.
Trail: Take the cat-track from the parking lot for a couple miles and take a right (towards Diamond Lake) at the first intersection you come to. Within the first couple hundred yards the trail to the cabin starts up on the left. This portion of the trail is non-groomed and the only tracks are from previous skiers.
Summiting: The summit is roughly a three hours skin from the hut. There are a couple of routes to the summit. You can go straight from the hut up the ridge, or you can make your way to the bowl on the east side and then up through the heart of the bowl to the summit. Both options are within minutes of each other to the summit.
Don't Forgets (besides all your AVI gear): Sun Block, Chap-stick, Lantern, Cards and or other games to kill the time in the hut. A GPS is a great tool to have on this trip!
East Face Bowl on Mount Bailey
You could ski Mount Bailey for weeks straight and still not explore all the lines it has to offer. There are some very tight shoots and rock bands to drop for advanced riders, but there are also mellower that are easily skied by someone in the intermediate ability range.
View of Mount Thielsen
Snowmachines are allowed on the cat track and other designated area's on the mountain. They are not allowed on the trail to the hut, so getting your food and supplies into the hut is all man/women powered. Sleds are a nice way to carry a lot of stuff, but they get heavy, so be sure to take turns cause you don't want to wear yourself out before you start the skiing.
If you have any questions about your upcoming trip to mount bailey that was not addressed here please feel free to call, 541.488.1202, or email Websales!
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