Skiing to Ostrander Ski Hut in Yosemite national park

This is a trip recap of our January 2026 Ostrander Ski Hut Trip within Yosemite National Park! This was a ski. It was a unassuming in my opinion, and was quite challenging. However, it was so incredibly worth it!

To start things off, we grabbed these reservations about a week before off the Yosemite Conservancy Website. Luke and I asked our buddy, Marty, a long time Yo-semite to come along and he happily obliged! In his decades in the park, he had not yet been to Ostrander (in the winter).

I would also be remiss not to mention that I made a vlog of this experience if you'd prefer to learn about the trip through video. You can watch it here.

Ski to the Hut Day:

We decided to take Bridalveil Creek trail in, so this day looked like 10.5 miles with over 2,000 feet of elevation gain.

Our Ski Out Elevation from Badger Pass > Bridalveil Creek > Hut

We were set to ski out on Sunday, January 11th. We arrived to the Badger Pass parking lot, grabbed our self-issued wilderness permit, and started skiing Glacier Point Road.

This is a four-mile section on a groomed road (if you're lucky). My recommendation here is committing to lose your skins after Summit Meadow and enjoy all of the downhills, using some aggressive skating to get you up the short uphills.

Once we got to the trailhead for Bridalveil Creek, conditions were marginal/variable. Snowpack had really settled in and the lack of a recent cycle meant there were trees and streams to navigate- making it difficult to really stride and glide, but boy- was it beautiful.

It was a hot ski in. We were shedding layers, drinking lots of water, and admiring the snowy landscape. I thought the burn areas were particularly fascinating. This was something I was looking forward to from my summer backpacking trip to Ostrander!

You can read that post here: https://www.wanderlizt.com/post/backpacking-to-ostrander-lake-in-yosemite

After working through the burn areas, we made it to the infamous "Heart Attack Hill". This hill is spoken with weight by all who have skied before you. It is a massive little uphill dessert that you have to eat before you can ski into Ostrander and it was no joke. Hiking it in the summer months does not compare to this hill in the winter. Honestly, it is your penance for a warm, comfy hut. The only way to is through.

Once we made it through Heart Attack Hill, the sun was setting and we watched the Alpenglow move through the Sierra. As we neared the hut, the last little bit of sunset flared causing all of the snow to turn a peachy purple. It was stunning, and we definitely timed it that way........ (okay, maybe not).

The cabin was bustling with Marty, some new friends from the Bay Area, Andrew who works in the park, and Lance - our valiant hut keeper. We settled in. Luke and I got two bunks right next to the kitchen and heater, tucked into the corner. We changed into some dry clothes, ate some dinner, and got into some easy and fun conversations with our new housemates. I think everyone went to bed early that night.

Hut Day:

The next morning, I woke up first and I got the fire going in the hut so everyone was cozy when they woke up. I went outside to the "Pee Tree" and admired the early morning quiet of the Sierra. I felt so grateful to exist in such a quiet part of the park, so deep into the backcountry. What a blessing.

I was dealing with a nasty case of shin bang so I decided it was best for me to stay at the cabin all day and look pretty. I spent the day painting, preparing prosciutto wrapped apples, and having long conversations with friends (new and old). Although I had the urge to ski, I have come to realize that the mountains will always be there and preserving your health is your wealth.

The day was beautiful, not only did I paint and prepare a nice lunch, I also watched our hut-mates ski down horse ridge and I got to photograph the day with my Fuji x100s.

In the late afternoon, when all of the hut-mates returned is when things truly got interesting. Someone had the neat idea of doing a cold plunge. So I brought a cup of tea and my chair to the lake and watched 45-minutes of "money can't buy this" entertainment. There was cold plunging, unexpected fish catching, even more unexpected fish egg eating, and more.

The late afternoon rolled into the evening. Lance told me that the first night of a group being in the hut is the quietest. People are tame, they want to get good rest before a big day of touring. He said the second night is when the memories happen, and he was not wrong.

We all stayed up to around 11PM (crazy, I know). We were laughing, margaritas were made, guitars were played, I put my nature journal out for folks to add a little something into, stories were told, and friendships were formed.

Ski Home Day:

Ostrander > Horizon Ridge > Hut (8.9 miles)

6AM rolled around fast. We had a goal of leaving the hut by 7:30 AM and taking the Horizon Ridge trail out. We sort of accomplished that time goal. Listen, I had coffee to drink...

I did a final little tour of the hut. I would recommend sleeping upstairs for a more quiet, but colder experience and sleeping downstairs for a more social and warmer experience. I liked downstairs! By the way, I was impressed and surprised by the stocking of the kitchen. You could literally cook an entire meal in there. I am remembering this for next time.

We snapped a photo with Lance (green jacket) before heading out. Bittersweet! We decided to give Horizon Ridge a try per the recommendation of literally everyone.

The entire Horizon Ridge trail was fun. It was technical at parts, open and cruisy in parts, and overall a good time. The views were also incredible for most of the trail until you tucked down in the trees. Still beautiful, just less expansive. Let's just say I am never doing BV Creek again, especially when Horizon Ridge exists. I will say that the Merced Crest trail interests me!

After we got back to the road, we muscled out the last four miles. All settling into our paces, and focusing on the frozen pizza that awaited us at home.

Major Takeaways:

• Bring real food and cook some fancy Ostrander meals

• Horizon Ridge is king

• Keep skiing Yosemite

• Only cool girls get shinbang

Yosemite is such a place where you create these unforgettable memories. I hope you make some too.

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you have any questions :D