Backpacker

SAVOR SIERRA SOLITUDE IN WINTEROSTRANDER SKI HUTYOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA``````The numbers don’t lie. Of Yosemite’s more than 5 millionvisitors in 2016, only 1,500—.03 percent—visited Ostrander.Join the exclusive club by spending a night in this remote1940s stone hut, which sits in a backcountry cirque besideits namesake lake. It’s only open to the public in winter, butintrepid skiers and snowshoers who tackle the approachcan expect empty glades, big views, and full immersion inHigh Sierra solitude.Get there on the Bridalveil Creek, Merced Crest, or Horizon``````Ridge Trails, all of which wend some 9 or 10 miles from BadgerPass to the two-story hut. (We recommend the latter forits views of Half Dome and the Clark Range.) At Ostrander,claim one of 25 bunks on the bottom floor (a hutmaster livesupstairs) and whip up a meal in the open kitchen beforeexploring the front yard. Tour up to 9,496-foot Horse Ridgeto pick an untouched line down the bowl back to the hut. Skihounds can pack in half a dozen laps in a day.``````Trailhead Badger Pass Season Mid-December throughMarch Amenities Bunks with mattresses; wood-burningstove Reservation Starting at $50/night; enter the lottery inmid-November Contact yosemiteconservancy.orgPHOTOS BY (CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT) SETH K. HUGHES; JOSH MILLER / AURORA PHOTOS; RUSS BISHOPFrom Ostrander, stagea tour along Glacier PointRoad (it’s groomed) for thisview of Half Dome.BACKPACKER.COM 53