Everything guests ask us, answered straight. Still curious? Email info@opushut.com.
Pick your dates and your room (or the whole hut, or individual spots) on the booking page, and pay in full when you book. Once you start checkout, your space is held for 15 minutes while you finish — enough time to type a credit card number, not enough for someone else to swoop in. You'll get a confirmation email right away with all the details, and a reminder before your trip.
We don't issue cash refunds for cancellations — we issue credits, in the form of a gift certificate valid for one year. How much depends on how far ahead you cancel:
Two exceptions: if dangerous avalanche conditions prevent your winter trip, you get a 100% credit. And if we have to close the hut, you get a 100% refund back to your card. To cancel or change a reservation, email us — we handle it personally.
Winter dates are in high demand, so instead of a midnight booking scramble we run a lottery. From July 25 to August 1, submit your ranked trip requests — as many as you like, ordered by preference — on the lottery page. The drawing runs August 1 at 5pm Mountain time, weighted by guest-nights so bigger, longer trips aren't at a disadvantage. Your card is charged only if you win. Didn't win? Your requests roll to the waitlist, and open booking follows for whatever's left.
Add yourself on the waitlist pagewith your email, a date range, and what kind of space you want. Whenever previously booked space opens up, everyone whose criteria match gets one email in a daily 6am batch — same moment for everyone, then it's first-come, first-served through the normal booking flow. No holds, no line-jumping, no phone tag.
We do — any dollar amount, delivered by email, redeemable at checkout toward any stay. They're also how we issue cancellation credits, so if you've canceled a trip you already have one. Buy or redeem on the gift certificates page.
Bring: a headlamp (for the walk to the sauna, and reading after lights-out), hut slippers if you have a cozy pair you love (we have loaners), your lunch and trail food for the days, toiletries and sunscreen, and a water bottle — we have filtered water at the hut.
Leave home:your sleeping bag and any bedding — we provide everything, travel light. Anything power-hungry (phone chargers are fine; hair dryers, not so much — we're solar-powered). And alcohol: the OPUS is a licensed tavern, so personal alcohol isn't permitted by state law. The bar has you covered.
No guest WiFi — and that's on purpose. It's an aesthetic choice we make so you can unplug, bond with your friends and family, and enjoy the remote atmosphere. There's a guest iPad with iMessage and email so you can tell the folks back home you arrived safely — just ask a hut host.
There's no cell service at the hut (occasionally a single bar if you walk 100 yards uphill — maybe enough for a text). For real emergencies, the hut has a satellite phone (970-919-0208) and a text number that reaches the hut hosts on duty (701-779-0604). Please save those for actual emergencies, not check-in calls.
Check-in is 2:00pm and check-out is 10:00am. Arriving early? You're welcome to drop your bags in the entry area and go hiking or hang out in the common room while we finish cleaning. Room assignments are on the chalkboard in the entryway. If you'll arrive after 7pm, give us a heads up so we keep dinner warm and don't worry you've gotten lost.
We love dogs. It's $55 flat per dog for your stay, with a maximum of four dogs at the hut. We have dog beds and a couple of spare water bowls (though it's easier if you bring your own). Please walk them a couple hundred yards from the hut for bathroom breaks and bag anything closer. And keep an eye on them outside — we're in the woods, with porcupines, coyotes, and other wildlife around. Don't leave dogs unattended outdoors.
Absolutely — kids generally love the hut. Meals for children 12 and under are half price ($35/night). One policy to know: children under 5 are welcome only on whole-hut bookings, so your family has the run of the place and other guests keep their quiet nights.
The wood-fired sauna is fired up most evenings — steam and cleanse after a day out. A few basics: rinse before you go in, sit on a towel, and keep sessions reasonable so everyone gets a turn. Swimwear is the norm at busy times; coordinate with your fellow guests. Bring your headlamp for the walk back — the stars are part of the amenity.
You can drive to within a quarter mile of the hut on Ophir Pass — from the Highway 550/Silverton side, almost any SUV will do (a Subaru Outback is fine; skip the sedan). The Ophir/Telluride side requires a real high-clearance 4×4. Or hike in: the Columbine Lake trail to the Treeline Traverse is about 5.5 miles and 1,900 feet of gain, or come all the way from Telluride (roughly 14 miles) for spectacular high-alpine views.
One local quirk: marmots around the parking area occasionally chew on cars. We keep tarps and rope under a pine tree in the lot so you can wrap your car up like a diaper — about half our guests do. Full details, maps, and the parking pin are on Getting Here.
Having an experienced guide accompany you on your trip can mean finding powder stashes, exploring some of the off-the-beaten paths in the summer, or sharing interpretive knowledge about the local terrain and geography. All of course, while providing a safe and fun atmosphere for the duration of your trip.
Inquire with one of the local guide services for more information on a winter or summer trip:
Lights out at 10pm. We're off-grid and solar-powered, so power is limited — and your hut-mates have early alpine starts. If you turn a light on, turn it off when you're done, and save the late reading for your headlamp.
Pack it out. All guests are responsible for their own personal trash — everything that comes into the backcountry with you leaves with you. We haul enough down the mountain already.