In 1929, Yosemite Park and Curry Company built a rustic chalet-like cabin off the Snow Creek Trail, near Mount Watkins, as part of a plan to attract winter tourists. Within a few years, as visitors flocked to downhill slopes at the newly opened Badger Pass, the Snow Creek Cabin was abandoned.

Decades later, with support from the Conservancy, the park restored the historic hut. The cabin’s popularity has skyrocketed among winter adventurers who trek up the snow-covered Tenaya Zigzags to search for the notoriously elusive retreat. In response to the increasing visitation, the park instituted a permit system and added security to the cabin, but people regularly attempt to break into the structure.

In 2019, with your support, historic-preservation experts reinforced cabin doors and windows to strengthen the structure against damage and illicit use, and they added fire-escape ladders to ensure the safety of overnight guests. Throughout the process, the crew prioritized preserving the historical character of the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Your support helped ensure the cabin can continue to serve as rustic retreat for hardy adventurers — and that future visitors will appreciate its historical significance.

Completed in partnership with Yosemite National Park.