Truckee Donner Land Trust’s Frog Lake Backcountry Huts offer a new overnight backcountry experience offering comfortable accommodations in truly rugged, wild terrain . Join us to enjoy the splendor of the northern Sierra with comfortable accommodations set on the edge of an alpine lake nestled in pristine forest.

The Frog Lake Backcountry Huts are located near Donner Summit just northwest of Truckee, California. Sacramento is 1.5 hours west; San Francisco and the Bay Area about 4 hours away. The closest commercial airport is Reno, Nevada – 35 minutes to the east.

Set at 7,600 feet, Frog Lake sits on a lateral granite moraine, surrounded by late-seral red fir and Jeffrey pine. The 1,000-foot-high Frog Lake Cliff overlooks the huts from across the lake, lighting up with the sunrise each morning.

Accessible on foot or bike in the snow-free months and by ski, snowboard or snowshoe in the winter (with appropriate fitness, experience and avalanche education), these huts offer a new, previously unavailable option for overnight adventures in the northern Sierra.

In the winter months, Donner Summit receives an average of 411.5 inches of snow (10.45 m) per year, making Frog Lake one of the snowiest places in the western hemisphere. The skiing is varied from steep chutes to mellow glades and open bowls. With multiple aspects and a range in elevation, good snow can nearly always be found during winter months for experienced backcountry travelers.

The sleeping huts are modern and comfortable in the tradition of European huts. A commercial grade kitchen is available for preparing meals.

The Land Trust and its partners – The Nature Conservancy, the Trust for Public Land and Northern Sierra Partnership – acquired Frog Lake as part of a larger 3,000-acre conservation effort in 2020. Before that, the property was closed to the public for nearly a century.

To learn more about Frog Lake, day use, conservation and history, click here.

About the Huts

Three new huts at Frog Lake – Ted R’s Hut, the Albert M Rockwood Hut, and Morgan Family Foundation Hut offer sleeping accommodations for different sized groups. The huts feature architecture and finishing designed to blend into the natural surroundings. The huts were designed and constructed by skiers for skiers.

The huts are austere but comfortable. A gas stove keeps your hut toasty. All bunks come with comfy sleeping pads. LED lighting lets you keep your headlamp in your pack. There are outlets for charging your phone and hangers for drying clothes, boots and skins. All huts have flush toilets and hot and cold running water.

A hutmaster is on site and will help get you get situated in your hut and show you to the Eschenbach Backcountry House. This is where groups gather to swap stories, dine and prepare food in our commercial-grade kitchen.

Albert M Rockwood Hut: The Albert M. Rockwood Hut is a duplex with each unit sleeping 4 with a shared bath between the two units. Inside your hut, there are drying racks for boots, clothes and skins as well as ports for phone charging. Click here for more information, images and reservations.

Morgan Family Foundation Hut: The Morgan Family Foundation Hut is a duplex with each unit sleeping 2 with a shared bath between the two units. Inside your hut, there are drying racks for boots, clothes and skins as well as ports for phone charging. Click here for more information, images and reservations.

Ted R’s Hut: The Ted R’s Hut is the large group hut which can accommodate 8. Inside your hut, there is a private bathroom, drying racks for boots, clothes and skins as well as ports for phone charging. Maritime propane stove heaters keep your hut warm and toasty. LED lighting lets you keep your headlamp in your pack. Click here for more information, images and reservations.

Eschenbach Backcountry House: Originally built in the 1930s out of local granite, this beautiful hut serves as the communal space for the new backcountry huts with a full kitchen, a fireplace, sitting areas and a map room for planning out the next day’s adventure.