Shrine Mountain Inn – Jay’s Cabin

My experience at Jay’s Cabin was in the winter. I was part of a group that snowshoed in from Vail Pass, about 4 miles. The trail is well marked and we had a great walk in.
There are two other cabins at Shrine Mountain Inn. Jay’s was the first cabin built of the three, which sleeps a total of 12 people. The cabin is fire wood heated, has hot and cold running water year round, as well as two indoor bathrooms with flush toilets, one with a bathtub and the other with a shower. This was almost too nice of a cabin for what I expected when I arrived. There is a shared kitchen on the main level with all the amenities (pots, plates, silverware & glasses) including a propane cook oven and stove top. Very very nice.
The upstairs of Jay’s Cabin has 1 bedroom with a double bed, 1 bedroom with 2 single beds, and a single bed at the top of the stairs. The main floor of the cabin has 1 bedroom with a queen and two day beds in the common area. Downstairs has 5 single beds in a communal sleeping area. Our group of 7 arrived to an empty cabin, later a group of 4 showed up. As the cabin is so large, we did chat a bit, but they ended up moving to the basement.
The only thing you need is your sleeping bag, really. Well, food, spices and drinks. But, this cabin is completely ready to go. Our group brought a little too much, but it was better to be prepared.
The cabin comes stocked with plenty of firewood. I myself am a bit of a pyro, an Eagle Scout pyro that knows what I’m doing. I right away carried in plenty of wood and split a few logs into fire starter pieces and started the main fireplace to warm up the cabin. I then went back to the wood burning sauna and got that going as well. I knew the sauna needed plenty of time to heat up, so I did that for the group. I also, made a fire outside of the main cabin in the fire pit to hang out next to, roast some marshmallows and be outside after the sauna.
Our group rented the cabin for $ 43 a person per night. We signed up online and booked individually through 10^th Mountain Trail Association. This cabin is quite popular, so make sure you sign up almost a year ahead of time to guarantee the dates you want.
I hope to do a similar trip in the summer at a different 10^th Mountain Division cabin. Such a great experience.