Awesome cabin, incredible view, tons of snow and wind. The trail isn’t well marked, do not head out without a GPS map and backup battery. We would have gotten lost multiple times without it. The wind on winter ridge is relentless. We underestimated how deep the snow would be and how exhausting snow shoeing in powder is. There are a couple entries in the journal at the cabin of people that ended up stopping halfway at the warming shelter for the night. Seems like there are not enough reviews left online to give a realistic picture of what a winter excursion could look like. Be prepared to spend the night in the woods if necessary. The road was plowed on our way in but with a few inches of fresh snow over the weekend and lots of wind there were snow drifts blocking our way out. We had an amazing weekend, the cabin and view is really incredible. That being said, it was truly the grace of God that got us in and out and off the road. Be safe and be prepared! Also, the door handle to the cabin is on its last leg. Seems like maybe the door has frozen over (was almost frozen when we arrived) and the handle has taken a beating. I left a message for the FS contact so hopefully it gets fixed before too long. Would hate for someone to get locked in or out. Would be nice if there was a small set of tools at the cabin. We are looking forward to our next visit but it will be when we can drive in.

The views from this cabin are AMAZING! It is clean, the beds are comfortable and there is plenty of firewood to stay warm when it snows in May!

Fabulous cabin! Ski in was well-marked. (Driving directions could read: from Silver Lake drive south on East Bay Road, which turns into NF 28. High clearance vehicle required in winter. Park past the Sycan power station; this is as far as the road is plowed.) Snotel read 17 inches, which is minimum required for a ski in. Took us 5 hours in (some trail breaking) and 2.5 hours out (crust cruising). Cabin was wonderful: spacious, light, great woodstove and plentiful wood. Propane cooktop and frig. We skied north and south along the rim; better snow to the north but great views all around. Will return if we can!

The cabin had propane lights (might want to bring some mantels), stove, and a refrigerator! There was ample wood and the bed was honestly pretty comfy. Took a 10 mile hike in, and definitely requires snow shoes, but once there it is a beautiful view of Summer Lake and the valley below. Took about 6.5 hours up without our snowshoes post holing, whoops, and about 5.5 hours down.You can cut some time off the hike if you can navigate well, and go cross country instead of following the road, (must be a good navigator!). The forest service office out there is super friendly and extremely helpful, they gave us tons of information for the hike and great spots to check out in the area, definitely would come back again!

We were plenty warm with a fire in the wood stove as we enjoyed the beautiful views from the ridge, cozy even with the wind trying to pry off the roof. Glad to store our leftovers from Cowboy Dinner Tree in the fridge so we had plenty of food to enjoy when we returned from the day's hikes. We brought our own pots and pans though we could have scraped by with what was available. Next time we will bring something to cover up the windows for privacy, though not too many people come up the trail from the lookout point. Thank you to the forest service for giving us access to such a nice cabin.

Weather can be unpredictable. Bring layers.