Conrad Kain Hut

The ACC operates the largest network of backcountry huts in North America. Kain Hut is situated in Bugaboo Provincial Park, in the jagged Purcell Mountains, where mountaineers from all over the world are drawn to the sculpted granite masses that uplift into spectacular spires. See all of our huts here. 

Bugaboo Provincial Park is situated in the jagged Purcell Mountains, and mountaineers from all over the world are drawn to the sculpted granite masses that uplift into spectacular spires, some of which exceed 3,000 metres in elevation. Bugaboo Park represents mountain wilderness at its most rugged, and includes the largest icefields of the Purcells.

Since the Palliser Expedition of 1857 – 1860, which first traversed the area and then named it for expedition sponsor Goodwin Purcell, these awe-inspiring ranges have attracted miners, loggers and some of North America’s leading mountaineers. In 1969, Bugaboo Glacier Provincial Park and the Bugaboo Alpine Recreation Area were set aside to preserve and protect this outstanding area of the Purcells.

Bugaboo Provincial Park is, by its very nature, extremely isolated. Persons contemplating a visit here must realize that it is pure wilderness without supplies or equipment of any kind. All arrangements must be made beforehand for supplies and transportation. Visitors must be prepared for outdoor living. Inexperienced or ill-equipped climbers and hikers should forego a visit here in favour of less demanding areas. Hut accommodation is not available in winter due to avalanche dangers.

In 1972, the Alpine Club of Canada erected the Conrad Kain Hut (named after the renowned guide who first visited the area in 1910). From 1972 until 2000 the hut was maintained by BC Parks as a base for climbers and to reduce visitor impact on the fragile timberline area below Snowpatch Spire. The hut today is a modern, comfortable shelter for up to 35 people. It benefits from a local micro-hydro generator in the creek that supplies the hut with lighting, heat and hot water.

Please note: Any maps listed are for information only – they may not represent legal boundaries and should not be used for navigation.

Location Map

Bugaboo Provincial Park is located in southeastern B.C., between Golden and Radium Hot Springs, and west of Highway 95. Access to the park is about 50km of gravel road from Hwy #95. This gravel road, which opens late spring through late fall, begins at Brisco, 27 kilometres north of Radium Hot Springs or 76 km south of Golden on Highway 95. A 4x4 is not required but a 2wd with some decent ground clearance is recommended. The last 3km section of the gravel road is rough; low-riding compact vehicles need to go slow to avoid scraping the bottom. It is recommended that visitors protect their vehicle perimeter with a portable chicken wire fence to deter porcupines and other small animals from chewing on rubber brake lines and tires.

Access to the northern portions of the park via the Vowell and Malloy Creek drainages is possible by leaving Highway 95 at Spillimacheen, north of Brisco, then crossing the Columbia River and turning left on the West Side Road. After travelling 0.8 km, turn right onto Bobbie Burns Creek drainage and drive past the lodge of the same name. Logging roads up Vowell Creek and Malloy Creek lead to semi-open terrain which can be hiked into the park. The status of bridges in inactive logging areas may vary in upper drainages.

Park visitors should park their vehicles in the public lot and not in that of the Bugaboo Lodge (Canadian Mountain Holidays). Visitors are recommended to protect their vehicle with chicken wire to deter small animals from chewing on wires and tires.

The Conrad Kain Hut is one of five huts operated by the ACC which reside in the BC Parks jurisdiction. ACC Membership is not required to advance book or receive a discounted rate at these huts.

Backcountry campgrounds are provided at Boulder Camp below the Conrad Kain Hut and on the bare rock slabs of Applebee Dome, 1 km above the Conrad Kain Hut.

Both Campgrounds offer pit toilets, food cache, and Applebee has a water tap for untreated water.

To prevent contamination of the water supply and damage to the sensitive alpine environment, camping in the park is not permitted elsewhere in the vicinity of the main spires (Bugaboo, Snowpatch, Crescent, Pigeon, Howsers). Bivouacking is not permitted unless circumstances dictate it’s necessity.

You can pre-pay for a backcountry permit online through BC Parks’ Backcountry Registration System. Permits are $10/person ($5/children). Please note that this is NOT a reservation, simply an alternative way to pay for a permit (versus on-site) - sites are subject to available space and are not guaranteed.

Summer Access: A steep, 4.6 km hike leads from the parking lot through forest, bluffs and moraines to the hut in about 3-4 hours.

Winter: The hut is officially closed due to avalanche hazard in winter.

Printable detailed access description

The Hut Experience

Staying in a backcountry hut is a shared, rustic experience. Sleeping, kitchen and living areas are communal, and foam mattresses, cooking and eating utensils are provided. Guests area expected to bring their own sleeping bags, food and personal items.

All of our huts are user-maintained, meaning that the custodial work of keeping the hut clean, chopping firewood and shovelling snow is done by the guests. The ACC provides major service and renovations to all of our huts each year to ensure they are in good repair.

There are no transition days between bookings. Guests are responsible to sanitize before and after use of the huts.

Download our hut cleaning and sanitation guidelines here.