Louise and Richard Guy Hut

The ACC operates the largest network of backcountry huts in North America. The first purpose of the Guy Hut is to facilitate safer and more comfortable crossings of the Bow-Yoho Traverse in winter but it is also a great base for winter day trips on the Wapta. See all of our huts here. 

Skiers on the Bow-Yoho Traverse
Photo by Lawrence White

The classic Wapta Traverse runs roughly north-south across the expanse of the Wapta and Waputik Icefields passing by four ACC huts. The east-west crossing, from Bow Lake to Takkakaw Falls and the #1 Highway near Field, BC is a classic traverse in its own right, but a much more serious one due to the 20-km crossing between the Bow and Stanley Mitchell huts. The new Louise and Richard Guy Hut at Mont des Poilus breaks up this crossing, making the trip safer and more comfortable and accessible.

The first documented crossing of the Bow-Yoho Traverse was made in summer, 1910 by the renowned Austrian guide, Conrad Kain. Kain guided the route in six days from Laggan (present day Lake Louise) with pack horses to Bow Lake and included a first ascent of Mont des Poilus on July 31, his 27th birthday. You can read about the amazing life of Conrad Kain in Where the Clouds Can Go and Letters From a Wandering Mountain Guide.

The first purpose of the Guy Hut is to facilitate safer and more comfortable crossings of the Bow-Yoho Traverse in winter. A second purpose will be a base for skiing in the local area as it opens up terrain in the southwest Wapta to day trips. Yoho Peak, Mont des Poilus and Mt. Collie will all be more easily accessed, and the adventurous skier will find powder runs on other local slopes.

Solar panels and wind turbine on the
south side of the Guy Hut

The Guy Hut incorporates many technologies intended to reduce its carbon footprint and increase the longevity of the facility.

The walls and ceiling of the hut are constructed of structurally insulated panels (SIPs) which provide excellent insulation and reduce interior condensation.

The hut runs on solar, wind and propane. The solar and wind energy is stored in a bank of batteries that power the lighting, fans, and control room. The stoves and heating are propane powered and while there are propane lights, we ask guests to use electrical lighting as much as possible to conserve propane, which has to be flown to the site.

The power for the internal systems and fans is generated onsite by solar and wind systems. Each of the 12 solar panels on the south side of the hut has the capacity to generate 240-260W of power and they even generate electricity in overcast conditions.

The wind turbines are capable of generating 200W of power each and typically shut down during the day as the battery bank is being charged by the solar panels. The hut’s electrical systems can be remotely monitored from the ACC’s office in Canmore.

Please note that there are no power outlets at the hut for charging personal devices.

The area to the south of the Guy Hut is sensitive habitat for grizzly bears outside of the winter months. In the ACC’s agreement with Parks Canada, and to avoid pressuring the bear habitat, the Guy Hut will be closed between May 1 and November 30 annually.

Check out our page on Frequently Asked Hut Questions

View to the west from the Guy Hut. Photo by Judy Curry

The Wapta Icefield is home to four other ACC huts. See Bow Hut, Peyto Hut, Balfour Hut and the Scott Duncan Hut. The Stanley Mitchell Hut in the Little Yoho Valley is typically used as the final stop on the Bow-Yoho Traverse.

Guy Hut fact: The newest addition to our hut system is named after the inspiring couple Louise and Richard Guy. To learn more about this remarkable couple visit our online stores: Summit Series 14: Young at Heart

See our Guy Hut Access page for updated access information.

Click on the images below to download Guy Hut Approach documents created by Parks Visitor Safety. Note: These documents are provided for planning purposes and the ACC makes no claim regarding their completeness or accuracy. Use your judgement.

Approach description PDF (9MB)

KMZ File for Google Earth

GPX File for GPS

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.