A New Backcountry Hut Is Coming to The Rockies, Opening Planned for 2027

The Alpine Club of Canada is reviving a long-held vision deep in Yoho National Park. Twin Falls Tea House, a National Historic Site tucked at the edge of the Yoho Valley, will officially join the Alpine Club of Canada’s (ACC) backcountry hut system, marking one of the most significant additions to the network in years.

The announcement comes after a winding path. In 2021, the ACC developed a plan to operate Twin Falls as a traditional tea house offering food and beverages to hikers. Two years later, the club voluntarily stepped away from that model, calling it a poor fit for its mandate. The new licence granted by Parks Canada allows the ACC to integrate the site as an unstaffed, self-catered hut, aligning it with the organization’s core mission of encouraging adventure and exploration rather than operating hospitality services.

Before the hut accepts its first reservations, the historic buildings need substantial upgrades. The ACC plans to renovate the kitchen, overhaul the greywater system, install solar power for lighting and ventilation, and build a new outhouse. If construction moves quickly, the hut will open in the summer of 2027 with space for around 20 guests.

The Twin Falls site is already well known to hikers. The summer approach is an 8 kilometre walk up the Yoho Valley with modest elevation gain (see the hiking trail here). The location offers sweeping views of waterfalls and glaciers and would create new opportunities for multi-day hut-to-hut travel in a corridor that has long been difficult to stitch together.

In winter, the ACC says the hut will improve safety for ski tourers by providing a lower risk alternative when moving between the Guy Hut and Stanley Mitchell Hut. The club describes Twin Falls as a strategic link that will offer shelter in periods of stormy weather or heightened avalanche danger.

The decision to fold Twin Falls into the hut system comes as the ACC is investing heavily across its network, which it calls the largest collection of backcountry huts in North America.

While crews get to work in Yoho, another project is nearing completion on the western slopes of Mount Robson. The Robson Pass Hut, named the Byron Caldwell Hut, is entering its final fundraising stage and the ACC is inviting donors to secure naming rights to a wide range of features, from the viewing deck to the bunk beds.

The hut is located near the base of Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, and has been under construction with the help of volunteers, donors, and partner organizations. The ACC has released new photos and floor plans that show the interior layout and the unfinished elements still open for sponsorship. Each naming opportunity includes a plaque installed inside the hut that will feature the donor’s name, creating a permanent marker of support in one of the most iconic landscapes in the country. The club says these plaques allow donors to secure a lasting legacy while helping close the final fundraising gap.

The price tiers reflect the scale of the project. The $150,000 viewing deck carries the highest price and looks onto Rearguard Mountain and the glaciers that sweep down the upper valley. Kitchen areas, foyers, and south-facing windows make up the mid-range options. More modest but symbolic features, such as bunk beds, benches, and ski racks, round out the list. Larger donations will be acknowledged on a donor wall on the main floor. All naming rights last ten years.

The ACC says the timing is critical. Through December 31, gifts to the Robson Pass Hut are being matched, dollar for dollar, up to $200,000 through a donation from the Sarjeant family. The club hopes the matching campaign will close the final funding gap and keep the project on schedule (more info on donating here).

For the ACC, the convergence of these two developments marks a period of rare expansion. The Twin Falls project will bring a National Historic Site into the hut network for the first time in decades. The Robson Pass Hut will extend access in a region that sees some of the heaviest backcountry traffic in the Rockies. Together, the projects signal a commitment to modernizing facilities, improving safety, and strengthening the linkages between remote alpine destinations.

Reservations for Twin Falls are expected to open in 2027 once upgrades are complete. The ACC acknowledges that the hut will not sell tea, coffee, or cookies the way the historic tea house once did. The club says it hopes visitors will arrive for something different: a chance to experience the Yoho Valley in a setting that blends heritage, adventure, and the quiet simplicity of a self-guided backcountry stay.