A Winter Stay at Grout Pond Hut: New Year’s in Vermont’s Backcountry
Note: Advertising is how we keep this site free for you to enjoy, and we earn a commission from affiliate links that may be included in this post. Thank you for supporting Vermont Explored!
Spending New Year’s weekend at a backcountry hut in Vermont in the dead of winter isn’t for everyone, but for a handful of adventurous souls who joined me at Grout Pond in the Green Mountain National Forest for the weekend, it was the off-grid reset we didn’t know we needed.
We obviously weren’t chasing luxury or convenience. We were looking for a reason to slow down after a crazy holiday season. Quiet trails. Less screen time. More togetherness.
Tucked into a remote corner of the Green Mountain National Forest near Stratton, the hut sits just far enough from the road to make you work for it, especially in winter. The approach requires hiking between one and two miles, depending on where you park, so skis, snowshoes, or Microspikes will be helpful.
You’ll also need a willingness to haul your own gear (cargo sleds are the way to go), and the understanding that once you arrive, you’re committed to being off-grid. No quick runs to the store (although the nearest store is a few miles back the way you came), no indoor plumbing, and no retreating to phone scrolling when boredom strikes.
Instead, you’ve got a warm cabin, a frozen pond, and miles of trail in every direction.
This was my first time staying in a hut with Vermont Huts & Trails, despite being a member for years. Winter felt like the right season to finally experience what these huts are really about.
We experienced a weekend of deep cold, shared meals, long conversations, hard work, and simple joys. It was the perfect reset for the new year.
Getting There: Snowshoes, Sleds, and a Frozen Pond
We drove the hour from Bennington to Stratton with a couple of packed cars: snowshoes, skis, Microspikes, sleds, coolers, food for a long weekend, ten adults, and three squirrelly dogs.
Parking is about a mile from the hut, so once we arrived, we geared up, hoisted packs onto our backs, loaded the sled, and began the slow, snowy approach along the edge of the ice-covered pond.
A few explorers were out skiing and snowshoeing on Grout Pond Trail and the Catamount Trail, Vermont’s 300-mile backcountry ski route. But once they filtered out, the campground was blissfully quiet.
The hut stands alone among a handful of primitive campsites, and only the hardiest souls camp up here in winter.
Inside the Hut: Simple Comforts Done Right
Grout Pond Hut was built by the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC) in 2022 and 2023. Multiple crews worked in the area, including one that tackled the perpetually wet trail looping around Grout Pond. A 400-foot boardwalk now keeps hikers out of the mud during warmer months.
Another crew took on VYCC’s first backcountry hut build in partnership with Vermont Huts & Trails. The result is a thoughtfully designed, two-story, fully insulated hut heated with propane and available to rent through the Vermont Huts & Trails website.
Inside, there’s a small but efficient kitchen, a large table for dining/playing games, a propane “wood” stove, a screened-in porch with another large table, sleeping space for ten people, and a composting toilet nearby.
With two bedrooms upstairs and additional beds in the main living area, there was plenty of room for all of us to settle in. Best of all, these are real beds with mattresses, which means we didn’t have to lug bulky sleeping pads, just our warm sleeping bags.
The thermostat was set between 60 and 63 degrees and couldn’t be adjusted, but even when overnight temperatures dipped into the single digits, the hut stayed comfortable.
The kitchen was well stocked with lots of cookware, tableware, a French press, and a pour-over coffee setup.
One unexpected highlight was the three-bin dishwashing station on wheels, complete with dish soap and sponges. We heated water on the stove, washed and rinsed dishes, then set them out to dry. Everyone was responsible for their own dishes, and the system worked beautifully.
The Hardest Part: Getting Water
If there was one true challenge of the weekend, it was water.
Guests are asked not to melt snow on the propane stove, as it’s inefficient and uses a lot of propane. Instead, a hatchet and a five-gallon bucket are provided, with instructions to break ice near the pond’s edge and collect water to boil or filter.
Sounds simple, right?
The week of extreme cold had left the ice roughly a foot thick. What should have been a quick task turned into a half-hour of determined hacking before water finally began to seep up through the ice.
Two of us filled the bucket and took turns hauling it back to the hut. A full five-gallon bucket weighs about 40 pounds, and with ten people cooking, drinking, and washing dishes, we went through a lot of water.
It was hard work, no question, but it also became part of the rhythm of the stay. Slower and more deliberate.
How We Spent Our Time
Early in the weekend, we wrote down activities we wanted to do together and tossed them into a hat (actually a colander). Many of us had brought games, crafts, or ideas from home. Over the course of the weekend, we did a little bit of everything.
We snowshoed around the pond and skied sections of the Catamount Trail.
We went sledding, built fires in the outdoor fire pit, and took advantage of the quiet to read and reflect.
Indoors, there were dance parties, Banangrams, blackjack, and rounds of Left, Right, Center. We made mandalas, needle-felted, practiced yoga together, and shared our “ins and outs” for the new year.
The balance of indoor and outdoor activities was perfect. No one was bored. We ate well, laughed often, and spent long stretches simply being together.
Also Read: Explore Grout Pond: Vermont’s Most Dreamy Pond in the Fall
Things to Know Before You Go
This corner of the Green Mountain National Forest feels very remote, yet it’s only about 12 miles from the shops and restaurants of West Dover. That mix of isolation and accessibility is part of the magic, but there are a few things worth knowing before you book.
Yes, there’s an outhouse, but it’s one of the nicest I’ve used. It’s spacious, with plenty of natural light and, thanks to the cold temperatures, completely odor-free.
Be prepared for snow! We received about a foot of snow overnight during our stay, and when we returned to the parking area, our car was plowed in. Fortunately, we had a full-size snow shovel to dig it out, or we might still be there.
There’s no refrigeration, so we used a cooler on the screened porch to keep food cold and protected from animals.
We collected pond water and used a three-liter gravity filter for drinking, and boiled water for cooking and washing. For a group of ten, having more than one filter would have been helpful.
The hut has solar-powered lights, which worked well, but no electricity. Bring power banks if you need to charge devices.
Cell service is limited, and only AT&T works reliably. Most of us had no service at all, which turned out to be a blessing.
About Vermont Huts & Trails
Staying at Grout Pond Hut offers a glimpse into a much larger vision.
Vermont Huts & Trails is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to create a robust, hut-supported trail network across the Green Mountains.
Their goal is to foster a deeper appreciation of Vermont’s natural environment while supporting the health of local communities through outdoor recreation.
By developing public-access huts like this one, Vermont Huts & Trails is lowering barriers to backcountry experiences and enabling more people, regardless of background or experience level, to spend meaningful time in wild places.
Supporting Vermont Huts & Trails is an investment in the future of outdoor access in Vermont.
Your membership helps fund trail construction, build new huts, and expand programs like FOREST (Fostering Outdoor Recreation, Education, Sustainability, and Teamwork), which brings underserved youth and families into the backcountry for free retreats.
Memberships start at just $5 per month and include perks like discounts on hut bookings, merchandise, and trail passes.
Why It Matters
At a time when access to nature is more important than ever, Vermont Huts & Trails is changing the game. Their trail-and-hut network lowers the barrier to entry for backcountry adventure, supports local economies, and protects Vermont’s landscapes.
Whether you’re a passionate mountain biker, a curious snowshoer, or someone who simply loves being outside, there’s a place for you in this vision.
For us, a winter weekend at Grout Pond Hut was a reminder of how powerful shared time in wild places can be.
If you’re ready to explore, book a hut. Support the trail network. Help make the outdoors accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
Vermont’s backcountry is for everybody, including you!
Follow us on social media for more Vermont inspiration!
