Roland Burton Hut

Summer access: rarely visited
Winter access: 6 hrs
Location: 49.92942, -122.99321
Hut fee: $5 per person per night

About Roland Burton Hut
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About Roland Burton Hut

This small hut on the eastern shore of Garibaldi Lake, in Sphinx Bay, sleeps about 10 people comfortably (built 1969). Since it is in Garibaldi Provincial Park, overnight visitors must purchase a wilderness permit. The hut is open to non-commercial users only.

The peaks and glaciers surrounding Sphinx Bay offer excellent skiing and mountaineering. The Garibaldi Névé traverse also sometimes includes a night at the hut.

The hut is not heated. It has an outhouse and a solar-powered light, and drinking water can be taken from the creek or lake year-round (sometimes by breaking the ice). For more information, see the VOC Wiki.

How to get there

Garibaldi Lake is reliably frozen at least from February through April, and this provides the main access to the hut. Park at the Rubble Creek trailhead and follow the trail to the lake. From the outflow, cross the lake south-eastwards (bearing 111°). Whiteout conditions and high winds can complicate the crossing, so bring a GPS or at least a compass. The hut is not visible from the lake: it can be found 70 m from the lakeshore behind a small moraine, just north of a large creek. The total distance is 13.5 km, with 1100 m elevation gain.

Last updated: March 10, 2022

Conditions reports
New report
Did not attempt with avalanche warnings.  Kevin Flynn 

Please read title 😁
May 1, 2023

great 4 days at hut!  Juliette J 

Hut in great condition but stove not working.
The snow conditions were crusty and icy, especially very icy going down on the forest trail. 2km of approach on the trail before being able to skin up. Some good corn snow on the face of Deception Peak and Glacier Pikes.
March 22, 2023

Moderately Heinous  Jessica D 

- The Barrier is in, but the snow is mashed potatoes so take good care, easy enough to find your way to the switchbacks with 2.5km left of them
- Switchbacks had some rocks on them so if you like your skis start the walk at around 1.5km left, I guess I dont like mine that much because I did ski to 1km left, the trail wasnt totally awful
- Bring microspikes for the walk if you are at all worried about walking downhill in ski boots on some icy patches
Didnt actually stay at the hut just posting this here as I tented in Sphinx Bay after doing the Neve
March 19, 2023

Rubble Creek Trail VERY dangerous  AJ Dreher 

Went up to Sphinx Feb 23-25. To echo the previous conditions report (which we did not see before we left) the bottom 3ish kilometers of the Rubble Creek Trail is incredibly icy and dangerous--on the way up it took us 1.5 hrs to travel the first 2k of the trail carrying our overnight ski packs. On the way down about 2k from the parking lot I slid off the trail from a barely moving, sitting position, and slid 50m down the steep, icy hillside. I'm very lucky that I fell where I did--not into the creek or off cliffs. PLEASE take this trail seriously. Bring crampons/microspikes if you decide to go.
Feb. 25, 2023