The People Who Built the Backcountry Cabins East of Prince George

The firewood arrived before you did

A pile of firewood beside a backcountry cabin is easy to take for granted. At the cabins in Sugarbowl-Grizzly Den Park, it has been delivered by helicopter. Before a visitor opens the stove door, someone has arranged the wood, the flight and the work of keeping the cabin usable. The comfortable part of a mountain trip begins with work that happened out of sight.

The same is true of the buildings themselves. Raven Lake, Grizzly Den and 8-Mile are the results of several generations of local effort, with logging workers, a ski club, public agencies and volunteers all contributing to the places hikers and skiers use today.

Sources: 1, 3

Workers looked beyond the logging road

Northwood Pulp and Timber employees encouraged cabins near their Hungary Creek logging operation. Grizzly Den followed in 1973, Raven Lake in 1974.

When logging and winter road plowing ended, access became harder. In 1977, the Sons of Norway Ski Club and Northwood built 8-Mile on the lower Grizzly Den trail.

That location makes sense when winter is part of the story. A modest distance from the summer trailhead can sit beyond a long approach on an unplowed road. 8-Mile’s position lower on the trail reflects the winter purpose behind its construction.

Sources: 2, 1

A cabin is renewed more than once

Raven Lake’s present cabin was completed in 2019, replacing the original. Station Design of Duncan designed it, and Onpoint Concrete Forming of Mara fabricated it. BC Parks describes weeks of construction in difficult subalpine weather. Drying racks, food storage and more natural light were among the improvements in the new two-storey building.

Grizzly Den followed with a rebuild in 2024 by the Prince George Backcountry Recreation Society and BC Parks. Those dates matter when looking at old photographs. A cabin can keep its name and its place in local memory while the structure changes completely.

Sources: 2, 3

The work continues between visits

The Prince George Backcountry Recreation Society was incorporated in 1998 by members of UNBC’s outdoors club. It now works with BC Parks and the Caledonia Ramblers on the trails and cabins. Its cabin fees go into projects: firewood flights, woodsheds, trail crossings, repairs and other improvements. The society states that the collections provide no personal compensation to its volunteers.

This is a more useful way to think about a cabin fee than simply paying for a mattress. It supports a small, remote system that has to survive weather, wear and a steady stream of users. A new roof is a visible achievement. A safe crossing or a stocked woodshed may be less photogenic, but it is part of the same effort.

Sources: 4, 3

Leave something useful behind

For a visitor, joining that history can be straightforward: make the required reservation, pay the current fee, conserve wood and leave the space clean for the next group. Pack out everything you brought, including leftover food. Check current road and cabin information when planning; winter access still changes the scale of these trips.

The reward is larger than a place to sleep. These cabins connect a mountain outing to the people who wanted others to enjoy the same country. Every rebuild, work party and firewood delivery has extended that invitation.

Sources: 3, 1