Stay at the UTOC Cabin!

Looking to stay at our Cabin? Here’s how you can get up there:

• Attend a public trip - these trips are sent out via email to our members!

  • On a public trip you can expect to share the cabin with about 10-20 people and partake in activities such as hiking, skiing, swimming, and caving.

• Lead a public trip - as a leader you’ll need to lead a group of a min of 10 people to the cabin!

  • Please contact cabin@utoc.ca if you’d like to go ahead and with suggested dates.

• Attend a maintenance weekend (announced via email).

• Book the cabin (as a non-member or member), details below.

Rates to book privately can be found in the “rates” section.

About the cabin:

The cabin was built in the late 1960’s, - early 1970’s by our members, and has been owned and operated by our not-for-profit club since then. The cabin is similar to an “ACC HUT” as there are limited amenities for use, similar to camping indoors. We try to do the best we can with the cabin and perform modest improvements over the years. The best part of the cabin is both the rustic nature and the community you meet there in the shared space. The cabin is large with multiple sleeping levels and can sleep 25 people on foam mats provided.

As a note, annual base sustaining costs for 2021 totalled $8,158, which only include our property insurance ($4.4k, property tax $1.4k, propane ($1k), firewood ($900), and snowplow services ($550). Each year the cabin just about breaks even or takes a small loss (made up by membership fees), as we need to make about $200/week to break even.

Any improvements or renovations are difficult to budget for given our high sustaining costs and “lack of amenities” hence the overall state of the cabin. We welcome any donations to assist in budgeting towards capital projects which is our only hindrance to making improvements.

Amenities (or lack thereof)

• There is no running water, water is sourced from our deeded stream where we get water for washing dishes. It is possible to boil it for drinking but we encourage you to bring up potable water for drinking.

• There is no electricity (or Wi-Fi) in the cabin. Lighting is provided by our solar lights. Note that the solar system is not suitable for charging electronics (even cell phones).

• We have a propane cookstove and oven for your use, as well as cookware/dishes/utensils for your use.

• Sleeping pads are provided for your use (sheets/sleeping bags not provided).

• The cabin is currently heated by a wood stove. Firewood is provided. Note that the cabin is chilly in the winter when you first get in so please keep your coat on until the wood stove is able to heat the space.

• The bathroom is an outhouse outside (toilet paper provided)

• No indoor plumbing exists at the cabin. Dishwater needs to be fetched and boiled.

• Basic cleaning products are provided.

• Snowplow service of the lower lot in winter.

What to bring for your stay?

• Water bottle

• Flashlight or headlamp - a cell phone does not count

• Sleeping bag (sleeping mats are provided)

• Indoor slippers - no outdoor shoes inside the cabin

• Warm clothes during the winter

• Drinking water & food (often organized by your trip leader on UTOC-run events)

How to Book the Cabin?

Please review the rates posted before emailing.

• For private trips - please contact cabin@utoc.ca with:

  • Name

  • Phone Number

  • Proposed Dates

  • Names of members/non-members attending (for member rates)

  • The intended purpose of renting the cabin (e.g., for snowshoeing, hiking the Bruce trail, etc.)

FAQs:

Can I tent at the Cabin?

No, tenting is not permitted at the cabin.

Why is the cabin in Disrepair?

Note that we just about cover our operating costs through rentals, and have only a few hundred dollars (if that) a year for maintenance/improvements. Keep in mind we are student run and not-for-profit and material costs are the biggest factor why repairs are slow. We also don’t receive funding from UofT. Trust me - we’d all like to see the cabin fixed but are limited by funds. If you’d really like to see/have a project done - consider a small donation and we can allocate money for it (and invite you out for a build day/dinner at the cabin).

Can I volunteer with you?

Please see the volunteer maintenance weekends section!

All fees will be collected via credit card prior to the trip using our Square POS system unless advised otherwise by our cabin officer.
For longer rentals not listed here, please send an email to cabin@utoc.ca with your request.

Public Trips

Rates are $15/night for members, $25/night for non-members

• Note that this is not including grocery/gas money (if carpooling or doing group food) which are additional costs collected through the trip leader.

• On a typical weekend, you can expect to pay about $75-90 as the breakdown to attend (less if you’re driving)

  • $30 cabin rent for members (2 nights)

  • $23 - gas charges paid to the drivers (drivers get their gas paid in full for in carpools by their drivers)

  • $25 - for buying groceries for the trip

  • $25 - pocket money to spend on attractions/miscellaneous (not collected via UTOC)

Private Rentals
(Member)

To secure the private member rental rates for the cabin, at least 50% of those in attendance at the cabin must be active paying UTOC members, and the trip leader (e.g., the person who books the trip) must be in good standing (e.g., has attended previous cabin trips, and/or is well-known to the cabin officer team). The following fees are for a weekend private member rental, up to 10 people:

• April - September: $200 flat rate + $50 damage deposit for the weekend (Friday - Sunday)

• October - March: $320 flat rate + $50 damage deposit (Friday - Sunday)

During Winter to October-March operating costs are higher (we pay for snowplowing, firewood, and higher propane usage) so rental costs reflect these expenses.

Please note that for groups over 10 people, there is an additional $25/person rental cost for the weekend (e.g., a group of 12 people renting a weekend in July would be $200 + $25 + $25 = $250 rental fee + $50 damage deposit).

Private Rentals
(Non-Member)

When volunteer resources and funds permit, we do quite a bit of self-performed work to keep our cabin up to date. On maintenance weekends, in exchange for 3-4 hours a day of doing work on the cabin, cabin rental costs are waived.

Projects over the years have included:

• Repair/Replacement of Vandalism or Broken Windows (ongoing)

• Dump Runs (ongoing)

• Replacement of Ceiling Cladding - 2018

  • Replaced acoustic ceiling tiles with tongue and groove boards

• Repair of Driveway - 2019

  • Ordered 46 tonnes of gravel to repair worn-out spots in the driveway

• Repair of Chimney Supports, Roof, Flashing, and Water Damage Repair - 2020

• Roof Flashing Repairs - 2021

• Deck Remove & Replace - 2021

• New Back Door - 2023

Interested in Volunteering for a Maintenance Weekend?

If you’re interested in volunteering, we very much appreciate it! We especially look for volunteers who own cars and/or tools to support the build weekend, but we are happy to bring along anyone who’s interested in contributing and has a good attitude!

If you’re interested in participating in maintenance weekends, please send us an email to cabin@utoc.ca and tell us a little about yourself. We’d love to learn about your experience with construction/maintenance, any tools you own, projects you’ve worked on, as well as any certifications you may have that would be an asset. We also send out emails for maintenance trips periodically to all UTOC members, so keep an eye out for those as well!