Follow the north edge of Hwy 99 west for less than a hundred metres to an obvious three metre wide clearing that turns right and heads north into second growth forest (re-brushed Fall 2012). Follow this clearing up about 100m: this brings you to a landing on a forest service road. Stay on the main trunk which heads generally north for a few hundred metres until you see a sign (currently being replaced) indicating that this is the route to the Wendy Thompson Hut, continue on the main trunk (generally north).

About one km up the main trunk, a branch heads to the right uphill. For hut access, ignore this branch, staying on the main trunk (the main trunk has been brushed recently). At about two km, the road ends, but a narrow track heads into mature forest directly ahead. Less than 50m in there will be a plaque on a tree to your left noting that this is the route to the Wendy Thompson Hut. Continue into the forest tending north. Avoid getting into the main creek drainage to the west and only use the obvious slide path on the right on the east if snow stability is good and there is little likelihood of the icefalls above melting.

There are orange markers on trees that indicate the summer route through this lower headwall. Do not try to follow the steep summer route directly, but we suggest that you keep a general track of these markers as you climb. Note that a summer trail forks to the east near the top of the first headwall ─ this leads to Mt. Rohr, another destination. Both trails are marked with orange markers–do not assume following orange markers will take you to Marriott Basin. As one continues up and to the north-northwest, a large meadow complex is reached. This is the run out of a climax avalanche path and is the bottom of the Climax ski run. This turns the route to the northwest. Be aware that the route travels through avalanche terrain during this part of the trip. We recommend that groups do all they can to minimize their exposure during this part of the trip. Our suggestion is to keep to the west of the avalanche scar, climbing through steep forest slightly above the run out to gain the top of a moraine that is fully forested. This will lead to a small lake (Marriott Lake).

After passing by Marriott Lake (300m long) climb a short distance to surmount the first bump NW of the lake. The hut is located on the top of this bump in an meadow area resulting from an old burn.

Please note that in a normal winter snowpack, the hut may be very difficult to pick out in poor visibility. This is because the roof may accumulate substantial amounts of snow and blend in well.