There is no shortage of places to explore in Colorado, and Steamboat Springs happens to be one of my favorites.
January 2010 I was on a flight from Massachusetts to Colorado to go on a ski trip with 10 friends. I grew up skiing on the mountains on the East Coast - I mean on the ice. I don't even think I looked up Steamboat Springs before my flight out there. However, on my entire flight back to the east coast after about a magical week - I stared out the window on the plane dreaming of one day living in Colorado. (I moved here less than 2 months later.) Fast forward almost 10 years later, and a group of friends planned our annual "Friendsgiving in the Mountains" at Steamboat. A friend from Connecticut joined me in Colorado just a few years ago - took this picture of the trees, and said "Steamboat is a dream boat!" (@qbnguyen)
Like many mountain towns in Colorado - they get tourists year round. Steamboat just happens to be the northwestern-most resort town in Colorado. The ski trails turn to biking and hiking trails. They have joined the "there's an app for that" with an app for all your trail needs in any season: steamboat.com/app. For ski season, there are 169 trails with the longest run being 3 miles! They sure get a lot of the pretty white stuff - and some people describe it as "Champagne Powder" because a local rancher in the 1950's said the snow tickled his nose like champagne. Since this was in the 1950's - it was just terrain, butsomeone saw the opportunity and turned the mountain range into a resort that opened in January 1963. Since then it has become a very popular sking destination, at one point named "Ski Town, U.S.A". There was actually a law suit about that slogan just a few years ago. Michael Burns (@bichael_murns) took this photo of the Gondola, and said Steamboat "is an amazing community to live and play in!"
Another local @jamesinsteamboat is "living the life. based out of Steamboat" says: "What makes Steamboat unique is that it is a town of over 13,000 people nestled in the Yampa River valley at only 6700' above sea level, quite a bit lower than many ski towns, giving us a long warm summer to enjoy the endless bike trails, hot springs, and fishing holes; yet Mt Werner immediately rises to over 10,500' on the East side of town, which results in spectacular Winter skiing from the famous champaign powder and some of the best aspen tree runs in the state."
You cannot not soak all Steamboat has to offer without going to "Strawberry Park Hot Springs". They are open year round and offer 104 degree mineral water for soaking. I actually suggest going twice. Once during the day - to see the surrounding natural beauty. Then if you are over 18 - go back at night - not because clothing is optional, but because you can see the stars on a clear night. Most ski areas have hot tubs at the places you lodge - but there is nothing like it. When it is below freezing, snowing and you are walking on ice to get to a natural pool! There are shuttles that I would highly recommend as in Winter, the windy dirt road can get dangerous. I booked our shuttle last night for this years Thanksgiving trip with Sweat Pea Tours - they even offer door to door service! Samantha Argos (@sam_argos) visited and called this picture her "Monday morning soak!"
Another tourist attraction is the WinterWonderGrassFestival. It is a 3 day festival with over 20 of your favorite bluegrass bands. Music. Brews. Mountains. What can be better? I'm pretty sure the 4 local breweries get many tourists throughout these three days. Even if you didn't think you would like bluegrass - this festival will quickly change your mind!
WINTER - Snow. The most snow in a single storm was 161 inches.
SPRING - Mud Season - when you can't ski anymore - but also can't mountain bike. This is when many locals travel to other destinations.
SUMMER - Hiking, biking, fishing on the Yampa River, rafting, festivals and camping.
FALL - Restaurant Week, Oktoberwest
