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With vast ranches, aspen-draped mountains and oxbow rivers, this area makes for a serene escape, but there’s also plenty of adventure. MORNING Start your trip by heading to one of Steamboat Springs’ two thermal-water attractions — Old Town Hot Springs or Strawberry Park Hot Springs. Located off Lincoln Avenue, Old Town Hot Springs boasts a waterslide, soaking pools and lap lanes, while Strawberry Park offers a more rustic and secluded (but no less indulgent) experience. Follow your soak with a gondola ride to the top of Mount Werner for brunch or lunch with a splendid view or head to the new eight-segment Steamboat Zipline Adventures on Rabbit Ears Pass, where Lake Catamount, Flat Tops Mountains and Yampa Valley views fight for attention as you zigzag down the mountainside. STEAMBOAT SPRINGS CHAMBER A few miles away, Stagecoach State Park’s reservoir tempts water bugs with boating, jet-skiing and hard-fighting rainbow trout. As you drive through the region, look for interpretive signs that share the rich legacy and cultural heritage of the area (go to nwcoloradoheritagetravel.org for a map). AFTERNOON Kids could spend days exploring the ropes course, climbing wall and trampoline bungee jump at the Coca-Cola Adventure Zone. Head up Buffalo Pass Road, an especially picturesque scene in fall when aspens blanket the Park Mountain Range slopes. High-clearance vehicles are recommended if you want to drive far up. Anglers will delight in the Yampa River’s Gold Medal fishing waters — in particular, the stretch below Stagecoach Reservoir where leviathan brown and rainbow trout lurk in swirling tail waters. STEAMBOAT SPRINGS CHAMBER Steamboat is also a big destination for biking. Rent a cruiser and ride the Yampa River Core Trail in search of adventure: fishing access, the hot springs, shopping in town, yoga, riverside parks and the rodeo, or just watch the tubers, kayakers and rafters float by. There are also new trails at the Steamboat Bike Park, more than 500 miles of scenic singletrack and four exciting new trails to explore on Emerald Mountain. End the afternoon at Butcherknife or Storm Peak brewing companies, recent additions to the artisan beer scene. EVENING Delicious dining options abound in historic downtown Steamboat Springs. On summer weekends, cross the Yampa River to the Romick Rodeo Arena and cheer on the cowboys of the Steamboat Springs Pro Rodeo Series. WINTER FUN Steamboat is a prime spot for skiing and riding. Its famed Champagne PowderTM is light, dry and smooth, which makes for great skiing and also snowmobiling, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in Steamboat and the public lands that surround it. FLAT TOPS TRAIL, JASON J. HATFIELD SIDETRIPS To Steamboat’s west, stop into the quiet towns of Craig and Hayden, popular with hunters and fishermen as an easy home base amid pristine lakes and wilderness areas. In Craig, find one of the nation’s best collections of cowboy and gunfighter memorabilia at the Museum of Northwest Colorado. Just 45 miles west of Craig, spot one of the few remaining herds of wild mustangs in the Sand Wash Basin, also prime off-roading territory. Get sidetracked south of Craig toward Meeker’s 250-mile Wagon Wheel off-highway-vehicle trail system through the White River National Forest to explore some of Colorado’s finest wilderness. Meeker itself is OHV friendly, too, so you can ride your vehicle right through town. Meeker sits along the Flat Tops Scenic Byway, which grants access to amazing wilderness scenery, hunting, fishing and horseback riding, as well as snowmobiling and cross-country skiing from the Lost Creek trailhead. Visit in June for Meekerpalooza’s arts and culinary fun, July for Colorado’s oldest rodeo or September for the famed Meeker Sheepdog Trials. Northeast of Steamboat is an area called North Park, known as the Moose Capital of Colorado. Stop in Walden, where a Main Street welcome center can point you to year-round outdoor activities, including ghost towns, wildlife refuges, rodeos, the OHV trails in North Sand Hills’ sand dunes and the North Park– Cache la Poudre Scenic Byway. STAY & PLAY OPTIONS Clark (page 199), Craig (page 200), Hayden (page 207), Meeker (page 209) , Oak Creek (page 210), Rand, Steamboat Springs (page 212), Walden (page 214) QUICK TIP Summer visitors should catch the Strings Music Festival’s Music on the Green weekly concerts at the pastoral Yampa River Botanic Park (which also happens to host sweet yoga classes during the warm-weather months).
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