Steamboat Springs, Walden/North Park / COME TO LIFE Park (5) is an excellent first stop, or you can stop into the Moose Creek Cafe or River Rock Cafe on Main Street in Walden for tips from locals. Elusive and enchanting birds like the greater sage-grouse, boreal owls and fox sparrows frequent the Colorado Birding Trail, Walden Lake and Cowdrey Lake State Wildlife Area . Make more feath-ered friends at Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge . Other popular attractions include ghost towns (Teller City and Coalmont), wildlife refuges, rodeos, OHV trails in North Sand Hills ’ sand dunes and the Cache la Poudre – North Park Scenic Byway . Around 65 percent of North Park is public land, and amid the abundant lakes, rivers, mountains, wide-open prairies and the other towns of Rand, Gould and Cowdrey , you won’t find crowds. Step back in time at the North Park Pioneer Museum in Walden, housed in an 1883 cabin that’s packed to the rafters with Old West relics. WINTER FUN T Steamboat’s famed Cham-pagne Powder ® is light, dry and smooth, which makes for great skiing and riding and also snowmo-biling, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in Steamboat and the public lands that surround it. 5 where leviathan brown and rainbow trout lurk in swirling tail waters. Hikers head to Fish Creek Falls (4) — go first thing in the morning to avoid the masses. Steamboat is also a big biking destination. Rent a cruiser and ride the Yampa River Core Trail in search of adventure. Keep an eye out for the Art Along the Yampa community mural installation along the way. Then hit the trails at the Steamboat Bike Park and more than 50 miles of singletrack trails on Emerald Mountain . End the afternoons at Butcherknife or Storm Peak brew-ing companies or the Steamboat Whiskey Company , the only craft distillery in the region. Delicious dining options abound in historic downtown Steamboat Springs. One favorite: Table 79 serves shareable plates with curious cocktails with must-try ingredients (think smoked salt, pomegranate grenadine and rosemary simple syrup). On sum-mer weekends, cross the Yampa River to the Romick Rodeo Arena and cheer on the cowboys of the Steamboat Springs Pro Rodeo Series , preceded by barbecue and live country music. Or, since Steamboat was named a Certified Colorado Creative District , stroll through the town’s galleries or pick up the First Friday Artwalk . Get a taste Colorado’s famous Rocky Mountain hospitality at one of the area’s dude and guest ranches — like the luxe Vista Verde Guest Ranch or the more-rustic Elk River — where you can fill your days with cattle drives, fly-fishing, horseback rid-ing, cowboy cuisine and more. DAYS 3 & 4 Northeast of Steamboat is an area called North Park , known as the Moose Capital of Colorado, where sightings are a common occurrence. The Moose Visitor Center at State Forest State STAY & PLAY OPTIONS Clark (page 194), Crowdrey, Gould , Hayden , Oak Creek , Rand , Steamboat Springs (page 204), Walden (page 205), Yampa CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: STATE FOREST STATE PARK, COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE/VERDON ROCKS PHOTOGRAPHY; CROSS-COUNTRY SKIIING NEAR STEAMBOAT, NOAH WETZEL; BEAR LAKE IN THE MT. ZIRKEL WILDERNESS AREA, NOAH WETZEL. SIDETRIPS To Steamboat’s west, stop into the quiet ranching town of Hayden , popular with hunters and fishermen as an easy homebase amid pristine lakes and wilderness areas. Hayden is near the Medicine Bow and Routt national forests, Mount Zirkel and Sarvis Creek Wilderness Areas. Opportunities for backpacking, hiking and biking abound in these nationally protected open spaces, while water enthusiasts and campers will enjoy a handful of state parks. Learn about the town’s cowboys and cowgirls, homestead-ers and coal miners at Hayden Heritage Center, located in the historic 1918 Moffat Railroad Depot Building. South of Steamboat, stop in the tiny town of Yampa for a bite at the historic Antlers Cafe & Bar. From there, you can hop on the Flat Tops Scenic Byway, which grants access to amazing scenery, hunting, fishing and horseback riding, as well as snowmobiling and cross-country skiing. COLORADO.COM / 135
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2020: Page 135
