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2009: Year-Round Recreation Year-Round Recreation 2009/10 Fast Facts
Year-Round Recreation
More than 1,000 square miles of multi-use public lands including the 520,000-acre Routt National Forest, several Colorado State Parks and two wilderness areas surround Steamboat.
 | | Fresh tracks on the Steamboat Ski Area. Photo by Deborah Olsen |
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Steamboat winters are best known for skiing or snowboarding in Champagne Powder® snow at the Steamboat Ski Area on Mount Werner. Other winter activities include snowshoeing, snowmobiling, winter horseback riding, ice climbing, dog sledding, ice skating, ice hockey, fly fishing, hot air ballooning and soaking in the hot springs.
• Mount Werner has a vertical rise of more than 3,600 feet from the base to its 10,568-foot summit.
• Steamboat Ski Area has 2,939 skiable acres accessed from 164 trails.
• Steamboat’s other ski hill, city-owned Howelsen Hill Ski Area, is the home of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, the oldest winter sports club in the West and the training center for 69 Winter Olympians.
• Howelsen Hill opened in 1915 and is Colorado’s oldest ski area in continuous use. It features the most complete natural ski-jumping complex in North America and is used for international Nordic events. Howelsen Hill also offers a system of cross country skiing trails.
• Steamboat has five Nordic ski areas within a 30-mile radius, in addition to backcountry trails.
Spring
Kayaking, rafting and canoeing on the Yampa River through meandering class II and III rapids are popular during spring. Other rivers in the region include the Colorado Elk, Eagle and Green.
Summer
 | | Tubers float the Yampa on a sunny afternoon. Photo by Julie Hebard |
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Warm days and cool nights are ideal for hiking, backpacking, bicycling, fishing, in-line skating, golfing, tennis, swimming, horseback riding, water skiing, soaking in the natural hot springs, gondola rides and scenic drives.
• The Steamboat Springs Running Series is Colorado’s biggest, with 14 runs from May to September.
• Steamboat Lake, Pearl Lake, Stagecoach and Yampa River State Parks offer abundant camping, boating and fishing opportunities.
Fall Aspen leaves changing to brilliant gold and red bring out many people for scenic drives and hikes. Fall also brings hunters from all over the world in search of Northwest Colorado’s plentiful elk, deer and antelope.
• Routt County has one of the largest elk herds in the West.
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