36 Hours in Steamboat Springs, Colo. (Published 2023) (2024)

Steamboat Springs, Colo.

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By Cindy HirschfeldPhotographs by Andrew Miller

Jan. 5, 2023

3 p.m.Watch out for moose, eagles and ski jumpers

From the southern end of Ninth Street in town, stroll along a section of the paved Yampa River Core Trail — usually snow-covered in winter — which follows the Yampa River for 7.5 miles. You might even spot a moose (keep your distance!) or a bald eagle scouting for fish. Include a stop to see the action at Howelsen Hill, Steamboat’s original ski area and the oldest continuously operating one in the country. Founded in 1915 by the Norwegian ski jumper Carl Howelsen, it is small (17 runs) and still operates daily; it even offers free skiing on Sundays. Young athletes from the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, which has produced 100 Winter Olympians, train on Howelsen’s slopes and its seven ski jumps.

4 p.m.See the American West with new eyes

At the Steamboat Art Museum, located in a 1905 sandstone-and-brick former bank, rotating exhibits depict Western culture and heritage. The current one, “The New West: The Rise of Contemporary Indigenous and Western Art” (through April 15), shows works from more than 25 artists, including several affiliated with the progressive Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M. Pieces like Kevin Red Star’s painting “Chief Wild Cat’s Raiding Party,” seemingly luminous from across the room, and Maeve Eichelberger’s layered plexiglass horses, which blend into three-dimensional figures as you stand back, upend traditional representations of iconic subjects of the American West. Admission is free. The adjacent museum store sells work by local artists.

5 p.m.Nibble charcuterie and sip local gin

After earning a local following for the elaborate charcuterie boards she offered as a caterer, Laura Posiak-Trider (known as Laura the Butcher) opened Meatbar, a storefront and 35-seat restaurant on Lincoln Avenue in late 2021. Pop in to nosh on small plates like 36-month cured jamón ($11) or chorizo with dates and cilantro ($16). Some 70 varieties of specialty chocolate bars also tempt. Nearby, Ms. Posiak-Trider’s husband, Dustin, operates Standard Western Art and Drink, a wine bar and gallery selling contemporary Western works (including his own photographs). Last summer, the drink menu expanded to include gin and whiskey; try the Standard co*cktail ($17), made with winter gin from Steamboat’s new Routt Distillery, Cardamaro and bitters.

7 p.m.Share a plate or two of tapas

At Bésame, exposed brick walls and wooden floors worn smooth frame the low-lit space, where a convivial atmosphere reflects the focus on shared plates. There are more than two dozen types of hot and cold tapas, with standouts including rich, chile-glazed beef short ribs with mashed potatoes ($20) and croquettes made of serrano ham and queso fresco ($15). Find Asian-inspired dishes among the entrees too, like shrimp, pork belly and kimchi fried rice ($31). The perfect accompaniment? A chile-laced concoction called the Tipsy Carrot ($16.50), which includes tequila and carrot juice.

9 p.m.Shake it with the locals

Despite a name that makes it sound like a strip-mall dance club from the 1990s, Schmiggity’s is Steamboat’s go-to spot for regular live music. It’s a small room (it can fit about 200 people), but it has a kicking sound system. A steady stream of performers from Colorado and elsewhere takes the stage on weekends, including tribute acts, funk bands and indie rock, with the occasional EDM night. Up-and-coming comedians from around the country take the mic every other weekend through early April.

7:45 a.m.Wake up early and catch the fresh powder

Alterra Mountain Company (which offers the Ikon Pass) is sinking $200 million into improvements at the Steamboat ski area, including this winter’s new Wild Blue Gondola. If you’re an intermediate or better skier, get up early for the First Tracks program ($55 with advance purchase; a lift ticket, from $200, is also required). You’ll get 45 minutes or so on the resort’s easternmost flanks before the lifts open to everyone else at 8:30 a.m. Then swoop down wide groomed trails like Buddy’s Run and Heavenly Daze or explore renowned glades like Closets and Shadows. A new lift next winter will open 650 more acres of challenging terrain, making Steamboat Colorado’s second-largest ski area after Vail, and a second leg of Wild Blue will offer access to the summit. Never skied? Steamboat’s gondola-served beginner area was newly redesigned to help first-timers hone their skills.

11:30 a.m.Fuel up with soup and a sandwich

Sure, you can stay up on the mountain for lunch, but Steamboat’s efficient lift system makes easy work of skiing down to the base area and returning up high later. The Paramount, one in a row of four unpretentious slopeside restaurants, serves generously sized sandwiches (from $15) and delicious hand-cut fries with roasted Anaheim pepper dipping sauce (from $7.50). Or take off the chill with a bowl of creamy chicken-and-dumpling soup. On a sunny day, stake out a spot at one of the tables outside after ordering at the counter and soak up the relaxed setting.

3 p.m.Celebrate après-ski the way it used to be

4:30 p.m.Take a soak, or ride a slide

It may be obvious, but there is no Steamboat Springs without the springs. One of Colorado’s best places to soak is in the mineral-rich waters at Strawberry Park Hot Springs, where rock-lined pools sit amid a magical wilderness setting seven miles north of town. The Hot Springs Shuttle ($50 per person, including entry to the pools) runs four-wheel-drive vans for the round trip to Strawberry Park and eliminates the need to make separate pool reservations in advance (required otherwise). Once the sun sets, clothing is optional, and visitors under 18 are not allowed. For a more family-friendly option, visit the Old Town Hot Springs ($29 admission) in the middle of downtown; it has outdoor pools and two waterslides.

8:30 p.m.Splurge on a dry-aged steak for two

Steamboat as a food destination? It’s hardly far-fetched, with innovative restaurants like Aurum, Table 79, Laundry and Sauvage among those leading the way. The buzzy vibe at Primrose, a recent addition, skews more urban sophisticate than traditional ski town, with top-notch service to match. (One glance at the snowbanks piled high outside, however, and you’ll remember that you’re in the mountains.) Seasonal dishes prepared in the open kitchen range from raw-bar items and other seafood that’s flown in fresh to a suitably hearty bucatini with local lamb ($40) and the ribeye for two, dry-aged for 28 days and carved tableside ($140).

9 a.m.Perk up with a crepe, then shop for a Stetson

The bright and cozy Yampa Valley Kitchen, a sister restaurant to Bésame and a favorite breakfast spot, is situated in a 1918 farmhouse that’s now on the National Register of Historic Places. On weekends, brunch is served all day, and dishes like rösti (a Swiss potato pancake) topped with ham, Gruyère and an egg, or a chocolate-hazelnut crepe with bananas and whipped cream, may easily fill you up past lunchtime. Reserve ahead on weekends. Afterward, walk along Lincoln Avenue and stop at F.M. Light and Sons, a Steamboat stalwart that has sold Stetson hats and cowboy boots since 1905. Need another coffee or a good read for the trip home? The longtime indie bookstore Off the Beaten Path, on Ninth Street, will set you up.

11 a.m.Behold sweeping views by snowmobile or cross-country skis

Immerse yourself in the snow-blanketed landscape around Rabbit Ears Pass, which crosses the Continental Divide about 21 miles east of Steamboat, on the two-hour Backcountry Explorer outing with Steamboat Snowmobile Tours ($195 per driver). The outfitter will pick you up from your lodging and shuttle you to the company’s headquarters, about five miles from the pass. You’ll navigate a trail through stately evergreens in the Routt National Forest, zoom across wide meadows and, weather permitting, enjoy 100-mile views of Colorado and Wyoming. Prefer to be self-propelled? Cross-country ski at the Haymaker Nordic Center ($28 for a daily pass) four miles east of town, where more than six miles of rolling trails traverse a golf course and all-encompassing vistas of the Yampa Valley and the surrounding mountains extend in every direction.