Steamboat Springs

About Steamboat

From its celebrated Champagne Powder to its deep Western heritage and Winter Olympic history to its renown as one of the most memorable ski towns in North America, you can bet that you’re getting the full package on a Steamboat Springs ski resort vacation. As a popular ski destination located in the Yampa Valley, Steamboat Springs offers a special Western feel and excellent skiing.

Steamboat, Colorado packs a punch for just about every on- and off-mountain interest: a nice mix of terrain, a casual, yet, high-quality dining scene, amenities and lodging for every preference and budget—including some of the most affordable ski in, ski out condos and hotels available. There’s a reason skiers of all ages having been calling Steamboat Springs one of their favorite ski resorts for the last 50 years.

Between the Steamboat base village and downtown Steamboat Springs, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a dull moment. Whiz down the mountain on a tube at Howelsen Hill or at Saddleback Ranch’s Yew-Haw tubing hill. Pedal Steamboat’s ski trails or explore Yamapa Valley’s singletrack on a fat bike specifically designed for snowy conditins. Relax at the Old Town or Strawberry Park natural hot springs.

Steamboat Springs provides shoppers with dime-a-dozen Western specialty and souvenir shops, while the base village provides gear and technical outerwear fanatics will a range of ski and sports shops. Steamboat Springs has a great dining scene and has several historical museums worth a visit.

How to get to Steamboat Springs

Steamboat Springs is located 180 miles from major hub Denver International Airport (DEN). DEN is a non-stop destination for more than 21 domestic and international airlines, so you can accomplish a Steamboat ski vacation from just about anywhere in the world. Once you’ve arrived at DEN, you can opt for shuttle services or rental cars.

Getting around

If you don’t rent your own car, Steamboat Springs has plenty of options. The town has many Uber and Lyft drivers as well as taxis services. For after hours services, Go Alpine Taxi is a great option that runs 6 pm - midnight seven days a week, offering rides at five dollars per person and two dollars a mile. 

Skiing in Steamboat Sprigns

One of Colorado’s snowfall leaders, the Steamboat skiing is almost always incredible. Combine its 350 annual inches with state-of-the-art grooming capabilities and you can imagine that skiing cruisers at Steamboat is among the world’s best. Steamboat’s terrain is well dispersed, allowing skiers of all levels to explore the mountain, and even ski together. Families with beginners to experts will love the fact that they can each enjoy their ideal terrain and then meet back up at one of Steamboat’s lifts and enjoy quality time as they ride the chair. The terrain between Sunshine Express and Sundown Express offers something for nearly everyone: beginner, intermediate and expert. Intermediates and experts can easily access the backside of the mountain—Morningside Park—and all of its well-spaced tree and steeps skiing.

Beginner Skiing in Steamboat Springs

First timers, or never-evers, will spend most their time at the base area, on or around the Preview Lift, there they’ll learn the basics like how to make a wedge turn, stop and ride the chair lift. Once they have nailed those important techniques down, beginner skiers at Steamboat have tons of terrain options, with nearly 14-percent of the mountain catering to them. Thunderhead Express and Burgess Creek Lift provides the most beginner terrain access, allowing skiers to get several runs in. 

More experienced beginner skiers have several great, sustained green circle trails to choose from; like Right-O-Way, which brings skiers back to the base, or Sundial to Broadway, allowing skiers to navigate a good chunk of the entire mountain on gentle, friendly slopes. Why Not from the top of Burgess Creek offers beginners a fun, easy switchback trail, which meanders through an aspen forest.

Steamboat Ski School

From private clinics for children through adults, to Burton’s “Learn To Ride” snowboard program, Steamboat Ski School can offer a learning experience to fit any beginners needs and interests. Steamboat Ski School also offers guaranteed success, if beginners aren’t skiing on green circle runs after their lesson; the next lessons are free until they reach that level.

Expert Skiing in Steamboat Springs

With 44-percent of Steamboat’s 2,965 acres pigeonholed as “expert,” advanced to extreme skiers will find terrain to suit their skiing needs. Steamboat is renowned for its glade skiing and deep powder, so be sure to hop in the trees as much as possible. Like its beginner and intermediate terrain, the Steamboat expert skiing intermingles with easier terrain, which is great for giving tired legs a break or warming up first thing in the morning.

A great way to warm up the legs, is to head up the Gondola and cut over to the Sundown Express via Spur Run. Then take Sundown Express up. There you have several expert world-class trails, like Kuu’s Cruise, Sundown Liftline,  or Three O’Clock. Once you’re legs are rearing to go, try Twilight, a fun gladed run that stays cold and well preserved days after a snow storm. 

Once you’ve had enough take Dawn over to Rainbow and take the Storm Peak Express Up. All the trails off of this lift are long, and challenging, an expert skier’s slice of heaven. From here you can either stay on the front side of the mountain or drop over the ridge into Morningside Park, where you’ll find bowl-like skiing with scattered trees. Don’t Miss Wake Up Call on looker’s right side of Morningside Park. 

If you stay on the frontside, either drop into Storm Peak North or South, which is essentially a mini bowl. Or if you’re looking to get extreme head towards Chute 1-3 or even further along the ridgeline to Christmastree Bowl. This area is also accessed from the top of Morningside Lift. In this area you’ll find steep glades, and incredible powder skiing days after snowstorms.

Family vacations in Steamboat Springs

Incredible tree skiing, champagne powder, a variety of terrain options, plus great kid-friendly hotels, restaurants and off mountain activities make Steamboat an easy choice for families.

Steamboat offers terrain for any level of skier in your family, which is why it’s great if there are varying levels of ability on a family ski vacation. Steamboat’s 2,965 acres are namely classified as intermediate or advanced, with 43 percent intermediate and 44 percent advanced.  Beginner terrain compromises 14 percent of Steamboat’s vast expanse.  

The coolest part about Steamboat’s terrain is that there are multiple peaks that feature multiple types of trails. For example Thunderhead Peak provides terrain for beginners, intermediates and experts, as does looker’s right side of Sunshine Peak, and the lower portion of the mountain off of South Peak Lift. 

Families comprised of skiers with different preferences or experience levels will love skiing at Steamboat, because they can still enjoy their ideal terrain and meet back up at the chairlift and spend quality time chatting on the lift ride.