 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
On Location: Steamboat Off-Season
|
|
Check out the trails and riverside attractions before they’re covered with Steamboat’s famous powder
|
|
BY TINA LASSEN
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
The riverside Boathouse Pub, known for its happy hour; an aspen grove in Medicine Bow—Routt National Forest.
|
|
|
|
Contributing editor Tina Lassen, an avid skier, revisits one of her favorite ski resorts and finds a whole lot of action in summer.
To me, Steamboat Springs, CO, had always been cloaked in white, the deeper the better. My thoughts revolved around where to find untracked powder, not what lay underneath it. So when I returned in warm weather to discover grassy mountainsides, a lively riverfront and lots of terrific hiking trails, it felt like visiting a whole new town.
HIGH-ALTITUDE HIKING
There’s no shortage of places to hike in Steamboat, which cozies up to the immense Medicine Bow–Routt National Forests. Start with the maze of trails right on Mount Werner. Those great bump runs on Storm Peak become a meadow ablaze with wildflowers in summer. Sure, you can hike up to the Four Points Hut from the base area, but the elevation gain of 2,200 feet—coupled with the thin 9,000-foot air—makes that a rather humbling experience. Trust me, even a beginner ski trail feels a whole lot steeper when you’re walking up it.
So I decided it would be better to take the gondola (adults, $20) to the Thunderhead upper station, then hike 636 feet to reach Four Points. Once there, I was surrounded by lupine and paintbrush, with views of the scissor-sawed peaks of the Continental Divide. To get back down I first followed the Chisholm Trail from Four Points Hut to the gondola, then followed the Thunderhead Hiking Trail, and had fun checking out the grassy versions of my favorite ski runs along the way.
Still on my hiking dream list: the Zirkel Circle, an 11-mile loop among high alpine lakes in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness, about 30 miles west of Steamboat Springs. For more hiking suggestions in the Medicine Bow–Routt National Forests, contact the USDA Forest Service (307-745-2300; fs.usda.gov/mbr).
ROLLIN’ ON THE RIVER
The lovely Yampa River tumbles down from high in the surrounding mountains, gurgles right through downtown Steamboat Springs and then wanders off west toward the deserts of Utah. In winter, its banks are a peaceful, slightly sleepy place that is pretty much the domain of fly fishermen.
Come summer, though, the Yampa turns into party central. Plop into a raft or kayak for an entertaining float; Backdoor Sports provides the equipment and a shuttle back upstream for $17 (841 Yampa St.; 970-879-6249). Rafts and kayaks also run the Yampa in summer. By fall the water levels drop, so Bucking Rainbow Outfitters adds an autumn run through the deep canyon of the nearby Colorado River (730 Lincoln Ave.; 970-879-8747; buckingrainbow.com; $93 per person for full day, including lunch and transportation).
Be sure to cycle or stroll the Yampa River Core Trail, a seven-mile paved riverbank route that passes parks, public art, protected natural areas and many of the area’s iconic springs. Then savor the river setting—and some sweet happy-hour deals—at the Boathouse Pub (609 Yampa St.; 970-879-4797) or Sweetwater Grill (811 Yampa St.; 970-879-9500), both with expansive decks overlooking the Yampa.
It almost seems a shame all this gets covered with that awesome powdery snow.
NOTE: Information may have changed since publication. Please confirm key details before planning your trip.
|
|
|
|
Published: July 6, 2011
|
|
Photos: Matthew Dillard; Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association
|
|
|