Don’t worry! You’ll soon be reading about resorts that we’ve never visited before but for now, you’ll have to hear about another Colorado resort/town that we have a little bit of a love affair with. We’re not sure we could ever live in Steamboat Springs (it’s pretty busy for us) but we sure do love visiting this place!
View from the gondola!
We can’t decide if it’s because of the mountain or Strawberry Hot Springs, but either way, the combination makes for a pretty epic ski trip stop. The few times that we have skied Steamboat in the past we seemed to be pretty lucky. Not only were we there for incredible powder days, we had friends that lived there and they let us follow them around the mountain all day. We had no idea where we were or where we were going, so they were amazing guides. It is a huge mountain and can be kind of hard to maneuver in my opinion.
Tyson looking over the valley.
Unfortunately on this ski trip we did not hit Steamboat with ideal pow skiing conditions (we’re talking highs of 48° F) but we did try and tour around the mountain a little bit without getting too lost. It would definitely take some getting used to if we were skiing there more often but for the short time we were there; we accepted the feeling of being lost.
Views are amazing no matter where you are on the mountain.
Most importantly for our purposes, we have to take a minute to talk about the sweet free parking lot near the mountain. It’s called the Meadows lot, on the intersection of Pine Grove Rd. and Mt. Werner Rd. This free lot is huge and they allow you to park your camper and camp. The only rule is that you have to unhook your camper from your truck because of length. This really wasn’t a big deal for us because we knew we’d want to drive up to the hot springs anyways. There’s a free shuttle that takes you up to the base area. It’s also within walking distance of a Wal-Mart, Qdoba, and Starbucks… What more could you possibly need?
If you go to Steamboat and do not visit Strawberry Hot Springs, did you really even go to Steamboat? The answer is probably not! As one of our favorite hot springs in Colorado, it is a must do every time we are in the area. They are so gorgeous, remote feeling, and an experience under the stars you may not otherwise get. Nine miles from town on a dirt road, you must have 4-wheel drive to get there and you can’t be towing anything. There are no lights at the hot springs and so if you plan on going or staying after dark, make sure you have a headlamp! We unfortunately got there after dark and so we have no photos to show the beauty of it, but a quick Google search will show you what you need to see. Along with lights, kids are also not allowed after dark and swimsuits then become optional. Your muscles will thank you if you take a polar plunge into the passing-by freezing cold river and then jump back into the hot water.
We are really hoping that it is snowing on our way back through Steamboat because we would love to experience a powder day! Between the breakfast sandies at Gondola Joe’s, the terrain the resort has to offer, incredible camping/parking options, and the hot springs, it’s hard to find a bad thing to say about Steamboat. Can’t wait to be back!
Breakfast sandie from Gondola Joe’s.
With the MAX Pass, you receive 5 days of skiing at all 39 participating resorts! They even have options like add-on passes, which is what we did for our Rocky Mountain Super Pass Plus. For more information, visit the MAX Pass website.
