I recently spent a grand four days exploring the trails and town of Steamboat Springs. While I think they have a little ways to go before that whole “Bike Town USA” title rings true, we did find plenty of riding to entertain us. Aside from the biking, though, the best thing about Steamboat is that there’s so much else to do! I know for most of us we don’t need anything but biking, pizza, and beer, but there are some families around who aren’t so immersed (yet) in mountain biking.
If you have small kids who aren’t ready for major trails yet, or a spouse who would rather hike or float the river while you bomb down some trails, then Steamboat is the perfect place for the whole family to have fun. Here’s a sample 3-day guide for the mixed-sport family in Steamboat:
Friday
Assuming you’ve driven in and have about a half day of recreation for Friday, head to the Howelsen Hill Recreation Area as quickly as possible. Here part of the family can enjoy the front side of the Emerald Mountain Trails (get a map!) while others take a spin on the Howelsen Alpine Slide, play in the nearby park, or hike the same trails you’re biking.
The best route (I think) is to climb up the Lupine Trail (which will be signed once you get about half way up–hence the need for a map) and then make your way up to the Quarry Overlook then onto Blair Witch and MGM as you head back down. You can get in a nice 8-mile ride this way on some mostly-smooth, flowing single track.
When you all meet back up in a few hours, try to get over to the Old Town Hot Springs for a few hours before dinner. (Or after! They’re open until 10 during the summer.)
Saturday
The gondola for the Steamboat Bike Park at Steamboat Ski Resort opens at 10. Grab a lift ticket and head up the mountain for some fun DH on Tenderfoot or Rustler’s Ridge, or climb further on cross-country trails like the Sunshine Trail. One good route for adding in some cross-country miles is to take the gondola up then climb Duster (a dirt road) to Sunshine. Follow this back to the dirt road, then pick up Elkhead and take it to Rustler’s Ridge. If your spouse wants to bike today too, the kids can enjoy the Steamboat Kids’ Adventure Club.
Otherwise, the rest of the family can hang out at the “beach” at Steamboat, play in the free Strider Adventure Zone (up to age 10) on Strider bikes, or enjoy some of the cool activities at the Coca-Cola Adventure Zone like rockclimbing or water-walking. For the afternoon, rent tubes downtown and enjoy a float down the Yampa River. I was SO jealous of all those river floaters… we didn’t get a chance to do this, but next time it’s going on the list.
At some point, get some ice cream from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.
Sunday
Head over to the Spring Creek Trail. This multi-use trail is great for hiking and biking. About 1/2 mile up the gravel road is a great lunch spot with facilities and views of the river. Past this is a bridge over Spring Creek itself. This area seems like a great one for exploring the creek and the wildflowers around it, but I’d be hesitant to take small kids onto the single track portion of the trail. Bikers go pretty fast on the descents there. Still, the single track doesn’t start for 1.5 miles up the trail, so there’s plenty of space for little ones to explore and get used to their hiking legs without having to endanger themselves on the narrower sections of trail.
Since Spring Creek is often done as an out-and-back, you can turn around whenever you want. If you’ve got the legs and the lungs, make the full 5.6ish mile climb over 15 bridges to the top, and the reap the rewards on the way down. Just make sure to watch for other climbers and hikers!
If you have even more time, the best ride in the area (that isn’t 20 miles long) is the Bealle / Ridge Loop on the backside of Emerald Mountain. To reach it, drive out 13th street until it turns into Twenty Mile Road and continue to the turn for Cow Creek Road (RCR 45). The parking area is the second one with signs; there’s a gate and a big map of the area there. This is the end of the Ridge Trail. Now bike 2 miles up the gravel road to the start of the Bealle Trail and begin climbing. It’s a gradual climb with some flowing sections added in. After 6 miles you’ll reach the summit and the link up with the Ridge Trail. Enjoy this!
We added in the Rotary Loop (adds about 1.5 miles if you hit it coming down Ridge) and were so glad we did. You can get in a few jumps on this one if you want.
The Rotary Trail is designed to be family-friendly as well, so if you’ve got some who are more beginner and want to try biking on singletrack, they can climb up the Ridge Trail to the start of Rotary and then enjoy the rolling downhill.
While oftentimes we might wish everyone in our family would take up mountain biking, sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way. It’s great to find small cities like Steamboat where everyone can have a good time and enjoy a variety of outdoor activities. So if you’re the mountain biker in the family and you’ve been looking for a place everyone can go, consider Steamboat.
