Steamboat Springs, CO

Sunday, September 13

We’re checking out a new-to-us area of Colorado today — Steamboat Springs! We’ve heard good things about this northern ski town but admittedly, it was tough to leave our sweet camp spot at Idlewild Campground in Winter Park. The big tall trees surrounding our RV and the smell of freshly cut pine was heavenly.

Of course we could have stuck around Winter Park as long as we liked since we don’t have a concrete travel plan the next six weeks, but the pull to see and do all the things in Colorado urged us to pack up camp and keep on truckin’.

The town of Steamboat Springs is a two hour drive from Winter Park along Colorado Highway 40. It was a beautiful morning to drive — the sun was shining brightly without a cloud in the sky. Still, the drive had its stressful moments as we navigated the mountain pass. The thrill of driving a 25’ ft Winnebago View up and down the mountain & around hairpin turns!

We arrived in Steamboat Springs around lunchtime and found a big, open lot to park our rig near the Howelsen ski hill. From there, we hopped on our electric bikes and rode a few blocks to the downtown area. We were all hungry, and found an option for just about every type of food in the heart of downtown. Tory and Aden opted for slices of authentic New York-style pizza from The Corner Slice while Andi and I split a gyro and a salad from a restaurant called Skull Creek Greek. There were lots of tables available in an outdoor food court nearby, so we sat outside in the sunshine and enjoyed our meals. Delicious!

After lunch, we browsed through shops along Main Street. It’s really tempting to buy ALL THE THINGS when we’re in cute areas like this, but limited space in our RV for clothes and trinkets puts a damper on shopping.

Afterward, we hopped on our bikes for a tour through town. We spent a few hours biking along the trail system, cruising through the Steamboat Springs ski area, various parks and neighborhoods. It was a beautiful day outside. Dare I even say …hot?! On Wednesday, we were bundled up in hats and boots hiking along snow-covered trails and now we’re sweating in the sunshine wearing shorts and t-shirts this weekend.

Around 4:00pm, Andi and I loaded the bikes back onto the bike trailer and headed for Steamboat Lake State Park north of town about 30 minutes. Steamboat Lake is a popular recreational lake in Colorado. We’ve heard great things about the area.

Securing a camping spot in Colorado state parks because most spot book up months in advance. All their spots are 100% by reservation only. Andi reserved us a camping spot online last night, so we had no problems settling into our spot at Dutch Hill Campground.

It was still a sunny 70 degrees at 5:00pm, so we decided to walk down to the swimming beach to hang out before dinner. Tory and Aden put on their swimming suits, but the water was too cold for swimming. Instead, they played in the sand for about an hour.

Back at camp, Andi grilled meatballs for dinner which we paired with pasta and our garden tomato basil sauce we brought along from home. The kids were beat from a full day outdoors, so they snuggled up with their iPads while Andi and I walked a few hot-laps around the campground. That’s as close as we get to “date night” these days.

What a great day in Steamboat Springs! We really loved this area of Colorado. Definitely worth the drive north.