Play Outdoors VG

Fly fishing continues through winter on the Yampa River.

Play Outdoors

Steamboat’s icy winters don’t slow down the town’s bustling activity – or limit it to the ski slopes. There’s fun in the snow for everyone, and you don’t need skis or a snowboard to join in.

For thrill-seekers off the ski mountain, nothing’s more exciting than snowmobiling. If you’re heavy on the throttle, you can let loose in the open meadows of Rabbit Ears Pass, the Flat Tops or North Routt County, with Steamboat Snowmobile Tours, High Mountain Snowmobile Tours or Thunderstruck Adventures. If you’re looking for stunning views of the Rocky Mountains, sleds will zip you up to breathtaking lookouts facing the Zirkels, the Continental Divide and Sleeping Giant. Lucky 8 Ranch in South Routt leads a bison snowmobile tour celebrating our national mammal.

Less adrenaline-filled, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing still lead to astonishing views. The Steamboat Ski Area offers guided snowshoe tours of the iconic Mount Werner. For environmentalists looking to combine winter views with a lesson on keeping them wintery, Yampatika leads hikes and cross-country skiing while educating adventurers on protecting Mother Nature.

If skate-skiing is your forte, or you’re looking for a workout, Haymaker Nordic Center, Lake Catamount Touring Center, Steamboat Ski Touring Center and Howelsen Hill offer groomed trails for all levels, from first-timers to Olympic hopefuls. During the early season, Bruce’s Trail on Rabbit Ears Pass is groomed before anywhere else, becoming a winter wonderland for cross-country skiers and snowshoers as early as October.

Snow-tubing is a great option for families looking for a thrill. At Vista Verde Guest Ranch, snowmobiles will pull you up the hill, and at Saddleback Ranch, a tube-tow lift system will take you to the top. It’s all the fun of the tobogganing you enjoyed as a kid, without any huffing and puffing on your way back up the hill. You’re never too old to fly down a groomed sledding track, laughing all the way.

Missing the activities of the warmer months? Fishing and biking are year-round in Steamboat. Fly fishing continues downtown on the icy Yampa River, where anglers find fewer crowds and more fish in winter. Fly fishing away from town is best in the Yampa tailwaters below Stagecoach Reservoir. You can make the 1.5-mile trek on foot, bike, skis, or snowmobile – the trip will only make the catch more worthwhile.

Biking in Steamboat is no longer seasonal. With fat-tire bikes, you can cruise on the Yampa River Core Trail or Emerald Mountain just as you would in July – just with more layers. Fat-tire bikers have access to most nordic, snowshoe and snowmobile trails, so the terrain has something for everyone.

Playing in the snow doesn’t require a lift ticket. If carving up groomers or ripping through powder isn’t your thing, you’re sure to find other ways to enjoy the Yampa Valley’s snowscape.