Winter fun in Steamboat Springs with Kids
Steamboat Springs is our favorite kid-friendly ski town in Colorado! We love it so much that we took two trips to Steamboat this winter. It is a little further of a drive than some other resorts but so worth it. My husband and I have lived in Colorado for 8 years now, and have visited a lot of Colorado ski towns. Below I am sharing some of our favorite winter activities to do in Steamboat with kids.
Hiking Fish Creek Falls
Just outside of town is the Fish Creek Falls recreation area. This is a great winter hike with kids! We hiked on the overlook trail and down to the lower falls for a short winter hike. We saw ice climber climbing the falls, which was really cool. The views from the overlook trail do not disappoint. Without kids, I’d love to put on snowshoes and hike to the upper falls.
Learning to Snowboard at Howelson Hill
Run by the town of Steamboat Springs, Howelson Hill is the oldest continuously operated ski area in North America. It’s a great place to learn to ski! Howelson Hill offers affordable lift tickets, a great bunny hill and is conveniently located near a playground, sled hill and Nordic trails. It might sound silly but when you are trying to entertain a two year old while her big brother is snowboarding, that playground is key. This is really what makes Steamboat Springs the best kid-friendly Colorado Ski town. I can’t wait until Ella is big enough to learn to ski on this bunny hill!
Steamboat Resort and Ski School
Certainly not the cheapest lift tickets you’ll find in Colorado, but Steamboat Ski Resort is worth spending a little extra. My husband has skied at a lot of Colorado ski resorts and Steamboat is one of his favorites! Ian had a great snowboarding lesson and said the instructors were the best! After working on it all season, he is starting to get the hang of his S turns and can’t wait until next season to get back on the mountain.
Haymaker Nordic Center
This winter we all tried cross country skiing for the first time! I loved it and my six year old is a huge fan as well. The Haymaker Nordic Center was great. We rented gear for the whole family including a pulk sled for our two year old to ride in. She wasn’t so sure at first but ended up loving it. They have a perfect 3 mile beginner loop, that is mostly flat with a couple rolling hills. The only problem was Ian wanted to keep going and ski all day!
Steamboat Springs – The Best Kid-friendly Colorado Ski Town
We’ll be back next season for sure! To sum it up, our favorite winter kid-friendly activities in Steamboat are hiking fish creek falls, Howelson Hill ski area, Steamboat resort and the Haymaker Nordic Center.
Alysia Loerch is a Colorado Springs Photographer specializing in family and maternity photography.
