Unique Summer Activities to do in Steamboat, Colorado

After exploring Estes Park and the Rocky Mountain National park on our 6 day Colorado vacation, we stopped in Steamboat to see what the small town has to offer. We decided to stay in Steamboat for 2 nights to fully explore the town. This small mountain town is a hot spot for skiing during the winter but we wanted to see what great activities it had during the summer.

Steamboat Travel Guide Summary:

Day 3

Drive to Steamboat from Fort Collins

Get Lunch at Yampa Sandwich Co.

Explore the Local Boutiques

Check-in at the Sheraton Hotel

Dinner at E3 Chophouse

Day 4

Grab Breakfast at Smell that Bread Bakery

Hike the Fish Creek Falls Trail

Lunch at Salt & Lime

Go to Strawberry Park Natural Hot Springs

Exploring Steamboat

Before leaving Fort Collins, we stopped at Cafe Mexicali to grab breakfast. This is my husband’s favorite Mexican restaurant in Fort Collins…for good reason. The food is fantastic and at a great price! Once we finished our breakfast burritos we started our 3 hour car ride to Steamboat Springs.

We arrived in Steamboat Springs just in time for lunch! Unfortunately the place we wanted to eat at, Salt & Lime, were closed for the day (aka Wednesday). So instead we went across the street to try out Yampa Sandwich Co.

Recommendation: Try the Grand sandwich. It is DELICIOUS!

After lunch we walked around the town to kill time before our hotel check-in and to walk off our lunch. There are a handful of clothing boutiques that have their own charm. Nothing caught my eye, so we didn’t end up buying anything (also trying to cut back on buying unnecessary things…). It got a little warm as the day went one, so we stopped browsing and decided to check into our hotel.

We stayed at the Sheraton hotel since they price was decent but we soon found out why it was a good deal. They were doing construction right next to the hotel. However, since we were going to be out exploring during the day it didn’t really bother us since construction stopped around 5pm. The room we had was insane. It came with a kitchen, washer and dryer! How nice would it be to do laundry incase you needed to?!?

Once we unpacked and settled in, we relaxed for a few hours to just enjoy each other’s company. After relaxing, we got ready for dinner. My husband made reservations at E3 Chophouse and picked a table along the Yampa river. The view was so nice and peaceful especially since we got to catch the sunset! I got the filet and my husband got the ribeye. We split a side of roasted wild mushrooms and the lobster Mac n cheese. After finishing out filet and ribeye and half of the sides, we ordered the creme brûlée (one of my favorite desserts). Everything was AMAZING but my favorite thing was the filet!

Recommendation: Get the filet, you won’t regret it!

After dinner, we called it a night and went to bed. We had some exciting activities to look forward to the next day.

Steamboat Hiking and Natural Hot Springs

First stop of the day was the grab breakfast! We stopped at a local place called, Smell that Bread Bakery. It was a small little place but had some great options. I ended up getting the chocolate croissant and my husband got the Avolanche toast. Both were good but I think we liked the Aovlanche toast more.

Tip: Try a bite of each other’s dish! You might be shocked on which one you like more.

One we finished our breakfast, we headed to the Fish Creek Falls Trailhead. It was a short 15 minute drive from the bakery which made it a perfect hike to do. You can do a quick hike to the lower falls or a longer one to the upper falls. We wanted to get some exercise and love hiking, so we decided to do the upper falls hike. It wasn’t terribly difficult but there were some parts that were a little rocky. The most challenging part was closer to the upper falls. It was pretty much all rocky and pretty steep. However, the hike was well worth it! There were a ton of great lookout points along the trail and the falls are spetacular. The hike was about 3.5hrs – 4hrs roundtrip.

Tip: Go earlier in the morning to get a parking spot and cooler weather.

After the hike, we were starving so luckily Salt & Lime was open for lunch! They had a ton of options: tacos, burritos and more. We got an appetizer, 2 tacos each and churros. Who else has a big sweet tooth? Mexican food hit the spot and we were completely satisfied.

Leaving the restaurant, we drove back to our hotel to get ready for Strawberry Park Natural Springs. What’s better than soaking in hot water to help with our soreness from our morning hike? While we were planning our trip, my husband made reservations for a specific time slot. So we had a late lunch to keep us full while we were at the hot springs. At check-in, we just told them the name the reservation was under and then made our way to the hot springs. Most of the chairs had people’s stuff on them but we found a rocky area where we could put out stuff. We brought towels and an extra pair of clothes incase we wanted to change before heading back to the hotel.

Tip: Bring your own towels.

There were several pools filled by the natural hot springs. The bottom most one was the least warm. As you made your way up the springs, the pools got smaller and hotter. My husband and I just stayed by the bottom three pools. Our reservation was at 6:30pm to catch the sunset but unfortunately is was cloudy that night. As the night went on, a thunderstorm was starting to form. So after the third lightning strike near the springs, we decided that it was time to head out because the last lightning strike was a little too close for comfort.

We dried off, packed up our stuff and head back to the hotel. At the hotel, we actually had leftovers from E3 and thank goodness…because we were hungry. After devouring our mushrooms and Mac n cheese, we got ready for bed. Needless to say, it was a perfect ending to our quick trip to Steamboat Springs.

Have you been to the Strawberry Park Natural Springs or to Steamboat during the summer? What is your favorite thing to do in Steamboat during the warmer months?