Steamboat Summer Boat List – Challenge Accepted!

Steamboat Springs is an amazing summer destination, and when I was asked to take on the Steamboat Summer Boat List Challenge, I didn’t hesitate.

The Boat List is 30 different things to do in Steamboat Springs this summer, and Ryan and I headed up in June to see how many items we could accomplish during a two-night stay. Of course, we’ve been visiting Steamboat for more than a decade, so we’d already done some of the things, but those didn’t count because the Steamboat Boat List Challenge is all about the Summer of 2016.

We arrived on a Friday afternoon and headed straight to Strawberry Park Hot Springs (#14). It had been about eight years since we’d visited this hot springs and in that time it’s become a lot fancier with beautiful landscaping and additional pools.

After our soak we stopped by Fish Creek Falls to snap a photo at this gorgeous waterfall (#1).

We checked into our Bronze Tree condominium, a Mountain Resorts property in the late afternoon. Located part way up the hill at Steamboat Ski Resort, the view from our sixth floor condo was outstanding.

That evening we attended the Steamboat Springs Pro Rodeo (#2) for the first time. I grew up in the land of cowboy hats and Wrangler jeans and to Ryan’s amusement, I knew every word to every nineties country song they played over the speaker system that night.

The Steamboat Springs Pro Rodeo takes place multiple times throughout the summer and has a nice array of rodeo competitions.

We shared a huge plate of delicious barbecue and drank margaritas and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves during the two hour event.

The next day, after fueling up at Freshie’s, we rented bikes at Ski Haus and hit the Yampa River Core Trail (#4). I had previously known about the trail, but had no idea that it was 7.5 miles long and links the resort with the town.

About five minutes into our ride, we made a pit stop to explore the Yampa River Botanic Park (#22), a place I didn’t know existed until I surveyed the Boat List. This free park is located on the Yampa River Core Trail and it is truly amazing. If Ryan hadn’t dragged me away I’d still be there taking photographs.

We rode our bikes downtown, which only take about 12 minutes, and spent time browsing the Farmer’s Market (#15) where we purchased a bag of cherries, candy and some of MJ’s Bug Off, which seems to work really well.

After a dining riverside (#25) at Aurum for lunch, an experience I’ll elaborate on in a later post, we made our way to Lincoln Avenue (Steamboat’s Main Street) where I popped into FM Light & Sons (#23) a Steamboat fixture since 1905, and browsed some art galleries (#17).

We pedaled back to Ski Haus and then returned to our condo to freshen up for a classy evening of culture. We had tickets to the Strings Music Festival (#5), a beautiful music venue/festival that I’ve written about in the past.

It was the orchestra’s opening weekend and we were treated to an incredible performances by violinist Chee-Yun. This is one of my favorite Colorado music venues and I always check to see who’s on stage here when we are in town. They host everything from classical to rock.

The next morning we visited Burgess Creek Beach (#26) before boarding the gondola (#3) to Hazie’s for an incredible brunch with an impressive view of the Yampa Valley and beyond.

We managed to check 12 items off our Steamboat Summer Boat List Challenge during our two-night stay. How many can you accomplish in Steamboat Springs this summer?

A big thank you to the Steamboat Springs Resort Chamber for hosting us on this visit!