Frommer's EasyGuide to Colorado 2014 by Eric Peterson

Author:Eric Peterson [Peterson, Eric]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781628870367
Publisher: FrommerMedia

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS

158 miles NW of Denver, 194 miles E of Grand Junction, 335 miles E of Salt Lake City, Utah

One of my favorite Colorado resort towns, Steamboat Springs fuses two very different worlds—a state-of-the-art ski village with a genuine Western ranching town. This historic town, with a population of about 13,000, is a pleasant laid-back community where ranchers still go about their business in cowboy boots and Stetsons, seemingly unaware of the fashion statement they are making to city-slicker visitors.

At an elevation of 6,695 feet, Steamboat Springs’s numerous mineral springs and abundant wild game made this a summer retreat for Utes centuries before the arrival of white settlers. The bubbling mineral springs also caused many a mid-19th-century trapper to swear he heard the chugging sound of “a steamboat comin’ round the bend”—hence the name. But prospectors never thrived here as they did elsewhere in the Rockies, though coal mining has proven profitable. Ranching and farming were the economic mainstays until tourism arrived, and agriculture remains key today.

Cowboys aside, this area is perhaps best known as the birthplace of organized skiing in Colorado. Although miners, ranchers, and mail carriers used primitive skis for transportation as early as the 1880s, it wasn’t until Norwegian ski-jumping and cross-country champion Carl Howelsen built Howelsen Hill ski jump here in 1914 that skiing was considered a recreational sport in Colorado. In 1963, Storm Mountain was developed for skiing, and Steamboat’s future as a modern ski resort was ensured. The mountain was renamed Mount Werner after the 1964 avalanche death in Europe of Olympic skier Buddy Werner, a Steamboat Springs native. Today the mountain is managed by the Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation and, more often than not, simply called Steamboat. Howelsen Hill, owned by the city of Steamboat Springs, continues to operate as a facility for ski jumpers, as well as a fun little downtown ski area.

Essentials

GETTING THEREBy CarThe most direct route to Steamboat Springs from Denver is via I-70 west to Silverthorne, Colo. 9 north to Kremmling, and U.S. 40 west to Steamboat. (Note: Rabbit Ears Pass, 25 miles east of Steamboat, can be treacherous and often closes during winter storms.) If you’re traveling east on I-70, exit at Rifle, proceed on Colo. 13 to Craig, then take U.S. 40 east to Steamboat. For statewide road condition reports, call 303/639-1111 or visit www.cotrip.org.

By PlaneThe Yampa Valley Regional Airport (HDN), 22 miles west of Steamboat Springs near Hayden ( 970/276-5001; www.co.routt.co.us), is served by United year-round, plus Alaska, American, and Delta in ski season.

Ground transportation from Yampa Valley Regional Airport is provided by Alpine Taxi ( 800/343-7433 or 970/879-2800; www.alpinetaxi.com); the cost is about $60 per adult and $30 per child round-trip. The company also offers shuttle service between Steamboat and Denver International Airport for $180 per adult and $90 per child. Avis, Hertz, and Budget maintain locations at the airport.

GETTING AROUNDThere are really two Steamboats. The ski resort, known as Steamboat Village, is about 2 miles southeast of the historic Steamboat Springs. If you’re coming from Denver, U.

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