Steamboat Springs Fall Colors & Hot Springs
Steamboat Springs is one of the go to places for fall colors in Colorado.
Take a hike on a sunny fall day, especially out past Fish Creek Falls like we did, and you will be treated to gleaming golden blanket of leaves practically as far as you can see. I still think about these views and bright yellow trees every fall.
Steamboat Springs fall colors are the main reason I think you should visit this area in the fall, but take some time to explore the rest of the area too.
A long soak in the local hot springs after your hike is the perfect combination. One of our favorite ever brunch experiences was here, and there are several great breweries in town.
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Where To See the Best Fall Colors
On our first full day visiting, we set out to see Steamboat Springs fall colors, our main goal of the weekend.
We did this by setting out on a hike to Fish Creek Falls. The 280 foot Fish Creek Falls themselves aren’t very far down the trail, so after enjoying that view, we continued on up the trail for several miles.
The next part of the trail is very much uphill, until you reach a grove of aspens where the grade is much flatter.
This part of the trail was the best, walking between the bright golden leafed aspens, looking up into nothing but yellow and blue sky. The contrast of the white and black trunks to the yellow leaves is striking.
We continued through to the end of the grove, where a family approaching from the other direction said we absolutely had to head up to the right of the trail onto some rocky outcroppings to overlook the grove from which we had just come.
They called it a sea of gold. They were absolutely right. Steamboat Springs fall colors are spectacular.
It’s hard to say if this is better than northeast fall foliage, but we love that too and this is equally as amazing to us. You definitely don’t have to give up fall colors by moving west or taking a fall trip out west!
Fall Colors In The Snow
Even in the snow the colors are beautiful as we found on our last day. So don’t worry if you catch a bit of early season snow while hunting for fall colors.
In fact, the contrast of snow on the mountains in the background and golden leaves on the aspens is one of the prettiest combinations. Keep an eye out for it as you’re driving to and from Steamboat Springs.
Strawberry Park Hot Springs
In the afternoon, we went out to Strawberry Park Hot Springs. This place had been highly recommended to us, and we really liked that it was a mostly natural hot springs experience.
So often we see hot springs that have been so commercialized that you’re basically just going to a swimming pool. That’s not as fun in our opinion.
This one had rock and boulder walls and several waterfalls and pools with sandy bottoms. There was no artificial lighting. It was all just situated back in the forest. Visiting Strawberry Park Hot Springs was a really neat experience and very relaxing and peaceful.
The one drawback is that once it gets dark there, the clothing optional rule sets in. This in and of itself was not a big deal, but the way people start acting was. It became more of an immature and party environment. This signaled it was time for us to head out.
Definitely be aware of the shift in atmosphere that takes place. Plan accordingly to which experience you’re looking for. Minors are not allowed after dark.
Where To Stay
Because we had heard that there might be snow in the mountain passes, we left our trailer at home and stayed in the Steamboat Grand hotel.
We used one of those pick your price and number of stars sites and then it books you at something that matches your criteria and we were not disappointed. This is a really nice hotel with great views and a nice outdoor pool and hot-tub area.
Where To Eat
On our second full day, the weather wasn’t the greatest, so we checked out some local breweries. These included Mahogany Ridge (which was more of a restaurant), Storm Peak, and Butcherknife Brewing Companies.
It was fun to try out all of them, but of the three we preferred Storm Peak. Funny enough it’s the only one of the three that still exists these days.
We liked it best because of the beer as well as the tap room set up. Being able to play games and watch football enhanced the experience. There are several other breweries in town now we would happily try out too.
Mountain towns like these we’ve discovered often have neat, quirky, tasty, and affordable breakfast joints. We’ve started scoping out the ones that seem to have the most charm or are recommended by the locals.
Here we tried out Creekside Café & Grill and liked it so much we went two days in a row. The food was excellent. The inside is cute and has a fun vibe, but sit outside along the creek if you can.
On the final morning though we ventured to another place, Freshies, just to expand our experience. Though it was good as well we preferred the atmosphere at the first place and wished we had gone to Creekside Café & Grill three days in a row! We will go there if we visit Steamboat Springs again and we suggest you do too.
Where To Visit Next
If you loved Steamboat Springs fall colors and are wondering what other Colorado mountain towns to visit, you can’t go wrong with views from the Telluride gondola, the Maroon Bells near Aspen, and Crested Butte at Kebler Pass where you’ll find one of the biggest aspen groves in the United States.
It’s nice because fall almost seems like it is prolonged in Colorado, because if the leaves have faded and fallen in one area or elevation, you just make your way to another, typically from north to south through the state during September and October.
So start at Steamboat Springs and then continue chasing those colors across Colorado!
