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Summer Survival Guide for Parents
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prepared by the Steamboat Springs Chamber of Commerce
Are we there yet?
What can we do?
I'm bored!
Steamboat Springs is the perfect place for your whole family to enjoy a wide range of Summer activities! Your family can enjoy everything from horse back riding to tubing down the Yampa River. Kids love Steamboat and Steamboat loves kids. Here are some of the more popular activities that your young ones will find of interest.
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Alpine Slide
Bike Rides and Rentals
Boating/Rafting/Kayaking/Canoeing/Tubing
Bowling
Crafts and Hobbies
Fishing
Gondola Rides
Hiking
Horseback Rides
Hot Springs
Ice Cream Shops
Minature Golf/Maze
Museums
Arcade
Rock Climbing Gym/Equipment
Rodeo
Summer Camps
Movie Theaters
Swimming
Tennis
Cattle Drives
Bungee-Tramp
Outdoor Climbing Wall
Disc Golf
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Alpine Slide
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Get Ready to Slide!
Visitors looking for some speedy excitement can take a ride on The Howler, Steamboat Springs’ alpine slide. Riders climb aboard the two person chairlift up the face of Howelsen Hill then hop on wheeled sleds and head down a 2,400-foot, luge-like dual track. Children and adults can ride down on the same sleds if they wish.
Click here for pricing, operating times and slide packages.
The Howler is located off of 5th Street at the base of the Howelsen Ski Area.
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Bike Rides and Rentals
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Families who want to explore the Steamboat Springs area by their own pedal power can choose from several trails, including the paved Yampa River Core Trail. The Core Trail follows the Yampa River for 4 1/2 miles. Trees shade most of the path and the Yampa River is a cool place to dip your feet into!
Non-paved area trails range from single track to dirt roads. There are even several gondola-accessed mountain bike trails at the Steamboat Ski Area where families can let the gondola do the work on the uphill and enjoy a long coast down to the base of the ski area.
Related Links:
Bike Rental Business and Locations
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Boating/Rafting/Kayaking/Canoeing/Tubing
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Rafting and Canoeing around Steamboat Springs offers entertainment for a wide range of ages, from younger children to teens to adults. It's also a great way to view scenery that you can't see from a car window. Steamboat has several rafting companies to choose from, and their experienced guides can direct you to the right river trip as well as down the river.
Kayaking
Tubing the Yampa River is a great way to see Steamboat's downtown from a slightly different view. People of all ages can enjoy the cool, relaxing experience of floating down the river. Several area retailers rent tubes, and some even drop tubers off and pick them up at the end of their float.
Related Links:
Water Sport Companies
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Bowling
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Affordable family fun, no matter if it is raining, snowing, or sweltering heat. Just bring the family, Snow Bowl will provide the balls, shoes and lanes. Snack Bar-Lounge, automatic scoring, bumper bowling. Moonlight bowling - Fridays @ 8:30pm and Cosmic bowling - Saturdays @ 9:00 p.m. Located 2 miles West of town on U.S. 40. Please call 879-9840 for lane availablility.
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Crafts and Hobbies
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Fishing
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Related Links:
Fishing Companies
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Gondola Rides
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Anyone can take a scenic gondola ride at the Steamboat Ski Area. There's no experience required, and the ride offers a birds-eye view of the Yampa Valley. Once you've arrived at the top, it's up to you how much exercise you get. Adventurous folks can take a hike along the nature trails where there's plenty of room for children and dogs to run around. Those looking for a little R & R can pick a lounge chair in the sun. The Thunderhead Lodge at the top of the gondola offers riders plenty of amenities, such as food and beverage service, restrooms and shopping.
Related Links:
Gondola Rides
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Hiking
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It's basically just walking through the woods — but this simple activity is a great way for families to spend time together and explore Steamboat’s alpine environment. In the Yampa Valley, the hiking possibilities are endless. Some family favorites include Fish Creek Falls, Hahn’s Peak, Emerald Mountain and the hike to the “rabbit ears” on Rabbit Ears Pass. The Steamboat Ski Area also offers gondola-accessed hiking and nature trails. Families can ride the gondola up the ski hill to the one-mile Vista Nature Trail loop or take the Thunderhead Hiking Trail down to the base of the ski area. For more family hiking ideas in Steamboat Springs, pick up a local hiking guide, such as Diane White-Crane’s “Hiking the ‘Boat II: 108 Hikes Out of Steamboat Springs, Colorado” (Aspentree Press, 2001).
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Horseback Rides
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Horseback Rides and Llama Treks. Saddle up and enjoy the beauty of the Yampa Valley while the horse does the walking. Numerous ranches and outfitters in the Steamboat area offer horseback rides for beginners through experts. One Steamboat area ranch even offers llama treks, which means that hikers can use four-legged helpers to carry their gear.
Related Links:
Horseback Ride Companies
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Hot Springs
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Ice Cream Shops
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Minature Golf/Maze
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Steamboat's Amaze'n maze and miniature golf course is unique entertainment for the entire family. The maze is wild labyrinth where family members can race each other through the twists and turns to the finish. On hot summer days visitors can rent squirt guns to use in the maze for more cool fun. Amaze'n also features an 18-hole miniature golf course.
Related Links:
Maze Pricing and Information
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Museums
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The Tread of Pioneers Museum features a 1908 Queen Anne-style Victorian home with turn of the century furnishings. On display are artifacts from Routt County, a comprehensive History of Skiing exhibit, as well as a Native American exhibit. Our western room, home of an extensive firearms collection, traces ranching life, the rodeo, and the story of an infamous outlaw. Special museum features are a local history research library, a gift store and an historic photo collection.
Location: Corner of 8th and Oak in downtown Steamboat Springs.
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. with additional hours based on demand.
Admission: cost are $5 for adults, $4 for senior citizens over 62 years, and $1 for children under 12.
Call the museum at 970-879-2214 for futher information or special arrangements.
Related Links:
Tread of Pioneers Museum
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Arcade
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Toys In Attic: Family entertainment center, non-smoking facility until 9 PM. Billiards, arcade, sports bar and restaurant. Fun for kids 8 to 80. 1585 Mid Valley Dr. Open Monday - Saturday 11:30 am to 1:00 am. 970-879-7950
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Rock Climbing Gym/Equipment
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Vertical Grip Indoor Climbing Gym offer safe, exciting alternative activities. The gym is a great place for kids and adults to work together as a team while participating in an athletic activity. We will teach you the safe procedures and effective climbing techniques. Admission includes all gear.
Related Links:
Vertical Grip
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Rodeo
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Every weekend from late June to late August, professional cowboys and cowgirls compete in bareback riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, team roping, cowgirls barrel racing and bull riding. By watching these incredible rodeo athletes, children and their parents can learn about this Western tradition firsthand. Families can make an evening of the event by playing in the children's playground, having dinner at the arena and listening to the country music. The arena also has plenty of room for restless children to run around.
Related Links:
Steamboat Springs Pro Rodeo Series
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Summer Camps
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The Under 21 Youth and Teens section of this website lists a variety of summer camps.
Related Links:
Camp Information on Yampavalley.info
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Movie Theaters
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Steamboat has two movie theaters;
The Chief Plaza Cinema
Downtown Steamboat Springs
813 Lincoln Avenue / MovieLine: (970)879-0181
Mountain Movie
Mountain, Steamboat Springs
Ski Time Square / MovieLine: (970)879-7299
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Swimming
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Steamboat Springs Health and Recreation Center — pools and water slide. Historically, the Ute Indians called Steamboat Springs' hot mineral pools "medicine springs," suggesting that people to "take to the waters" for their healthful properties. Steamboat Springs Health and Recreation Center has two mineral pools that adults and children will enjoy soaking in, as well as a warm springs swimming pool, an Olympic-size lap pool with a diving area, and two children's play pools that feature giant animals for kids to climb on. Children and their parents can also take a twisty-turney ride down the center's water slide. Parents who forgot to pack the swimming supplies don't have to worry; the Health and Recreation Center rents bathing suits, towels and chairs.
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Tennis
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There are year round opportunities to play tennis in Steamboat Springs. With both public and private facilities, tennis can be found indoors or out on multiple playing surfaces.
The Tennis Center at Steamboat Springs has Four Indoor and Six Outdoor Clay Courts and is located at 2500 Pine Grove Road in Steamboat Springs. For more information or to reserve a court call 879-8400.
The Steamboat Springs Health & Recreation Center has four courts available. The Steamboat Health and Recreation Center is located at the corner of 3rd and Lincoln (Hwy 40), next to the post office. Call 879-1828 for court availablity.
Related Links:
The Tennis Center of Steamboat Springs
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Cattle Drives
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Those who have watched John Wayne movies and wondered what it would be like to be a cowboy or cowgirl can find out firsthand by participating in a cattle drive at one of Steamboat's ranches. Three area ranches can turn city slickers into cowboys: Big Rack Outfitters & Horseback Adventures, 970-871-1427; High Country Guide and Outfitters, 970-824-4178; and Saddleback Ranch/Double $$ Cattle Drives, 970-879-3711.
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Bungee-Tramp
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The Bungee-Tramp provides a safe and fun way for the entire family to experience "big-air" in the mountains. This exciting activity combines the adrenaline rush of a trampoline and bungee jumping in a safe and controlled environment.
Location
Located at the base of Mt. Werner next to the Gondola.
Related Links:
Bungee-Tramp
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Outdoor Climbing Wall
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Test your climbing skills on Steamboat’s brand new 24-foot rock climbing wall. The Eastface has many routes available for the beginner and expert alike. The rock climbing wall offers a challenging and fun activity for people five years of age and up. All climbers are safely secured with an automatic belay system and an adjustable harness, so you can climb solo or with friends.
Location
Located at the base of Mt. Werner next to the Gondola.
Related Links:
Outdoor Climbing Wall
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Disc Golf
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Come up to Mt. Werner and try our FREE disc golf course. Quickly becoming one of our most popular summer activities, disc golf enthusiasts can test their skills on our nine-hole course at the base of the mountain.
This is a fun event for the entire family. The object of the game is to throw the disc into the target, which is typically an elevated metal basket. As the player moves through the course, they must make each consecutive shot from the spot where the previous throw has landed.
Bring your own discs or you can rent or purchase discs from RideSports, located at the base of the gondola in Gondola Square.
Related Links:
More on Disc Golf
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