Steamboat Springs Colorado Hotels & Motels

When Is the Best Time to Visit Steamboat Springs, Colorado?

Summers are warm and dry, with highs in the 80s and lows dropping into the upper 40s at night, creating a perfect environment for hiking or fishing during the day and sitting around a campfire or soaking in the hot springs at night.

Winter brings cold temperatures and lots of snow; the average snowfall is 154 inches per year. The first snowfall is usually in October, though it can come as early as September. April usually sees the last snowfall of the year. The climate brings powder snow, perfect for skiing and snowboarding at one of the region's many ski resorts or snowshoeing on one of the scenic trails. The highs in the winter are in the 30s with lows in the teens and single digits.

Spring is a great time to visit the hot springs, with fewer crowds and high temperatures creeping up into the 50s starting in May. However, it's still somewhat chilly at night, with lows in the 30s.

The fall boasts spectacular color in the mountains at the end of September into the first two weeks of October, assuming no early snowfalls. The drop in temperatures occurs at the same time, with late September seeing highs in the high-60s and lows in the mid-30s.

What Hotels in Steamboat Springs, Colorado Offer the Best Discounts?

Homewood Suites offers up to a 10% discount for AAA/CAA members, up to 10% off for seniors over 65, and exclusive savings for active and retired military, veterans, and their families.

Amenities at the Homewood Suites include a kitchen with a full-size refrigerator, two-burner stove, microwave, and dishwasher in the studio or one-bedroom suites. Each suite has two flat screen televisions, telephones, and free Wi-Fi. Complimentary hot breakfast is served in the lobby every morning along with an evening social with drinks Monday to Thursday.

What are Best Value Hotels in Steamboat Springs, Colorado?

The Ptarmigan Inn has been recently refreshed to reflect the modern style and needs of its guests. Located adjacent to the Steamboat Ski Resort gondola base, it features ski-in/ski-out proximity. This 77-room hotel on three floors features interior hallway access to rooms, modern and playful interiors, an outdoor pool, free parking, in-room flat screen television, mini fridge, free Wi-Fi, and luxury bath products. An iron, ironing board, and a hair dryer are available upon request.

The Steamboat Hotel, located one mile from ski areas, two miles from downtown, and near the Yampa River, is a 60-room hotel on three floors, with all rooms accessed via interior hallway doors. Though it's a best value hotel, it offers lots of amenities: foam mattresses, nice bedding, refrigerator, coffee maker, free Wi-Fi, and free local calls.

What Is There to Do in Steamboat Springs, Colorado?

One of the most popular destinations is Fish Creek Falls, a 280-foot waterfall of clear and cold alpine water, featuring an easy walk to the lower falls and a moderate hike to the upper falls. Spring is the best time to visit when snowmelt is at its peak. Summer sees clear water flowing regularly, and, in winter, ice-climbers scale the frozen falls.

The Crawford House is listed on the National Historic Register of Places and was the primary residence for 36 years for the founder of Steamboat Springs, James Harvey Crawford and his wife Margaret Emerine Crawford. Construction started in 1893 and was built with stone and brick mainly from the local area. The house is a fine example of Romanesque Revival architecture with a Colonial Revival porch. Tours are available on limited days.

Old Town Hot Springs is an eight-pool recreation center built around the hot springs used by early town settlers as a social gathering place. Today, it boasts two waterslides, a rock climbing wall, lap-swimming lanes, full fitness center, and massages. It's a destination for the whole family to enjoy in the heart of downtown Steamboat Springs.

For a more organic natural hot springs experience, visit Strawberry Hot Springs. You can bathe in year-round mineral water that gets up to 104 degrees among the rocks and wildflowers or banks of snow. Restrooms and changing areas are available nearby as well as picnic areas. The hot springs are near hiking and biking trails so you can relax after a hard climb or ride. From Steamboat Springs, you can take a shuttle or drive yourself on a winding mountain road, though it's not recommended in the snow, even with a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

Free admission to the Yampa River Botanic Park gives you access to carefully curated evergreen species that survive the punishing winter, quaking aspens, narrowleaf cottonwoods, native birches, alders, chokecherries, and serviceberries. Native plant species at 6700 feet inspire the garden's design, so it's less focused on flowers and more on preservation and conservation of plants that have thrived in the area for millennia. Concerts, weddings, school trips, and social gardening sessions help the Park feel like a community garden.

Helicopter sightseeing is a way to take in the beauty surrounding Steamboat Springs in any season. During the fall, the painted landscape may take your breath away. Back on the ground, explore one of the many hiking trails that go through the brilliant yellow aspens and rich reds and oranges of other native deciduous trees. Beautiful fall drives start at Buffalo Pass, Rabbit Ears Pass, Seedhouse Road, and Dunkley Pass and weave their way through the mountainside.

Once the snow starts falling, tourists flock to the area's ski resorts. Steamboat Ski Resort offers 165 miles of snow trails in winter and spring along with hiking and biking in the summer and fall. Howelson Ski Area is the training ground for Olympic athletes and offers nordic skiing, snowboarding, and ski jumping in the winter and tennis and horseback riding in the summer.

Last but certainly not least, the Routt National Forest is more than one million acres of natural beauty seated on the Continental Divide, featuring hiking, camping, boating, and swimming in pristine Rocky Mountain grandeur and peace and quiet with elevations that range from 5,500 to 12,940 feet. Clearly, a visit to Steamboat Springs, CO, will have you feeling high on life. Literally!