Steamboat Springs: Adventure Time

This is a continuation of my first post “Summertime in Steamboat”.  As I said in that one, there is so much to do in the mountain town of Steamboat Springs off-season, for both kids and adults. In fact, I wonder if they even call it “off-season”. My girls, brother and nephew and I had a blast adventuring around this summer, from taking the gondola up Mt. Werner, to the Howler Alpine Slide, to the Adventure Zone at Steamboat’s base. The kids couldn’t get enough, and neither could we! See below 3 top adventure activities you can do with your family.

Steamboat Gondola:

There is something really great about taking the gondola up Steamboat’s ski mountain during summer. Probably because it’s stress-free. No skis, no kids wobbling around in boots, no dropped poles. And no lines. Pay at the window, walk up to the platform and you’re on. There’s also a lot to see as you ascend the mountain, and it’s a totally different perspective than winter-time. Snow is always beautiful, of course, but you can see the lush, green mountain and range for miles.

Talk about a nice way to decompress for 10/15 minutes too – the kids just stared out the windows the whole time. Plus it’s super fun, kind of like a ride at an amusement park. Once at the top, there are a variety of trails you can walk around and a place the kids can really run around and burn off some steam. It’s beautiful up there, with panoramic views, and a site you should see if you’re going to be there in the summer.

Howler Alpine Slide:

So much fun!! Ok, so not the fastest alpine slide around (actually, in some parts, very fast), but on a whole probably the perfect speed for it’s fast enough for adults, but to the kids it’s super fast. They had a ball, and asked to go down numerous times. In order to get to the top of Howelsen Hill, as it is called, you take the chairlift up, which, like the gondola = a unique thing to do in summertime. The views were fabulous and the kids loved every minute of it.

Once at the top you grab a sled and when the staff working the top says ok, it’s go time. Thank god I had my parents there to help – yes, Mimi and Grandpa did the alpine slide! We went down twice, with one of them taking one girl for one of the rides, the other for the other ride. It was priceless to see them zoom off and round the bend, and down the 2400 foot track. A total thrill for my kids, the alpine slide has become a tradition for us to do every summer.

Coca-Cola Adventure Zone:

At the base of the mountain (where you catch the gondola, so very convenient) is Steamboat’s Adventure Zone. With a kids’ bungie, obstacle course, giant ball you can race around in and more, it is a sure-fire way to get the kids amped up and burn off some energy. My older daughter loves this kind of stuff and saw it before we boarded the gondola and begged me the entire trip down to take her. We were short on time so I didn’t know if we could fit it in, but after seeing all of them doing the different activities we surrendered and delayed our next thing on the agenda. And equally as important, they crashed in the car, and were good to go for that night’s line-up of activities.

Lots to do in Steamboat – also see my post on shopping and hot springs in Steamboat Springs for a day of r & r!

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