The Spread:

Find the best rate at the: Steamboat Ski & Resort, Steamboat Springs here.

Steamboat was born a ranching community, morphed into a freewheeling ski town, and matured into one of the West’s best four-season resorts. You can fly into Steamboat or drive the three hours from Denver. What sets 3,000-acre Steamboat apart from other ski areas is that it’s a historic town with a true western ambience. Its name comes from the hot springs that sounded to early French fur trappers like a steamboat whistle in the distance.

Families have two distinct playgrounds here—high on the mountain or downtown along the meandering Yampa River. The Steamboat Grand Resort Hotel, steps from the Gondola, with its mix of hotel rooms and one- to- three-bedroom condos is ideal, but most condos offered by Central Reservations are good bets for families.

Why Families Love It:
Families will love the togetherness of hiking and biking 50-plus miles of trails, riding the scenic gondola, taking a lazy tube float down the river, or splashing in the town’s hot springs pool. Howler Alpine Slide is 2,400 feet of fun, and Gondola Square features a trampoline, rock wall, and disc and mini-golf courses.

While adults golf on one of the area’s 18-hole courses or rejuvenate at the Grand’s spa, kids can make friends from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kids’ Adventure Club. Three- to 12-year-olds, grouped by age, hike, bike, swim, kayak, and hone craft skills ($50 per day, with discounts for multiple days). Fishing, cooking classes, and horseback riding are also great options, and all trips, winter or summer, should include an outing to Strawberry Park just outside of town, one of the area’s famed hot springs.

Special Events & Activities:
Summer weekends, pros compete in roping, barrel racing, and bull riding at Steamboat’s Pro Rodeo. The Steamboat Music Festival offers a summertime extravaganza of classical, jazz, country, and rock.