5 Fun Family-Friendly Things to Do in Steamboat Springs, CO

Visiting the beautiful Colorado mountain town of Steamboat Springs and looking for activities that the whole family will enjoy? I’ve got you covered with this list of my favorite family-friendly things to do in Steamboat Springs! 

Last year when I was traveling full-time with my family, we spent some time living in Colorado. We mostly explored Denver and its surrounding area, but we also had the chance to spend some time in Steamboat Springs.

Sitting pretty at almost 7,000 feet elevation in Colorado’s Yampa Valley, Steamboat Springs is a popular ski town in the winter. In fact, the town has the self-proclaimed title of Ski Town, U.S.A.® and has also trademarked the term Champagne Powder®. But in the summer, it’s a lovely place filled with natural beauty with an abundance of hiking, biking, and swimming options!

Here’s a round up of some of the best family-friendly things to do in Steamboat Springs. The following are  our most memorable outings in the area and I highly recommend them!

5 Fun Family-Friendly Things to Do in Steamboat Springs, CO

Explore the Yampa River Botanic Park

My family and I are usually fans of botanic gardens wherever we go, as I love gardens, my daughter is obsessed with flowers, and we all enjoy being outside and exploring. While staying in Steamboat Springs, my daughter and I had a great afternoon visiting the Yampa River Botanic Park. It has lots of fun features for kiddos, like a fairy garden, play sheds, sculptures and a pond. We also enjoyed a picnic at one of the main tranquil areas in the garden that are equipped with park benches.

The Yampa River Botanic Park is free to enter, with the option to donate.

Bonus: There’s a small playground outside of the Botanic Park for kiddos to climb around on.

Splash Around at Old Town Hot Springs 

Does your family love to swim and relax in the water? Then you’ll love Old Town Hot Springs! It’s a family-friendly rec facility with year-round, natural outdoor hot spring pools in the heart of downtown Steamboat Springs. The spa also features water slides and a rock climbing wall.

Old Town Hot Springs is a historic non-profit center that has been around for over 100 years, first enjoyed by the Native American Ute Indians who settled the area. In addition to its hot springs, the center also includes a rock climbing wall, fitness center, massage offerings and a childcare facility. Old Town Hot Springs is open to the public every day except Christmas and Thanksgiving.

Eat Your Way Through The Main Street Farmers Market

I always enjoy checking out local farmers markets, and the Main Street Steamboat Farmers Market is a lovely way to spend a few hours. The market is held on summer Saturdays from 9-2, running from the beginning of June through the end of September. It’s located on Yampa Street between 5th and 8th Streets.

There’s a wide variety of food to choose from, along with local art, clothing, and skincare companies, to name a few. When we visited, there was also a balloon artist there – always a crowd pleaser with the young ones!

Visit Stagecoach Stage Park

Stagecoach State Park is a 1,600+ acre park just outside of Steamboat in the town of Oak Creek. We found it to be a great place to venture to for a relaxing beach day. We threw on our swimsuits, packed some snacks and towels, and enjoyed some fun in the sun there. Check out the lush Yampa Valley views from the sand (above)!

Stagecoach Stage Park also seems to be a great location for fishing, boating, hiking, biking, camping and more.

Hike the Uranium Mine Trail

We did a couple of hikes in the Steamboat area, and the views are stunning! My favorite was the Uranium Mine Trail, which is an out-and-back trail with a steady incline. It offers pretty waterfall views and a creek at the turn-around point for kids (and adults!) to splash in.

My sport watch clocked this hike in at 3.5 miles, and it took us 2 hours to do it round trip with a snack/play break halfway through. My daughter was three years old at the time, and she hiked some of it and chilled in our hiking backpack for some of it. Now, almost a year later, I think she’d be fine trekking the whole hike on her own. If you have very young children, you’ll want a carrier or child pack handy for if/when they get tired.

Other family-friendly Steamboat Springs hikes include:

• Fish Creek Falls Overlook Trail
• Spring Creek Pond
• Emerald Mountain via Blackmere Trail
• Creekside Trail

The most memorable hike we did in Steamboat Springs was trekking up to the top of Thunderhead, which was a strenuous nearly 4 mile trail with an almost 2,500 ft elevation gain. It was challenging, especially with a 3 year old strapped to my husband’s back for the toughest parts! I wouldn’t recommend that one unless your kids are older and have the endurance, though hiking to the top earned us a free gondola ride down, which was a sweet reward!

Looking for more family-friendly destinations around America? Check out more of my U.S. travel guides:

• 10 Awesome Things to Do in Asheville with Kids
• My Favorite Family-Friendly Wineries in Paso Robles
• 10 Of My Favorite Things to Do in San Diego
• 5 Fun Family-Friendly Hikes Near Zion National Park
• 10 Things to Do with Kids in the Baton Rouge Area
• Plant-Based Eating In & Around Asheville: The Rundown
• My Favorite Things to Do With Kids in Austin

Tell me.. Have you ever been to Steamboat Springs? Which place would you like to visit most?