Who says hiking season has to end when the snow falls? With a vast network of beautiful, winding trails into the wilderness surrounding Steamboat Springs, winter weather can’t hold up a peaceful jaunt into the woods. Just layer up and strap on a pair of snowshoes or YakTraks and you’ll be plenty prepared for the wintry trails.

Walking through a winter wonderland is an exhilarating experience. The snow falls silently around you and is soft beneath your step. The valley seems at peace. Bird songs float out from under the downy covers of conifers weighted with snow. Snowshoeing offers a new perspective on your favorite trails, and it’s a can’t-miss winter activity in Steamboat.

Here are some of our favorite places to snowshoe:

Uranium Mine Trail

Starting at the Fish Creek Falls trailhead, the Uranium Mine Trail switchbacks up a mountainside and snakes up toward Buffalo Pass. Never forget to turn around along the hike – on this particular trail you’ll be rewarded with sweeping views of a snow covered valley. You’ll know you’re at the top when you reach the historic Uranium Mine and its corresponding interpretive signs. Now abandoned, gated off and home to a colony of bats, the mine was dug by prospectors in the 1950s, making it about 1,000 feet deep. Today, it’s a classic landmark on a local favorite hike.

Fish-Creek-Snowshoe

Stagecoach State Park

Stagecoach Reservoir is a different world in the winter – a quiet ice world, home to lazy trout in the cold waters below and mammals and birds darting around in the soft snow above the surface. Keep an eye out for animal tracks in the snow as you explore the network of trails ideal for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

Steamboat Ski Resort

The trails of Mount Werner aren’t just meant for gliding downhill. Snowshoes are another way to explore the world class ski area, and you’ll gain a new perspective as you leisurely walk through the aspen groves along Duster on your way to Rendezvous or as you climb up to the Four Points Hut.

Steamboat Ski Resort also offers a guided snowshoe tour complete with a gourmet lunch. The Guided Gourmet Snowshoe lunch offers a peaceful walk along the Vista Nature Trail with a Steamboat Ambassador guide and lunch at Hazie’s.

Resort-Snowshoe

Visit our website for more information on snowshoeing and cross-crounty skiing trails.