Camping in Steamboat Springs, Colorado
A complete guide to camping in Steamboat Springs
Photo Credit: L Ayre
Overview
Steamboat Springs sits at 6,732 feet in the Yampa River valley in northwest Colorado, a ski town that transitions into a mountain recreation base each summer. The town's character is more ranching and rodeo than resort, distinguishing it from the Front Range ski towns. The Yampa River runs through the center of town with natural hot springs along its banks, and the surrounding Routt National Forest provides the camping corridor.
Eagle Soaring RV Park on the west end of town provides full-hookup RV sites closest to the downtown core. Steamboat Springs KOA Holiday sits along the highway with resort amenities and pool. In the national forest, Dry Lake Campground above town on Buffalo Pass provides alpine camping at 8,000 feet. Meadows Campground along the Yampa adds a riverside Forest Service option.
Pearl Lake State Park in Clark (25 miles north) puts campers on a quiet mountain lake at 8,100 feet, stocked with cutthroat trout and surrounded by meadow and spruce forest. The lake prohibits motorboats, keeping the water calm. Seedhouse Campground further up the Elk River corridor extends the Forest Service options into more remote terrain. The hot springs at Old Town Hot Springs and Strawberry Park Hot Springs (a natural hot spring 7 miles north) add a dimension that few mountain camping destinations can match.
Weather & Best Seasons
Best months: June through September
Summer highs reach the mid-70s in the valley with cool nights in the 40s. The Yampa Valley sits in a natural bowl that collects cold air, making frost possible any morning from May through September. Wildflowers peak in the high meadows during July. Afternoon thunderstorms build over the mountains from July through August. Fall brings golden aspen through September. Winter is the ski season, with Steamboat receiving 330 inches of annual snowfall. The town coined the term Champagne Powder.
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