Our Family Ski Trip to Steamboat Resort Colorado

Updated February 7, 2022

Looking for a winter getaway that the whole family will love? Look no further than Steamboat Resort in Colorado! This ski resort has something to offer everyone, from experienced skiers and snowboarders to those who are just starting out. Plus, there are plenty of activities off the slopes to keep everyone entertained. In this blog post, we will take a closer look at what Steamboat Resort has to offer visitors and all of the details of our stay. Pack your bags and get ready for some winter fun!

We are a family of five with kids ages 2, 7, and 10. We really wanted to embark on a ski vacation this winter, and Steamboat was the perfect destination for our family, especially since we have such an age gap between our two oldest girls and the youngest boy!

Colorado is the perfect winter destination for Texans, as it is not that far! There were a few things that drew us to Steamboat Ski Resort, which include:

• Easy to get to (direct 2.5-hour flight from IAH to HDN!)
• Activities for the whole family, including our 2-year-old
• Variety of skiing trails, since our family is comprised of beginners and advanced skiers
• Somewhere for the 2-year-old to go while the rest of the family skis (more on Happy Camp in a minute)

Let’s get down to the details of our vacation and why we found it to be the perfect winter ski destination for our family!

I have a Table of Contents below to help you navigate this post, as there is a ton of information!

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Steamboat Resort Review & Travel Guide – Video

Make sure to watch my YouTube video for a more in-depth look at our vacation!

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Flying to Steamboat Springs, Colorado

For this vacation, we flew United Airlines from Houston (IAH) to Yampa Valley Regional Airport (HDN). It was an easy, 2.5-hour direct flight. What a fun landing in the middle of nowhere among the Rocky Mountains!

Yampa Valley Regional Airport is a very small airport, with no actual gates. When you disembark, you walk down a ramp outside and make the short walk to their baggage claim. Keep that in mind when traveling! It’s a very short walk, so you don’t need a heavy coat, but wearing long sleeves and pants are a must.

Getting to Steamboat Resort from the Airport

Like I mentioned, the airport is tiny, but it’s very easy to get your bags and to grab a rental car. There are some Airport Shuttles available from HDN to Steamboat Resort (you can also get a shuttle from the Denver airport to Steamboat), but we decided on renting our own car for the trip. Getting our rental car was super easy at the airport! The rental car desk was next to the baggage claim carousel.

Steamboat Resort is a quick 30 minute drive from the airport, and it is a very easy drive on a flat road through the valley.

Steamboat Resort Accommodations

We stayed at the Steamboat Grand Hotel, which is very convenient to the ski base and close to everywhere you’ll want to be. There are a variety of room configurations that will work well for all types of families and groups.

We had two connecting rooms. When booking online, it’s called “2 Bedroom / 2 Queen / 1 King / 2 Bathroom.” It’s kind of hard to figure out exactly the room type we had online, so I called the hotel to make sure I’ve got it right here in this blog post!

The kids stayed in a 2 queen bedroom. That room connected to ours, which had a beautiful living room, kitchen, and upstairs loft with a king bed and full bathroom. Our room also had one pull-out queen sleeper sofa and one twin sleeper sofa! It was one of the nicest hotel rooms we’ve ever stayed in and we were very comfortable. And the icing on the cake is it boasted spectacular views! Make sure to watch the video to get the full room tour. We were in rooms 638 and 640. Having that second bedroom is a game-changer for a family of five!

The view outside our hotel room and the sunsets are unmatched! Make sure to watch the video to get the full room tour!

The girls slept in one queen bed, and we put Logan in the other queen bed. Greg and I slept upstairs in the other room’s loft in the king bed.

Since we had a full kitchen, we got groceries to have breakfasts in the room and lots of snacks. The grocery store is less than a 5-minute drive away from the hotel, which is very convenient!

The Steamboat Grand has a lot of great amenities like a heated pool and hot tubs, fitness center, multiple restaurants, and a place to get fitted for your ski rentals!

Many of the accommodations in Steamboat are configured like condos, which makes this great to have meals and save on breakfast foods.

There are a wide variety of accommodations at Steamboat Resort and surrounding areas, which can work with different budgets and family needs. Everything seems fairly close to the base!

Getting Around Steamboat

Like I mentioned, we rented a car for this trip, and while I don’t think its 100% necessary, I’m glad we did. We had the flexibility to get in the car and make the quick drive into downtown, grab items from a pharmacy or grocery store if we needed to, and to go to restaurants off-site.

There are also free buses that goes all around Steamboat, if you don’t want to rent a car. I saw it at the hotel entrance quite a few times, and it looks like a great way to get around and save some money.

Skiing at Steamboat Resort

We had a lot of different needs when it came to skiing. I am an adult beginner, my husband is an advanced skier, my girls (ages 7 and 10) are child beginners, and we have a 2-year-old who isn’t quite ski lesson age. The problem we were running into while looking for a ski resort was for somewhere for our youngest to go while the rest of the family was either in a lesson or skiing the mountain.

Luckily, Steamboat Resort makes this so easy! The girls were enrolled in their amazing SnowSports School, I had a private lesson, Greg went off and skied alone, and Logan went to the Happy Camp program! More on this in a moment.

The mountain itself is huge, with 165 trails. It is one of the biggest ski mountain resorts in North America. It’s 3,668 vertical feet and 2,695 skiable acres of terrain. The summit elevation is 6,732 feet. The snow is described as “champagne powder” – it is so soft and fluffy! It snowed a few days when we were there, and it was absolutely gorgeous.

As a whole, we felt this was a really great place to ski. Lift lines weren’t crazy long, but if it was a busier day, they moved very quickly. As a beginner, I don’t have anything to compare it to, but Greg said there was lots to ski and never get bored. He mentioned that it was a little more difficult than Winter Park, but that there was a lot of variety for all skill levels.

One thing we found incredibly helpful was the Steamboat mobile app! You can track your activity, access trail maps, dining, shopping, calendar of events, and more. This was a really convenient thing to have on hand during our stay. I highly recommend downloading it before you arrive!

Ski Gear & Rentals at Steamboat

There are multiple locations around Steamboat Resort to rent your ski gear. We found it especially convenient that we could get fitted for our rentals right in our hotel at the Steamboat Grand.

Storing rentals was also easy, and right at the base – no need to lug heavy gear to and from the hotel room.

Our whole rental experience was easy and a breeze! Make sure to visit this page for all of the rental options available at the resort.

Steamboat SnowSports School

Steamboat has an amazing program for those who want to learn how to ski and snowboard! Group lessons are divided into ages 5-12, 13-17, and 18+. The girls were in a beginner class together, and had great instruction. Lessons were from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

The thing attached to Caroline’s leg is a tracker! Parents can check in and see where their kids are at all times – awesome security measure!

Private lessons are offered at Steamboat, and a private instructor can work with up to 5 people. I had a private instructor for this trip, and she was seriously amazing! If you ever go to Steamboat and get a private lesson, ask for Laura Fisher. She was patient, so friendly, helpful towards everyone around her and was like a 6th family member by the end of the second day.

We were really impressed with the SnowSports School and our private instructor for the trip, and I know I really learned a lot in a short amount of time. My 10-year-old was showing me up on the beginner runs and had a lot of confidence! My 7-year-old was a little more cautious but still really loved it. They both want to go back and continue learning!

Thank you to Laura Fisher and the Steamboat SnowSports School for helping us be much more confident skiers!

Happy Camp

The Happy Camp program at Steamboat Resort was a huge draw for us. Since we have a five-year age gap between our middle and youngest child, some travel destinations are hard for us to do. A lot of children’s programs are for older kids! Since our youngest is still very young, he can’t participate in traditional ski lessons, and it would be hard to schedule everything out for someone to watch him while we take turns skiing.

Luckily, Happy Camp makes that easy! It is a day camp and beginner ski lesson hybrid for ages 12 months – 4 years old. I thought Logan was going to get a little ski lesson, but it turns out he did not, which is totally fine! He’s only 2.5 and we have many more years ahead of us for him to learn. But he had two awesome days of guided activities, playing, and lots of fun in a really professional environment.

If you have a family with different age gaps but want all the skiers to be able to ski, I highly recommend Happy Camp just for this very reason. No need to bring a grandparent or babysitter along with you on your vacation, unless you want to, of course! Haha!

Downtown Steamboat Springs

Downtown Steamboat Springs is a short five-minute drive from the resort! On Lincoln Avenue, you’ll find fun shops, local small businesses, restaurants, sports gear stores, souvenirs, apparel, and more. It’s easy to park and very walkable.

It’s a great strip to walk around if you have some down time, and we loved going downtown for dinner. You definitely have to check it out while you’re in town!

Restaurant and Dining Options in Steamboat

There are lots of dining options and restaurants in and around Steamboat Resort! Along with the multiple restaurants on property, the downtown area is a short 5-minute drive down the road! Downtown is full of fun and yummy restaurants! While we were there, here is what we tried:

Mazzola’s – In downtown. Super yummy Italian restaurant serving up all sorts of family-friendly dishes. Try the bison lasagna! Definitely our favorite, we got it twice! One night we ate in the restaurant, and another night we got a few pizzas and at them in our hotel room (since we had a full kitchen and a dining area, it only made sense)! If you’re dining in, reservations are a must.

Salt & Lime – In downtown. We are Texans who love our Tex-Mex, but this was a fun place for unique and new Mexican-inspired dishes. Lots of good taco options and yummy margaritas. I got the Frito pie, which was a fun street food inspired dish.

Stoker – At the top of the Gondola in Thunderhead Lodge. We ate lunch here on our first day of lessons. It was a nice warm break, and there were lots of yummy options. This is a good option if you’re skiing!

Timber & Torch – In the base area of Steamboat Resort. I’d describe this as foodie American, haha! Upscale casual, but lots of skiers in their gear there during the day. Lots of yummy options. I had the Olympian Crispy Chicken sandwich and really enjoyed it!

Since we had a full kitchen and dining area in our hotel room, we stocked it with breakfast foods, snacks, bottled water, and more. We ate breakfast in the room every morning to save on time (getting out the door with 3 kids in ski gear takes much longer than I thought) and this also helps cut on costs! And, like I mentioned before, we ordered pizza and ate in the room one night after the second full day of lessons. It was the perfect way to take it easy after two long days!

There are so many food and beverage options in Steamboat Resort and in the downtown area, I know we barely scratched the surface.

Fun (Non-Skiing) Things to Do in Steamboat

Even though Steamboat Resort is a ski resort and town that loves skiing and snowboarding, there are lots of other things to do! This town really has something for everyone, and your family will not get bored! Here’s some non-skiing ideas to enjoy!

Hot Springs

Old Town Hot Springs is a short, 5-minute drive from the ski area base! Situated in the downtown area, it is a family-friendly recreation facility with a hot spring pool and fitness center. You can buy a pass to enjoy the hot spring pools! It is fed by a natural hot spring and was so fun, especially after a few days of skiing! We chose this one over the Strawberry Hot Springs because of our littlest one – he is only 2 and the downtown hot spring seems to be a little more easy to navigate (it’s much smaller).

A lot of people do love the Strawberry Park Hot Springs, so make sure you check that one out to compare and see which would work for your family.

Rocky Mountain Day Spa

A spa day? Yes please! The Rocky Mountain Day Spa is within the Sheraton hotel, right near the ski base! After two days of skiing, I was sore in places I didn’t know existed. I had a one-hour massage at the Rocky Mountain Day Spa and it was the best thing ever!

The spa is warm and welcoming, and the perfect escape. Each customer gets to wear a Barefoot Dreams robe and there are Barefoot Dreams blankets on the massage table. That brought it up next level for me. I could’ve stayed there for hours! I give it an 11/10!

Haymaker Sleigh Ride Dinner

Let me tell you right now, if you don’t have a sunset sleigh ride in Colorado on your bucket list… it needs to be.

We did the Haymaker Sleigh Ride Dinner on the last night of our trip, and it was the most magical way to end our vacation.

You start off with drinks in the clubhouse, and then you enjoy a sleigh ride with magnificent sunset views. Afterward, there is a delicious four course meal. I cannot say enough good things about this experience – it was top notch! Make sure to dress warmly – it is really chilly out at sunset!

Snow Tubing

If you want to go snow tubing, Saddleback Ranch is the place to go in Steamboat! We did not make it here (we were pretty tired by the third day and decided just to do the hot springs), but it just means we’ll have to go next time!

In addition to snow tubing, Saddleback Ranch also offers winter horseback rides and snowmobiling!

Outlaw Mountain Coaster

The Outlaw Mountain Coaster is right in the ski base area of the resort, and looks so much fun! It stretches over a mile long and takes about ten minutes to do! My girls were too scared to ride, and Logan was too little. If we had a little more free time, Greg and I definitely would’ve done this!

Other Activities

In addition to what I have detailed above, there are even more activities around Steamboat, including night skiing, ice skating, tours, gondola rides, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and more! Check out this page to learn more and pick the best activities for your family.

Overall Thoughts

Steamboat was the perfect fit for our family! Not only is it an absolutely beautiful and fun ski town, it’s easy for us to get to, everyone who wanted to ski was able to, and we had childcare options for our 2-year-old who wasn’t old enough to ski.

So… can we make this an annual thing?