Steamboat Springs is a town with a lot to offer. It is truly unique, with its unmistakable champagne powder snow and distinct Western flare. It is so iconic that even Conde Nast has taken notice!
On February 1st, 2023, Conde Nast Traveler posted a wonderful guide to Steamboat Springs. Titled "Steamboat Springs: A Complete Guide to a Beloved Western Ski Town," this guide represents what their editors feel are the best, or most unmissable, parts of the town.
The writer begins: "Of Colorado's nearly 30 ski resorts, Steamboat stands apart with its Western spirit and famous trademarked Champagne Powder." If you've visited before, then you know this is true! There's no place like Steamboat Springs.
The writing is full of love for Steamboat Springs. Conde Nast admires that the town is "tucked-away deep within the Yampa Valley" and that it maintains a "deeply local vibe on the slopes and in town." Events such as the annual Cowboy Downhill competition and the Winter Carnival are praised- as is the "boom in new restaurants, bars, and shops has made town equally as enticing as Gondola Square and the ski area." Although Steamboat Springs strives towards growth, it stays true to its heart and caters to its locals as well as it caters to visiting skiers.
Read on to see what Conde Nast recommends doing in Steamboat Springs!
The hottest après scenes
- T-Bar: a "self-proclaimed five-star dive bar... beloved for its sticker-lined walls, jam-band tunes, old-school games like hammerschlagen, and combo of local craft brews and legit food."
- Slopeside Grill: a ski patio where you can enjoy "pitchers of palomas or a shotski with friends" on bluebird days.
- The Barley: a bar where "Colorado craft beers and spirits are the stars on the menu."
Top tables
- The Periodic Table: "an ambitious concept restaurant at Catamount Ranch golf club (10 minutes from the resort) currently channeling the cuisine of the Alps with dishes like cheese fondue and veal schnitzel."
- Tahk Omakase Sushi: "a first-rate, Edomae-style sushi spot in town" where "sushi snobs should prepare to have their minds blown."
- Primrose: "a modern makeover of the classic Colorado steakhouse" and "an instant hit thanks to its sexy downtown dining room, sensational raw bar, and exceptional local-and-seasonal dishes like the hand-cut black angus filet with twice-baked potato casserole and Burgundy demi-glace."
- The Commons: "Steamboat’s first-ever food hall" featuring "five food venues specialize in everything from poke bowls to wood-fired pizzas."
- Laura the Butcher’s Meatbar: a hip spot where you can get everything you need to "impress your friends on a backcountry picnic."
- Yampa Valley Kitchen: a brunch spot "set in an early 1900s farmhouse in town" and that "makes a killer Rueben eggs benny topped with wagyu pastrami."
- The Paramount: a slopeside restaurant that "makes the best breakfast sandwiches in town."
- Ragnar’s: "an on-mountain restaurant in Rendezvous Lodge" where you can grab "a European-style lunch" and sample dishes such as "Norwegian seafood chowder and Swedish meatball with lingonberry."
- Taco Beast: "a roving snowcat-turned-food truck, hawks tacos, esquites, and beer on the slopes each day."
Rest day activities
- "Steamboat’s natural hot springs" - including "Strawberry Park Hot Springs, a steamy oasis seven-miles north of town."
- Family-friendly hot springs fun at Old Town Hot Springs- "a downtown facility with eight, mineral-rich pools, two waterslides, plus an indoor gym and climbing wall."
- "Howelsen Hill, the town’s original ski area" where "you can watch the future Olympians who train with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club hit the ski jumps."
- Indie shops on Lincoln Ave. in downtown Steamboat Springs- including a stop at F.M. Light and Sons- "an institution that’s been outfitting cowboys with Stetson hats and Dan Post Boots since 1905."
Mark your calendar
- Winter Carnival, February 8-12, 2023
- Steamboat WinterWonderGrass, March 3-5, 2023
- Cowboy Downhill, January 2024
What do you think of Conde Nast's guide? Tell us in the comments!
