By Steamboat Springs has always been one of my favorite mountain towns. Although we’ve never had the opportunity to ride its famous Champagne Powder in the winter, we’ve explored this picturesque town in the spring and summer whenever we wanted a change of scenery from Vail. This week we took the opportunity to explore a new trail, the Spring Creek Trail, for a leisurely hike. I chose this trail due to its proximity to downtown and its “easy to moderate” rating. This hike ended up exceeding our expectations. From the beautiful off-leash dog park that we discovered along the trail to the tricky water crossings where we struggled to keep our feet dry, it was an unexpected adventure for us and the dogs!
From downtown, turn on 3rd Street and follow the road with a slight right to Maple Drive. The trailhead is located near the intersection of Maple and Amethyst Drive. There were several cars parked along the road on a Monday morning, so I assume the weekends would be very crowded. The trail starts as a wide dirt road that meanders along Spring Creek and eventually becomes more narrow. About half a mile from the trailhead, we discovered the Spring Creek Dog Park at the Lower Pond. We took the opportunity to let Jack and River play in the water and run around without their leashes on before continuing the hike.
Walking past the dog park and up a brief slope, we suddenly found ourselves immersed in towering aspens and pine trees. As the trail went on, we crossed several bridges over the rushing creek and had to carefully balance our way through excessive runoff on the trail from melting snow. Eventually, we hit a part of the trail that was partially covered in snow and mud so we decided to turn around. In all, we were able to hit 5 miles roundtrip and had a great time. I highly recommend this trail for a quick stroll or a long hike. With its easy access to town, it’s the perfect addition to exploring Steamboat Springs.
More information: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/spring-creek
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