Where is Steamboat Colorado?

Steamboat Ski Resort is located in northwest Colorado, 160 miles (267km) northwest of Denver. It’s close enough to Denver to easily get there for a vacation, but far enough away to keep the Denver weekenders and day trippers to a minimum.

The town of Steamboat Springs Colorado lies just 3 miles (5km) from the base of Steamboat Ski Resort.

Flights to Steamboat Springs Colorado

The Yampa Valley Regional Airport is only 22 miles (35km) from the resort. The airport is also known as Hayden (HDN) and sometimes it’s also referred to as the Steamboat airport. It shouldn’t be confused with the small Steamboat Springs Airport (Bob Adams Field) for private aviation that is only 3 miles northwest of Steamboat Springs.

In winter there are direct flights to the Yampa Valley airport from Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Atlanta, Houston, Newark and Denver. To make searching for flights to Yampa Valley Airport easier, use one of the recommended flight search engines that can compare flight options for multiple airlines. From the airport there are various private companies providing scheduled shuttle services to Steamboat, and some Steamboat hotels provide a complimentary shuttle service.

Eagle Airport is 95 miles (158km) away and serviced by shuttle services to and from Steamboat.

The other alternative is to fly into Denver International Airport which is 180 miles away. From there you can rent a car and drive to Steamboat (although once in Steamboat you probably won’t need a car), or there are private van services to get to Steamboat.

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Driving to Steamboat from Denver

The drive from Denver takes 3 to 4 hours, depending on road and weather conditions and the degree of traffic on the I-70. During winter the route from Denver to Steamboat is west via the I-70, and past the Eisenhower Tunnel to the Silverthorne exit. From there it’s north on Co highway 9 to Kremmling, then west on US40 over the Rabbit Ears Pass.

Parking at Steamboat Ski Resort

Steamboat Resort offers free off-site parking down at the Meadows lot with a shuttle service. Alternatively you can catch the Wildhorse Meadows gondola from the Meadows parking lot to the mountain village, although the shuttle tends to get you closer to your car versus the gondola where it’s a bit of a walk in ski boots.

Parking at the Lower Knoll is free whilst the Upper Knoll lot attracts a charge and is within walking distance. Paid parking is also available at the Gondola Square Parking structure or Ski Time Square.

Getting Around Steamboat

There are free buses between the town of Steamboat Springs and the resort, with stops close to most of the major hotels. The buses circulate regularly. Unfortunately like a lot of US ski resort designs, the bus drops you at the start of the resort village so that you have to trudge a fair way before you actually get to the slopes, in the hope that you might purchase something along the way.

The Steamboat buses run until the early evening so the bus system is great if you’re staying in Steamboat Springs and want to get to the ski resort, but not as ideal if you’re staying at the resort and want to go downtown for a late dinner and drinks. Other options if not self-driving are to catch a taxi or some upscale lodgings provide an on-demand shuttle service.

Other Ski Resorts Nearby

Howelsen Hill is located in downtown Steamboat Springs. In addition to a ski jumping complex, it has four lifts and a handful of trails, and relies heavily on manmade snow. It’s incredibly cheap and cheerful and has tubing, cross country skiing and night skiing.