Mountain Area

Steamboat Springs is a great town, mellow and outdoorsy, with friendly locals that are a mixture between cowboy and ski-bum. The mountain area neighborhood is focused around one thing—the mountain. This has its plusses and minuses, but overall, it’s a nice place to buy or rent a home.

Winter is definitely the busiest season around the mountain, but in Steamboat this is a relative term. I have never waited more than five minutes in any lift line. Many condo/townhome developments offer free transportation to and from the mountain and downtown throughout the winter, and sometimes year-round. I often walk home from the mountain after a day of skiing, which takes less than five minutes as well. Also during the winter, there are often concerts at the base of the ski hill and all the bars and restaurants are hopping.

Summer is a great time to be on the mountain, as well. It is quieter on the hill, but there are still occasional concerts and the establishments remain open year-round. Recently, Steamboat finished a large construction project to redirect Burgess Creek during the summer months so it flows at the base of the ski hill. They’ve built a nice little creek bed perfect for kids and dogs to play in.

The neighborhood itself is pretty low-key, at least in action. There are some gigantic homes being built, but they are rarely occupied. Every vacant lot is quickly being filled, and it seems as though a new complex rises every year. On the south side of Walton Creek Rd, there are some apartment complexes that house many young ski-bum locals. And like most everyone else in Steamboat, they just want to ski.

There are not limitless options for restaurants and bars, but there are enough to allow one to stay out of downtown for a while. On the mountain, Slopeside and Tugboat are great pub and grills. Sakitumi is a good sushi restaurant, and Café Diva offers delectable fine dining. As I said, in the winter, there are more options as the action in Gondola and Ski Times Squares is heightened.

Overall, for the family coming in for vacation, the mountain area is unbeatable. For someone looking to call Steamboat home, I might look more towards the downtown area.