Camping in Steamboat Springs, Colorado

I love surprising my husband with a week(end) trip for his birthday every year. He loves camping and we don’t get out camping as often as he would like, so if I can pull off a surprise camping weekend for my hubby, you know it’s going to happen!

It has been years since I’ve been out to Steamboat. Growing up, I had a few soccer tournaments in Steamboat but Steve had never been.

It was a perfect combo - somewhere he’s never been PLUS a camping weekend. Here is everything we did, including where we camped and the restaurants/breweries we checked out

THe Campsite

Meadows Campground in Routt National Forest

Reservations can be made here on recreation.gov.

I personally like campsites where you can book in advance - less stress of driving around hoping there are first come/first available sites - and ones that have designated toilets.

This site was perfect for us with it being reservable and roughly 30 minutes into Steamboat.

in town recommendations

Storm Peak Brewery

One of my favorite things to do is go to a brewery on a hot summer day. And with it being Steve’s birthday, you know we found one. It was actually really perfect too as the brewery was also celebrating their birthday with a limited release Birthday Cake beer that we couldn’t get enough of. We will be visiting this brewery every time we are in Steamboat going forward!

Steamboat Meat & Seafood Co.

Located close to the river and near some great local shops, this butcher shop is great for fresh made sandwiches, prime cuts of meat, and name the type of seafood you want. We stopped in here to grab sub sandwiches that we took with us to Storm Peak Brewery.

the hike to do

If you are looking for a super scenic hike, look no further than Fish Creek Falls! This hike can be sort (less than 1 mile) or up to 5 miles if you want to hike to the top of the falls.

Read my full hike review for this hike here!

Weekend Guide: Colorado National Monument

Last summer we were lucky enough to snag a camp site for a weekend at Colorado National Monument! Neither one of us had been there before so we were really excited to get out and explore the Monument. We’ve put together an itinerary and some tips for you so you can have the best experience!

First things first, we learned the (very) hard way to not tent camp here in the summer months. We learned very quickly that it is too hot all day and all night to make this trip overly enjoyable. Unless you love sleeping in 90 degrees, that is, or have a camper that can run AC. Unlike a lot of areas in summer, this place did not cool down at night. We were miserably hot all weekend. So, tip #1: go in the fall or spring months.

If you love to hike, you could easily spend the weekend here. If you only want to do one hike and do the drive from one entrance over to the other, one night will be plenty.

Tip #2: If you want to camp in the park and want a glorious view from your camping spot, pick a spot on B Loop, along the outer edge. warning - if you are afraid of heights and/or have kids/pets that are known to wander, this might not be the best spot for you as there is a very steep drop off on the back of the camp sites (see photos below). But if you don’t have those concerns, the views are stunning! Also note that there are plenty of camping spots in the Grand Junction area that are free and/or cheaper than camping in the park. When we went, reservations were required. There were no first come/first serve sites available.

If you are not a camper, never fear! The monument is a very short drive from Grand Junction which has a lot of hotel and Airbnb options.

Tip #3: you are in the desert so bring plenty of water and a lot of sunscreen! There is very little shade in this park so make sure you are coming prepared for a lot of direct sun. A hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, long sleeves/pants (if it’s not summer), etc. are all great things to have readily available.

If you decide to go in summer, come prepared for 100 degree days. Bring a lot of extra water, some salty snacks, and even some electrolytes.

Tip #4: no wood fires were allowed which was a bummer for us as we love a good campfire while camping. Charcoal grills were provided at each campsite however so you could easily make your meals. Come prepared knowing you won’t be able to have a fire.

Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrive at campsite and set up camp and chill out.

Day 2: Plan to drive the entire park road then enjoy an afternoon beer and snack at a local brewery.

• We stopped at every pull off for the viewing spots and I highly recommend that you do. The views are unreal! It took us about 3 hours to do, and we loved every minute of it.

• At this point you’re probably hungry and thirsty. Head into Grand Junction to Edgewater Brewery for a cold craft beer and a snack. It’s about 15 minutes from Colorado National Monument.

• Head back into the park to your campsite. Cook up dinner and enjoy the evening doing what you love most at campsites.

Day 3: Pack up camp and head to your next destination.

All in, we loved Colorado National Monument and would absolutely go back, ideally in the late spring or fall. Our rankings:

• Views: 5/5 - absolutely stunning.

• Campsite: 4/5 - no fire allowed which is a bummer, but it had actual running water bathrooms, large sites, and stunning views

• Proximity: 5/5 - we love camping while exploring somewhere new as it’s way cheaper than renting an airbnb.

This was the back edge of our campsite!

One of the many pull offs for views!

A Weekend Guide to Camping in Aspen

Camping season is here and we are so excited!! We love camping for many reasons, but one of the best is that you can go to so many places and have a place to stay for pretty cheap. If you are one to reserve campsites, you can get one for around $20/night, and if you are one that likes to gamble on if they can find a first-come-first-serve spot, you can get one for pretty much free. You really cant’t beat free-$20/night going to Aspen for the weekend!

Here are our recommendations for a weekend camping in Aspen!

Day 1

Arrive into downtown Aspen in time for a late lunch. Pick a local cafe or restaurant to have a nice lunch after a long drive. We parked and walked around downtown and stumbled across this amazing deli called Butcher’s Block (see their website here!) which offers made to order sandwiches. The meat is fresh shaved and just absolutely delish!

After lunch, head out to your campsite and get set up. We booked a spot at Difficult Campground which is about 5 miles outside of Aspen! If you reserve a spot, you typically can arrive to the site at 2pm. Be sure to stop and check in with the site host and purchase a bundle of firewood for your fire pit.

Have dinner at the campsite and treat yourself to a s’more!

Stay up late and stargaze. The stars and moon are SO bright in this area of Colorado!

Day 2

Get up, make a hearty breakfast burrito filled with eggs, bacon, and potatoes. Pack your hiking bag - don’t forget your rain coat - and head to the Four Mountain Sports shop in Aspen Highlands to purchase your shuttle ticket to Maroon Bells. (Please check this site for updates on reservations due to COVID-19)..

Unless you are a super-duper early bird, or an avid bike rider, taking a shuttle from Aspen Highlands is required in order to get to Maroon Bells.

Spend the day hiking around the park. Take amazing photos. Get caught in the rain. Marvel at the scenery. Catch one of the last shuttles out of the park back to the parking lot you left your car in.

Head to downtown Aspen to Aspen Brewing Company (if you are over 21) for a local craft beer or to CP Burger for ice cream and a round of mini golf.

Eat dinner at the campsite. Have another s’more because you hiked all day and deserve it. Try to stay up to stargaze again.

Day 3

Get up early, eat eggs and bacon for breakfast, pack your hiking bag again, pack up camp making sure to leave no trace, and head into downtown Aspen to take the gondola up to the top of the mountain.

You can purchase tickets at the ticket window which is before you walk up the two flights of stairs to the gondola. Don’t miss the sign otherwise you will be walking back down only to have to walk back up those stairs once your ticket is purchased.

Wait for a red gondola - you can connect your phone and play music on your ride up!

Follow the trails at the top of the gondola for a hike with stunning views. Grab a beer at Sundeck and enjoy the live music that is almost always there before taking the gondola back to the bottom - unless you are the more adventurous kind and hike to the bottom.

Check out the cute local shops and pick up a souvenir from your weekend get away.

Head back to your car and head home - it’s been a great outdoors weekend!

Additional Resources You Might Enjoy:

Day Trip Hiking Pack List

Beginner's Guides: Introduction

With summer around the corner, we seriously cannot wait to hit the hiking trails. Every year, we plan some pretty fun hikes, and every year we see a ton of people that are on their first ever hike - which we absolutely LOVE to see.

But a lot of new adventurers are really out of their element - not really dressed for what they are doing, don’t have food or water with them, and haven’t even given the whole altitude thing - if they are in a higher elevation - a thought until it snuck up on them.

You definitely have to start somewhere, and we are so proud of these new adventurers for taking the chance and going for a hike and trying something totally new. We really wish we could give the new adventurers we come across an encouraging pep-talk, as well as some outdoor advice.

However, we hardly ever do - no one likes being told they look like a newbie and, to be honestly, not everyone wants a random person on a hiking trail saying hi, let alone giving them advice. As a side note, we will absolutely stop to check on people if they are visibly really struggling and the group they are with isn’t sure what to do.

Because of this, we’ve decided to put together some Beginners Guides on everything we wish someone had told us when we first started adventuring outdoors! These are from our own experiences and some from people we’ve come across.

As we write them, we will link them to our Beginner’s Guides Page, so be sure to check back often to see what’s new!

As an added bonus, check out our Free Pack List for day hiking! We have listed out everything we pack in our hiking pack and ranked them as either “must haves” or “nice to haves”.

Can’t wait to see you on the trails!

~Liz