Home

Steamboat Springs — The mountains and trails surrounding the Steamboat Springs area are a recreational or competitive runner's dream.

Both trail and road running are popular activities enjoyed by summer visitors to the Yampa Valley. The scenic beauty encountered while running the trails, coupled with the proximity of a majority of the popular trails, leaves little excuse to avoid enjoying the outdoors.

The Steamboat Springs Running Series provides out-of-town guests and locals the opportunity to run competitively or for enjoyment on well-marked trails from early May through late September.

Race director Emily Conjura encourages guests to register and run through on-line registration and state- and nation-wide advertising.

"With Steamboat being such a destination resort, the running series tends to overlap with things other people are doing in town," Conjura said. "People should definitely come out."

Race participants not only enjoy the benefit of a challenging or refreshing run or walk, they also have the opportunity to be up close and personal with some of the area's most beautiful scenery.

Highlights from this year's schedule include events on the popular Spring Creek Trail, the beautiful Fish Creek Trail that climbs to the Continental Divide and a 10K run on Rabbit Ears Pass at 10,000 feet.

Information on each race in the running series can be accessed on the series' Web site at www.runningseries.com

For those interested in taking off and exploring Steamboat and the surrounding areas solo or in a smaller group, Ski Haus running expert John Smith has some advice. "You should always prepare for the worst," he said. "Bring water, food and a rain jacket of some variety. At higher elevations, temperatures can drop 20 or 30 degrees in an hour in a storm. It's the mountains."

Smith also suggests runners, especially those who go out alone, know their courses and inform others of their expected courses in case of an emergency.

Runners interested in staying near Steamboat can enjoy the Yampa River Core Trail, a paved path that traces the banks of the Yampa River through town. Or they can head to Mount Werner or Howelsen Hill to take advantage of well-marked trails used by hikers and mountain bikers as well.

Smith said the climbs at either ski area are tough, but the rewards -- a bird's eye view of Steamboat from either summit -- are worth the work.