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| Beth checking out the view over Pearl Lake |
Our second full day in the Steamboat Springs area was spent exploring a little further out of town. Based on the recommendations from the very helpful visitors center staff member we decided on a morning drive to the Steamboat Lake and Pearl Lake State Parks. These two parks are about 25 miles from town and are located within minutes of each other.
The drive was an easy one and we quickly realized that the drive itself would be part of the adventure. Along the way we passed numerous large cattle ranches, and the mountainsides were sprinkled with impressive homes. We also went through the small community of Clark, which proudly boasts on it's city limits sign that the population is unknown. It is also the home to the Clark Store. This just isn't a general store, it's so much more. The Clark Store not only serves as the towns only grocery store, it also contains the post office, a liquor store, bait store, library and deli...…….all under one roof! We got a couple of hot chocolates on the way to the parks, and based on recommendations, enjoyed lunch there on the way back to town.
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| It's a little hard to see, but they list their population as ? |
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| If they don't have it, you'll have to leave Clark to get it. |
Clark Store
There is a park visitors center located at the entrance to the Steamboat Lake park. We stopped to get some ideas on how to best explore the two parks and to purchase our one day pass ($8). The young lady was extremely happy to see us. Not because we're anything special, just because it is off season and there aren't many visitors at this time of year. The campgrounds have closed for the season. The winter enthusiasts who snowmobile and snowshoe on the more than 300 inches of snow that the park receives annually haven't arrived yet. She gave us some great suggestions for short hikes at both parks but also warned us that the trails could be icy and wet.
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| The view from inside the visitors center was awesome...…. |
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| ………...the view from outside the visitors center was even better, but a little chillier! |
We started by going to the Pearl Lake park. We were told that the gate to the campground would be closed, but that there was parking available just outside the gate and we could simply hike in by going around the gate. While it was a little icy, it was a great short hike down to the calm and peaceful shore of the lake. There were numerous picnic tables and benches where we stopped to savor the views and the fact that we had the whole park to ourselves.
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| Hahns Peak Village is located between the two state parks. It was established in the 1860's. It's named after Joseph Hahn, a gold miner who settled in the area. He died after running out of supplies. I guess the lure of striking it rich was greater than the desire to stay warm and eat. |
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| A few pictures from our Pearl Lake hike...…….. |
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| The snowy and icy trail to Pearl Lake. |
The Steamboat Lake park is larger than the Pearl Lake park. It has several campgrounds, a swimming beach (no swimmers today) and a marina. Even though it was larger, it was no busier and again we had the place to ourselves. Although we decided the recommended trail was too icy, we enjoyed driving around the lake. We went back to Steamboat Springs by a route that took us to Clark on a well maintained, but unpaved road through some more magnificent ranch land.
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| Almost all the pictures in the blogs are taken by Beth. She caught this great reflection on Steamboat Lake. The lake is starting to freeze over. |
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| A thin layer of ice has formed on this section of Steamboat Lake. They'll be ice fishing before long. |
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| Boat slips in the Steamboat Lake Marina. The marina is located in a small cove that has already frozen solid. |
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| A view of the unpaved, but very well maintained County Road 62. It's an alternate way back to Clark from Steamboat Lake State Park. We would highly recommend it. |
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| One of the many large cattle ranches along the way. We love the "wide open spaces"! |
Before heading back to the hotel for a late afternoon dip in the hot tub, we stopped off at Fish Creek Falls. This 283 foot waterfall is located just three miles from the town of Steamboat Springs. The waterfall is located on US Forest Service land and has supplied water to Steamboat Springs since the early 1900's. There are numerous trails within the Fish Creek Falls area ranging from easy to difficult. All the difficult trails were covered in ice (seriously) so we opted for the flat, paved and cleared of ice "Overlook Trail". It's probably the one we would have chosen even if the other trails were in good shape. It was only about a 10 minute walk to the end of the trail. From there we had a nice view of the falls, which is starting to ice over as the temperature stays below freezing for longer periods.
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| There really is a waterfall under there, it's just hard to see in the picture. |
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| There are numerous sculptures throughout Steamboat Springs. I'm not sure of the official title, but I would call it "Three Amigos in skinny jeans" |
We'll soon be leaving Steamboat Springs and heading for our next destination, Glenwood Springs, where more hot springs await! We've enjoyed our time here. The wide open setting allows you to take in 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains and there is plenty to see and do year round. It's certainly a place we would enjoy coming back to in the future!
