Vast and Diverse Experiences

Northwest Colorado’s three counties are vast and diverse. You’ll never get bored when exploring the 10,334 square miles of wide open spaces, majestic forests, mountainous terrain, untouched backcountry, pristine lakes, rivers, and reservoirs that we call our great backyard. Instead of staying in one community, why not travel across this vast western landscape. Each city, town and community has its own unique character and history, but everyone of them is welcoming and fun. 

Check out our curated regional travel itineraries! We’ve sorted them into categories but feel free to mix and match. 

Mountain & Gravel Biking

With thousands of miles of biking trails and gravel and paved roads, take the road less traveled through Northwest Colorado. 

  • Mountain Bikers: start in Steamboat Springs and bike down the ski area during the off season, or ride Emerald Mountain or Buff Pass. Then head over to Craig in Moffat County (49 minutes west) to bike through Cedar Mountain, a rugged 3 mile singletrack loop. Travel south to Meeker in Rio Blanco County to bike China Wall for breathtaking views. End your mountain biking adventure in Rangely, about an hour west, by riding the Little Gillam Draw Trail. Check out the MTB Project App for more information about various mountain biking trails 
  • Gravel Riding: miles and miles of dirt and gravel roads cut through our region to create a vast network of gravel routes across changing landscapes and terrains. Visit Gravel Map, Bike Guide, Bike Town USA and The Dirty Roads for more information. 

Steamboat Springs Routes

Hayden Routes

  • Co Rd 56 - a route from Co Rd 56 to Co Rd 80

Oak Creek Routes

Craig Routes

Meeker Routes

Rangely


Hiking & Camping

Decompress by lacing up your hiking boots and camping in the beauty of the American West. Hiking through our trails especially in our less traveled parts of Northwest Colorado will seem like a solidarity pilgrimage. Then set up camp under a blanket of stars, where the dark skies met wide spaces. (reservations typically must be made 6 months in advance). Here’s some of our favorite hiking and camping spots.


Prehistoric Fossil & Petroglyph Hunting

Hunting for prehistoric fossils and petroglyphs in Northwest Colorado can be an exhilarating journey back in time, offering glimpses into ancient worlds and cultures. Dinosaurs once roamed our region and ancient cultures lived here. Here’s a guide to help you embark on your time travel. Please do not disturb this historic site. It's a federal felony to remove a fossil without special permits, protocols, and procedures.

  • Dinosaur: Dinosaurs once roamed here in Dinosaur National Monument and their fantastic remains are still visibly embedded in the rocks. Today, the mountains, desert, and untamed rivers flowing in deep canyons support an array of life. Petroglyphs hint at earlier cultures. Later, homesteaders and outlaws found refuge here. Whether your passion is science, adventure, history or scenery, Dinosaur offers much to explore.
  • Rangely: The Canyon Pintado Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the Douglas Valley south of Rangely. Canyon Pintado (Painted Canyon) has been occupied by prehistoric people for as long as 11,000 years and was repeatedly visited by a variety of cultures throughout its long history. Explore more.
  • Rangely Outdoor Museum displays historic buildings and exhibits on dinosaurs, the Fremont cultures, pioneers, ranchers, oil field workers and other individuals who shaped the landscape. Explore more.
  • Craig can serve as a basecamp as you explore the region for ancient fossils and rock art. 
    • Colorado Northwestern Community College Field Museum is a federal fossil repository.
    • Sandrocks Nature Trail and Petroglyphs: Craig Sandrocks site, 5MF4306, is located on the north edge of the City of Craig, where prominent sandstone bluffs form rimrocks that bound the north side of the floodplain of the Yampa River.

Geocaching

Northwest Colorado, including Routt County, Moffat County, and Rio Blanco County, offers a diverse landscape for geocaching enthusiasts. Geocaching could be described as adventure hiking for GPS users with hidden treasures at the end of the trek. Depending on the season, you can locate caches through snow-covered pine trees on snowshoes or by hiking through blooming wildflowers. Here are some general tips for finding geocaches in this region: check out websites like Geocaching.com and OpenCaching.com for listings of geocaches in our region. 

Fishing

(Valid March 1 through March 31 for 13 months and the first weekend in June)

Fishing in Northwest Colorado offers anglers a diverse range of experiences from serene mountain streams to gentle rivers and expansive reservoirs. Cast your line in some of our favorite fishing spots around the region. Each honey hole has different species and offer different experiences. 

  • Routt County: From the rolling streams to the rugged tailwaters of local lakes and reservoirs, the Yampa Valley has everything for the perfect fishing-based vacation experience. 
    • Stagecoach Reservoir, Headwaters & Tailwaters in Stagecoach State Park contains a 770+ acre man-made reservoir that contains rainbow trout, brown trout, and northern pike.
    • Sarvis Creek: find your own peaceful fly-fishing oasis under the aspen trees and pines
    • The Flat Tops Wilderness Area is home to more than 110 lakes at an average elevation of 10,000 feet.
  • Moffat County: Fish high-density and healthy populations of trout (browns, rainbows, cutthroats), Northern Pike and small-mouth bass while soaking in the solitude and beautiful vistas. Cast your line in any of these honey holes.
    • Elkhead Reservoir: Northeast of Craig, fishermen can hook small and largemouth bass, channel catfish, northern pike, rainbow trout.
    • Loudy-Simpson Park: South of Craig on Ranney Street, catch Northern pike, brown trout, rainbow trout
    • Public Safety Center Pond: 1st Street in Craig, youths 12 and younger can fish for trout. 
    • Freeman Reservoir: Routt National Forest, 20 miles north of Craig, catch some cutthroat trout
    • Yampa River: Steamboat Springs to the Utah Border, cast your line for brown trout, rainbow trout, northern pike, channel catfish
  • Rio Blanco: Heavy annual snowfall feeds the fresh mountain streams which run into the White River from high mountain lakes. The White River itself, considered to be one of the “best kept secrets” by many Colorado fishermen, provides habitat to rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout, and whitefish. Endangered fish species, like the Pike Minnow, must be released back into the river immediately. 
    • Kenney Reservoir sports a variety of fish species sought by anglers, including generous numbers of Black Crappie, Channel Catfish, Black Bullhead, Green Sunfish, Whitefish, Carp, and Rainbow Trout, with Rainbow Trout stocked in April and May by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
    • Located at the east end of Rangely within Camper Park, Camper Park Ponds onto Purdy Road are stocked annually with approximately 500-1000 trout. (Accessed by turning off Main Street)
    • Find the public fishing access points to the White River.

Water Sports

Splash down in Northwest Colorado! When the snow melts into the mountain streams, rivers, reservoirs, and lakes, you can enjoy a variety of water sports and recreational activities. Try kayaking and paddleboarding in the Yampa River, Stagecoach, Steamboat Lake, Pearl Lake. Finish your day with a soak in the hot springs near Steamboat Spring.  

Then head over to Craig in Moffat County (1 hour west) to kayak, float, and raft on the Yampa River at the new white water park at Loudy-Simpson or on Moffat's many other rivers and reservoirs. Another hour and half west, you can shoot the rapids in Dinosaur National Monument's remote canyons. Head south to Rangely, in Rio Blanco where you can boat, jet ski and swim in the Kenney Reservoir. Float, canoe, raft the White River in Rio Blanco County. Both the Towns of Rangely and Meeker are building more public access to the White River. Next put in your boat in Lake Avery, 20 miles southeast of Meeker and/or Rio Blanco Lake about 20 miles west of Meeker. 

Hunting

The beautiful Rocky Mountains are an amazing spot for hunting elk, deer, moose, and even mountain lions if you’re properly licensed. A large big game population and a remarkably high success rate make Moffat County the best place for Colorado trophy hunting. In the center of Moffat County’s sportsman's paradise lies the City of Craig, called the Elk Hunting Capital of the World. Many ranches offer archery, muzzleloader, and rifle hunts on a variety of terrain. There are plenty of ranches and outfitters around Northwest Colorado that provide guided or non-guided hunting trips. You can also hunt on public lands in Routt County, Moffat County, and Rio Blanco County.

Winter Sports

We understand winter sports! Whether it's shredding the slopes, snowshoeing or nordic skiing through the backcountry, snowmobiling on the backroads, sleigh riding on our ranchlands or ice fishing on our lakes, Northwest Colorado has something for everyone. Enjoy the different winter activities in each community.

  • Routt County offers all every type of winter activity possible from snowshoeing, skiing, sleigh riding, snow tubing to ice skating and more. The list of activities is endless: 
    • Oak Creek: Ice Fishing at Stagecoach Reservoir 
    • Hayden: skiing, snowmobiling and dog sledding
  • Moffat County offers snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing and more
  • Rio Blanco County: During the winter months, there is no shortage of outdoor thrills. 178 miles of trails in Rio Blanco County are maintained by the White River Snowmobile Club with 78 of those groomed and 100 miles left natural. There are also breathtaking views for cross-country skiers and those traveling on snowshoes. On the 2.2-mile Marvine snow trail, the trail leads to a stocked yurt. 
  • Ever try ice climbing? Colorado Northwestern Community College in Rangely makes available its ice climbing tower and equipment for public use.
  • Meeker provides a winter playground for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, skijoring and snowmobiling.

Scenic Drives

Cruise the byways of Northwest Colorado and take in the majesty of the mountains, the lush river valleys and authentic landscapes of the American West. Our cities and small towns have preserved their heritage in historic buildings and downtowns. Take the roads less traveled and traverse the backroads through Moffat, Rio Blanco and Routt Counties.

  • Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway: A 500-mile long, multi-state highway (DD) circumscribes an enormous region of western Colorado and eastern Utah and connects the Towns of Rangely and Dinosaur in Northwest Colorado. Described as the Earth’s veritable “Jurassic Park,” this scenic drive takes you through the breathtaking world of dinosaurs, large and small, who roamed the region for millions of years – then suddenly vanished.
  • Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway: For 82 scenic miles, Colorado's Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway winds its way through lush river valleys, skirts the bountiful Flat Tops Wilderness and climbs over two of Colorado’s least-traveled passes. Start at the Town of Yampa in Routt County and end your drive in Meeker in Rio Blanco County. This byway is the backbone of access to the Flat Tops Wilderness and over 350,000 acres of public land managed by the US Forest Service (Blanco Ranger District). The White River National Forest is the country’s foremost forest for recreation, offering visitors a wide variety of outdoor activities.

OHV Trail Riding

Get off the beaten path by going off-highway vehicle (OHV) riding. Northwest Colorado offers enthusiasts access to a vast network of trails and off-road terrain. Thousands of miles of OHV trails, OHV events, and the state’s only rock crawling park make our region an OHV oasis. 

  • Moffat County: For the rugged adventurers looking to explore, Moffat County holds some of the wildest, wide-open terrain in Colorado. With nearly 2 million acres of public land and over 2,000 miles of city and county roads, Moffat provides numerous destinations for motocross, ATV’s and snowmobiles. All county roads are open to registered OHV travel. The opportunities are seemingly endless. Our best advice is to stop in at some of our shops and restaurants and ask the locals about their favorite rides. 
  • Rio Blanco County: The County started a project called the Wagon Wheel Trail System to provide increased recreational opportunities through unique, satisfying, and sustainable OHV experiences in Rio Blanco County and Northwest Colorado.  The trail system is now complete and complements US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management travel plans, while providing connectivity to multiple counties, similar to the Paiute ATV Trail system in central Utah.
    • Rangely OHV Adventure Rally R.O.A.R. is a three-day event on the Wagon Wheel trail system bringing together off-road enthusiasts from around the country for guided rides, a poker run, shrimp boil, rodeo and scavenger hunts.
    • As the only designated natural rock-crawling area in Colorado, the Rangely Rock Crawling Park has more than 560 acres of natural terrain, including playfully named trails such as Chain Break, Poison Ivy and Willy’s Way. And since many of the routes are yet to be discovered, you can channel your inner Lewis and Clark as you conquer uncharted territory in this delightfully free 4X4 spot.
  • Routt County: Buffalo Pass is a wilderness playground in Steamboat’s backyard with campgrounds, fishing lakes and Elkhorn Mountain trail, a 10.4 total miles best suited for aggressive, high clearance 4WD SUVs and ATV’s.