Steam Boat Springs, Colorado Aug 2026

I hope you have enjoyed a restful Labor Day weekend. We took several walks and hikes. Mom and Dad did lots of work around the house, though, so I don’t quite understand the purpose of a non-work holiday. My brother and I rested enough for the entire family, so I guess we are good.

  I still wanted to share the rest of my second birthday trip to Steamboat Springs. Mom always does research for our adventures, and Daddy and I just figure out how to get there. Mostly Daddy, and I am along for the ride! The morning was cool and cloudy, perfect for a hike to Fish Creek Falls, a 280-foot falls in Fish Creek Canyon. Since it is close to town, it is a very popular hike with options to see the lower and upper falls.

To get to the parking lot, take CR 32 for about three miles. The road is paved, and you will enter the Routt National Forest and follow the brown signs to the falls. You will need your National Park Pass or pay the daily fee of $5.00 per vehicle. Human restrooms are in the parking lot for your convenience.

Lots of people had the same idea, so we were lucky to get a spot. We first did the ¼ mile hike to the lower falls. When you cross the bridge, you will see a sign for a very steep hike up to the top, which is about five miles. We had other things we wanted to see, so we chose not to continue. From the same parking lot, you can get on the Overlook loop trail, and that gives you fabulous views of top of the falls with the steep hike. The path is paved and is only another ¼ of a mile. We got our pictures and headed back.

As pretty as the falls were, we encountered too many people. We wanted to get into nature, so we took the drive up to Buffalo Lakes Pass. You’ll drive about two miles north on Routt County Road #36 (also called Strawberry Park Road) then turn right onto Routt County Road 38, which turns into Buffalo Pass Road. The road becomes a bumpy dirty road where you would want high-clearance vehicles because the last two miles are rock crawling.

The 12-mile drive gives you great views of town, the river, and the Steamboat Springs ski resort. You will end up at 10,400 feet high! This is the most altitude I’ve experienced, but I didn’t feel it. Mom and Dad said they noticed, but not me. I was bounding, leaping, and loving being in the mountains! Again, you will need your National Park Pass or $20.00 per vehicle for day use. Once you reach the summit of Buffalo Pass, you will notice a campground…park just to the left of it. Human restrooms are right there. FYI, since you are climbing on a dirt road, allow 45 minutes from downtown to the top.

The clouds were darker now, and Mom studied them for moment. “We are going to get rained on at 2:00 pm.” Dad and I believed her this time, so we chose a three-mile loop around two of the lakes. Buffalo Pass has over 70 lakes spread across the Mount Zirkel Wilderness. The trails are not marked well, so Dad had to rely on his off-line map. No cell service up here!

Other than a few campers, we had the place to ourselves. THIS was more our speed. We started off at Summit Lake, located right by the campground. These high-alpine lakes are supposed to be great trout fishing, primarily Brook Trout, Cutthroat, and Rainbow Trout. As always, be sure your fishing license is current. Daddy hasn’t gotten his yet, so we were just hiking.

Mom, of course, packed a snack. We sat on the shore of Summit Lake and listened to nature. We continued on to Jonah Lake. The trail wasn’t easy but moderate due to poor maintenance and weather. About 1:30 pm, the clouds looked angry. We picked up our pace, and sure enough at 2:00 pm just as we got into the truck, it rained. How does she do that?

We were well past lunch time at this point, so as soon as we got back to town, we headed over to Barley Taps. Mom saw pictures of their Bavarian Pretzels, and she wanted one. Her and Dad split it. I waited in the truck due to the rain (and it is a really small pub), which was fine. I don’t like when water comes down on my head!

It was a full day and starting to get dark, so back to the hotel we went. Mom and Dad cleaned up, but as soon as Mom put her PJs on, I knew we weren’t going out to eat tonight. Dad went to pick up pizzas they ordered from Clyde’s Pies. Mom got a Palisade Peach Pizza. Yum! We enjoyed that, and I’ve been to Palisades a couple of times already. Cool!

We watched some television, and I zonked out. In the morning, we had a most awesome breakfast at Yampa Valley Kitchen. Their outdoor garden patio is dog friendly, but they are wicked expensive! Be warned. Everything was a little wet from the storm overnight, but we had a towel in the truck. Problem solved. We sat enjoying the morning and drove over to Steamboat Lake before hitting the road home. It was a little out of the way—20 minutes—but it was worth it. We have the Colorado State Park Pass, and that got us in. You could also park outside of the restricted area if you are only going on a hike or pay the daily vehicle fee of $12. Dogs are allowed on leash. We chose the Tombstone Nature trail because once again, Mom said it was going to rain on us in about an hour.

The nature trail takes you through the forest and then follows the lake. Wow, what a huge lake! Steamboat Lake covers 1,100 surface acres with the park being 2,820 acres. It sits at 8,100 feet, and you have 35.6 miles of trails to choose from. You could definitely spend the day here, but we were only popping by to check it out.

They have boating, paddle boarding, sailing, fishing, and hiking in the summer, and I guess snowmobiling is a big thing in the winter. We hardly saw a soul because of the threat of rain. I got all wet from the tall grasses. I don’t mind that kind of water!

Just as the sprinkles came down, we got back to the truck. We drove through some hard rain for a while before getting on our path home. Instead of going through Gunnison, we drove through Eagle to get home. The miles and time were about the same.

We couldn’t believe the lack of traffic, especially on a Sunday. Back in Arizona, if we left later than 10:00 am, we would get stuck of horrendous traffic coming home. We breezed through and were home in no time. Mowgli was glad to see us and told us all about his new friend, Niki Cooper, who took great care of him. I’ve met her once and lost my mind. I could tell she is a great human.

My second birthday was super fun. I just love celebrating me! If you haven’t been to Steamboat Springs, you must go. It is a wonderful place for a weekend getaway with so much to do. I know we will be back!

By Moka Jiro

My name is Moka, a sesame Shiba Inu, and I am carrying on Kuma’s legacy by sharing adventures with my family. My mom, Lorraine Bossé-Smith, is my translator and photographer. She is also a motivational speaker & trainer, life & wellness coach, fitness & nutrition guide, and author of nine published books. More importantly, she’s the best doggy mom ever!

Enjoy my blog at https://www.lorrainebosse-smith.com/category/moka/

and be sure to follow me on Instagram: moka_jiro_shiba.

            Explore this great world we live in, and I hope to see you on the trail.

(with help from Lorraine Bossé-Smith)