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Après-ski in Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Steamboat's après happens in two places, three miles apart. The base at the foot of Mount Werner holds the ski-in bars; downtown on Lincoln Avenue is a working ranching town that existed long before the lifts. A free city bus runs between them, which means you can start at the base in the afternoon and finish downtown without moving a car.

Last chair: not published by the resort

Base: 6,900 ft

Summit: 10,568 ft

Town: 6,867 ft

When the lifts stop

Steamboat does not publish lift closing times, its hours page gives season opening dates and says hours are weather dependent and subject to change. Night skiing opens December 17. We are not going to print a last-chair time the resort itself does not post; check the day's hours.

Where riders land

Both gondolas unload at the same base area, so the end of the day funnels to one place. The Wild Blue Gondola runs 3.16 miles in two stages from the base to Sunshine Peak, thirteen minutes end to end, 171 cabins, and it lifted the out-of-base capacity from 6,000 to 10,000 people an hour. The original Steamboat Gondola still runs alongside it.

Ski Time Square sits immediately next to the unload, which is where the base après is. Then the decision: stay, or take the bus down to Lincoln Avenue, where the bars are in buildings that were serving ranchers before anyone built a chairlift.

Getting around

The city runs free buses between the ski area and downtown through Steamboat Springs Transit, hubbed at the Gondola Transit Center. The ExpreSST line covers the downtown-to-gondola run at roughly twenty-minute headways. Exact current-season times change, so check the posted schedule.

What the cold actually does

  • December: Average high: 30°F; Average low: 6°F

  • January: Average high: 29°F; Average low: 5°F

  • February: Average high: 34°F; Average low: 8°F

NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals. January lows average under 5°F, among the coldest of any town on this list. The three-mile gap between base and downtown is covered by a heated bus for a reason.

Where people go

  • T Bar: What it is: Ski-in dive bar in a former ski patrol building off the Right-o-Way run; Where: Ski Time Square, at the base; Since: not listed

  • Slopeside Grill: What it is: Base-area grill and bar, opens at 3pm; Where: Ski Time Square; Since: not listed

  • Storm Peak Brewing: Bus Stop Taproom: What it is: Taproom at the base, opens at 3pm; Where: Mount Werner Circle; Since: not listed

  • Mahogany Ridge Brewery & Grill: What it is: Brewery and grill on Lincoln Avenue; Where: Downtown; Since: 2002, per a single secondary source

  • Old Town Pub: What it is: Downtown pub, open to midnight; Where: Lincoln Avenue; Since: not listed

  • Besame: What it is: Tapas and cocktails, opens at 4pm; Where: Lincoln Avenue; Since: not listed

Founding years are thin here, most Steamboat venues do not publish one, and we would rather leave a blank than invent a date.

Getting there and parking

Yampa Valley Regional at Hayden is 22 miles west. Denver is 157 miles and about three hours, I-70 through the Eisenhower Tunnel, then CO-9 north and US-40 west over Rabbit Ears Pass at 9,426 feet. That pass takes a lot of snow and closes for short periods in heavy storms, the resort publishes an alternate route for when it does. Upper Knoll is the free base lot; the Meadows, Lower Knoll and the garages are paid.

What the place is about

Howelsen Hill, across the river from downtown, opened in 1914 and is the oldest continuously operating ski area in North America. It is city-owned, it still runs, and it has produced 89 Olympians. The town claims more Winter Olympians than any other in North America.

The Winter Carnival dates to the same year, started by Carl Howelsen, the Norwegian who brought ski jumping here. The event that tells you most about the place is the Cowboy Downhill, created by local Olympian Billy Kidd and six-time world champion cowboy Larry Mahan, in which rodeo riders race down on skis. Ranching came first and never left.

For an evening that is not a bar: Old Town Hot Springs sits downtown on Lincoln Avenue. Strawberry Park Hot Springs is about forty minutes out, and the road is genuinely rough in winter, the chamber advises taking the shuttle rather than driving it without four-wheel drive.

What to wear after riding

Steamboat is the one on this list where you will actually change twice: once at the base after riding, and maybe again before going downtown. The bus ride, the walk along Lincoln Avenue and the hot springs afterwards all want the same thing, a dry cotton layer that is comfortable for hours, under a jacket when you are outside in single-digit lows.

From our line: Red Panda Knit Sweater · Powder Chaser Mock Neck · SNO Mountain Sweatshirt. Or browse the all-cotton styles, or work out which cut suits you.

Common questions

How far is downtown Steamboat from the ski resort?

About three miles. A free city bus runs between the base and Lincoln Avenue, so most people leave the car and ride it.

Is après better at the Steamboat base or downtown?

They are different. The base has the ski-in bars at Ski Time Square and is where the day ends. Downtown Lincoln Avenue is a real town with pubs and restaurants in older buildings, and is where the evening usually goes.

What is there to do in Steamboat besides drinking after skiing?

Old Town Hot Springs is downtown and open into the evening. Strawberry Park Hot Springs is about forty minutes out, with a shuttle recommended in winter because the road is rough.

What time do the lifts close at Steamboat?

The resort does not publish a closing time on its hours page, it lists season opening dates and notes hours are weather dependent. Night skiing opens December 17. Check the posted hours for the day you are riding.

Other resort guides

Breckenridge, Colorado · Vail, Colorado · Copper Mountain, Colorado, or see all of them.

Sources

Lift hours, venue hours and parking rates change by season and sometimes by day. Everything above was checked on 2026-10-11; check the resort's own posted hours before you plan around them.