Trail Fest runs alongside the Yampa Valley Crane Festival, hosted by our friends at Colorado Cranes, with four days of guided crane viewings, bird walks, expert speakers, live raptors, films, and family activities across Steamboat Springs, Hayden, and Craig. Most sessions are free, and many fill up fast.

Registration is open now. Browse the full schedule and reserve your spot at coloradocranes.org/festival.

Kick off the weekend with three Crane Festival sessions in town:

• 1 – 2:15 PM MT: “Indigenous Peoples of the American Southwest and Their Relationships with Sandhill Cranes,” Library Hall at Bud Werner Memorial Library
• 4 – 6 PM MT: Crane Festival Happy Hour at The Press, 1009 Lincoln Ave.
• 6:15 – 7:30 PM MT: Film screening, “A Young Crane’s Long Journey,” Library Hall at Bud Werner Memorial Library

These are Crane Festival events. Check availability and register at coloradocranes.org/festival.

A guided morning walk at Fish Creek Falls with Crane Festival naturalists. Bring binoculars if you have them, sturdy shoes, and a layer for the morning chill.

This walk is currently full, but the waitlist is open at coloradocranes.org/festival. Heads up that it overlaps with our community stewardship event, so you will need to pick one.

Join us at the Three Island Trailhead near Seedhouse Campground for a morning of trail work with the U.S. Forest Service, Yampatika, and Routt County Riders. We will clear corridor and give this stretch of the CDT some care before the fall. No experience needed, and we will teach you everything you need to know on site. Bring water, lunch, sturdy boots, work gloves, and layers.

Space is limited and registration is required. Sign up here.

Join CDTC at Storm Peak Brewing for a specialty beer release and CDT giveaways. You won’t want to miss a chance to win awesome door prizes from Big Agnes, Osprey, Mountainsmith, Eagle Creek, Katabatic Gear, and more! Plus $1.00 of every purchased beer that evening goes back to support the CDT!

Free to attend. RSVP so we know you are coming.

A family-friendly race along the CDT starting at the Monument parking lot at the summit of the old Rabbit Ears Pass road. The 10K (6.8 miles) starts at 10 AM and the 5K (3.4 miles) starts at 10:05 AM. 

Advance registration is required and this one has a fee: $45 for the 10K and $30 for the 5K, with discounted rates for ages 17 and under. Race-day registration closes at 9:45 AM and is subject to permit limits, so register early at runningseries.com.

The heart of the weekend. Meet the local organizations caring for public lands in the Yampa Valley! Come get your camping/hiking gear repaired by Big Agnes, meet the team at Yamaptika, and make sure to claim your freebie “Backpacker Bundles” from the Steamboat Chamber of Commerce! Plus, don’t miss out on special CDT activities and prizes.

Free and open to everyone. RSVP for the Expo.

Close out the weekend, and Steamboat’s summer concert season, at the base of Howelsen Hill with Anders Osborne. Food trucks and drinks on site. The Expo wraps right before the music starts, so you can walk straight from one to the other.

Free, no ticket needed. Details at keepinitfree.com.

Steamboat Springs is a proud CDT Gateway Community, and the whole weekend is walkable or a short bus ride from downtown.

• Lodging: SpringHill Suites is offering a discounted rate for Trail Fest attendees. 
• Parking and transit: Free parking and free bus service serve the downtown venues, including Howelsen Hill.
• Saturday Stewardship Project: CDTC will be running a volunteer shuttle Sunday morning between 10-11am from Rabbit Ears Pass Trailhead after the start of the race. We will drop people off downtown near the Rabbit Ears Lodge and Howelson Hill for the TrailFest Expo. 
• What to Bring: Early September at elevation swings from frosty mornings to warm afternoons. Layers, sun protection, and more water than you think you need.

Learn more about Steamboat Springs and the other towns along the trail on our Gateway Communities page.

A: While Labor Day is a busy time in Steamboat Springs and local ordinances prohibit camping in city parks/open spaces, there are a couple options: 

• Spring Hill suites is offering a discount for TrailFest attendees at their locations.
• Rabbit Ears Motel usually has the cheapest rates directly through their website. Other places to check out would be the Western Lodge, Nordic Lodge, Gravity Haus, and the Sheridan. 
• Don’t forget about the KOA campground near downtown as well! 

A: There are several options available during the weekend:

• On Saturday, CDTC volunteers will be doing trail work along the Three Island Lake connector trail. If hikers are in the Seedhouse area around 1pm, there will be a volunteer shuttle back to town. 
• CDTC will be running a volunteer shuttle Sunday morning between 10-11am from Rabbit Ears Pass Trailhead after the start of the race. We will drop people off downtown near the Rabbit Ears Lodge and Howelson Hill for the TrailFest Expo. 
• While most people come to Steamboat from Highway 40 near Rabbit Ears, Buffalo Pass and the Seedhouse campground area are other great ways to get a ride into town. 
• Reach out to [email protected] for help with coordinating rides.

A: Steamboat Springs offers a free bus service all over town, from the resort, up to north side of town near Storm Peak Brewing. For more info about the town, visit CDTC’s website here or the Chamber of Commerce page. 

A: Reach out to our Colorado State Regional Representative, Jordan Williams by emailing [email protected].