A Bit Out Of The Way
In some ways, Routt County gets overshadowed by the more popular Rabbit Ears Pass and even Buffalo Pass riding areas, located south and east of the area we rode, which was near Hahn's Peak and Steamboat Lake. That's okay, it just means northern Routt County isn't as crowded as Rabbit Ears. In our two days of riding we only saw one other group of sledders and very few tracks, mostly our own.
To northern Routt County's advantage, the riding area is about 25 or so miles north of Steamboat Springs on a narrow two-lane road (County Road 129) which makes it, we guess in some people's minds, hard to get to.
The riding area in northern Routt County is separated from the Buffalo Pass riding area, and farther to the south, Rabbit Ears Pass riding area by the Mount Zirkel Wilderness, so you can't even access northern Routt County by sled, adding to its "isolated" setting.
Steamboat Lake could be considered the unofficial starting point for riding in this part of the county, mostly because that's where some services (gas, food, and lodging) are located at Steamboat Lake Outfitters (800-342-1889) and it's also where the trailheads are. The lake is in Steamboat Lake State Park, which offers a handful of miles of groomed trails for sledding, although most sledders use the trails to access Routt National Forest.
Nearly 150 miles of groomed trails fan out from Steamboat Lake, providing access to superb high elevation riding-Steamboat Lake sits at 8,100 feet and the riding goes up from there-in the shadow of the Continental Divide and other assorted peaks of varying heights, many stretching past 10,000 feet.