The first stop on our 6-month road tour was in Steamboat Springs, CO to meet the Hala Crew and pick up two new paddle boards to use as we travel. We’ve been using their paddle boards for our guided tours in Chattanooga for the past 4 years and absolutely love them. Hala offers a wide variety of paddle board options that accommodate a wide variety of paddling styles and body types, which was perfect for our guided tours and a big reason why we chose them over other brands.
It was awesome to finally meet Colleen and the rest of the crew in person. While we were there, we learned that Hala is now a woman-owned business! This made our hearts so happy! Colleen (the new owner) and Peter (former owner) invited us to join them on the local town run on the Yampa River.
The Yampa River flows 250 miles through northwestern Colorado and runs through the heart of Steamboat Springs, CO. It’s a free-flowing river with Class II-III whitewater rapids. Despite my experience as a whitewater rafting guide on the Ocoee River for 17 years, whitewater paddle boarding is a whole different experience. And Michelle doesn’t have much whitewater experience at all, let alone trying to stand through rapids. But, we decided to give it a try because when in Rome and when invited to hang with the cool kids, you say yes! Plus, this road tour is all about pushing ourselves outside our comfort zones and trying new things!
Colleen and Peter rolled out the red carpet by providing whitewater boards, dry suits, and a shuttle. We couldn’t turn down their generosity! They also made Michelle and I feel very comfortable by offering whitewater paddling tips and tricks as we paddled the river with them. Enjoy this video of our 5-mile paddle experience on the Yampa.
We only had 24 hours to spend in Steamboat Springs so here’s a breakdown of what we did.
Upon arrival in this quaint mountain town, we enjoyed lunch/brunch at Winona’s Restaurant and Bakery. This woman-owned business has been around for over 25 years and the food was phenomenal!
After filling our bellies, we enjoyed a short walk around town and checked out the river. Then we headed over to Hala to pick up our new boards and meet the crew. They gave us some recommendations on where to camp and play. After leaving the warehouse, we picked up some provisions at the Natural Grocer in town and then enjoyed a casual bike ride on the Yampa River Core Trail. The Yampa River Core Trail is a 7.5-mile paved multi-use trail that runs through the heart of Steamboat Springs and along the Yampa River. The Core Trail ties all aspects of Steamboat together: it’s a straight shot from one side of town to the other, but more importantly, it brings people of all ages onto one path to enjoy the outdoors. We witnessed this firsthand as we passed folks using the trail, fishing, playing on the ball fields, or just relaxing by the river. We especially like riding on the little gravel trail that paralleled the paved trail and cruising around the boardwalk in Rotary Park.
As the sun was setting on our ride, we decided it was time to find a campsite. We tried to camp at Dry Lake Campground, which is located 8 miles northeast of Steamboat Springs on Buffalo Pass, but it was still closed for the season. So we ended up boon-docking in a pull-out nearby and happened to catch a fox catching dinner. It was quite the treat. Another camp option that was recommended was Strawberry Park Hot Springs. They don’t allow vans/RV’s so we didn’t choose this one, although we were tempted by the hot springs.
We cooked dinner and breakfast out of the van. We met up with Colleen and Peter for our paddle adventure the next morning and we ate lunch at Cruiser’s Sub shop after our paddle before rolling out. All and all, it was a really fun 24 hours in Steamboat and we wished we could have stayed longer.
If you’re in the market for a new paddle board, be sure to check out Hala’s lineup! You can even save $100 when you use discount code Sunshine at checkout. 🙂
LINK TO PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/nJFuGC181Bk2vAxW7