On the south side of US 40, between Snow Bowl Plaza and the Sleepy Bear Mobile Home Park, crews spent September putting in a new waterline and other utilities, grading, and pouring concrete. The City of Steamboat Springs says the utility work on that stretch was expected to finish by the end of September. The next milestone is a finished trail from Snow Bowl Plaza to the KOA entrance driveway, built by Duckels Construction before the winter construction moratorium starts Nov. 1.
The City's latest public update, posted Sept. 10, still calls the KOA segment a target. As of mid-October we haven't found a later notice saying it's open. If it gets done in the next three weeks, the west side's trail network will be a little longer this winter. It still won't reach across the highway, and its western end is decided by something other than construction. Those two limits shape what this project can do for west-side neighbors over the next year.
What the Fall Segment Actually Adds
The City calls the project an extension of the Yampa River Core Trail west from Snow Bowl Plaza. The plaza is already the point where the hard-surface route toward town begins. The new concrete pushes that route farther out along the highway's south side, ending at the KOA driveway. Back in June, the City Manager's report laid out the same plan: start at Snow Bowl Plaza in September and reach the KOA driveway by the end of October. The schedule has held since summer. The concrete is now running into the calendar.
The reason for the project has stayed the same too. A City project description says people walking or biking west of town have had no connection except road shoulders. It also says the City has heard repeated safety concerns about people on foot and on bikes along US 40, and that the Brown Ranch development could add to that demand. In August 2024, the Steamboat Pilot & Today reported a City news release in which City Manager Gary Suiter called the trail a community priority for more than a decade that would give current and future residents multimodal access to the west. In a separate Steamboat Pilot & Today story that year, Councilor Amy Dickson stressed the need for safe pedestrian and bicycle access on the west side.
The construction contract went to Duckels Construction for $6,811,035. The money comes from CDOT, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Routt County, DOLA, ARPA, and HUD, according to the City's Engage Steamboat project page. That's a lot of agencies for one stretch of trail. It also explains why the work comes in phases tied to construction seasons rather than one continuous build.
The Crossing Comes in 2027
This fall's segment runs along one side of a highway, and many of the homes it's meant to serve are on the other side. The pieces that connect the two are all in the 2027 phase:
| Piece | Status as of the City's Sept. 10, 2026 update |
|---|---|
| Utility work, south side of US 40, Snow Bowl Plaza to Sleepy Bear | Expected done by end of September 2026 |
| Trail, Snow Bowl Plaza to KOA entrance driveway | Target: before Nov. 1, 2026 moratorium |
| Pedestrian tunnel under US 40 | 2027 construction season |
| Utility work under the highway | 2027 construction season |
| Sidewalk connections to Sleepy Bear and KOA entrances | 2027 construction season |
| About 200 feet of sidewalk to the Glen subdivision access road, north side | 2027 construction season |
| Overall completion | Expected by October 2027 |
The City says the tunnel will go in phases so traffic keeps moving both ways on US 40. Drivers should expect lane shifts and lower speeds during next year's work. The update doesn't list any specific US 40 restrictions for this fall. The traffic disruption most people will feel comes next summer, not now.
So the timing works out like this. This winter, the new trail serves people who are already south of the highway between the plaza and the KOA. Next construction season brings the tunnel. Only after that does anyone on the Glen side get a protected route to the plaza without crossing four lanes.
Where the Line Stops, and Who Decides What Comes Next
The Sept. 10 update was unusually direct about where the project ends. It covers about 200 feet of sidewalk on the north side of US 40, out to the Glen subdivision access road. It doesn't include a trail any farther west, and the City says there are no current plans to design or build that extension as part of this project.
According to the City, a future paved trail toward the Steamboat II Metro District boundary near County Road 42 is expected as part of the larger development picture. If the Slate Creek Neighborhood is annexed into the city, that extension would be built as the neighborhood fills in. If the property stays outside city limits, the extension would fall to Routt County.
The older design work shows how far the original plan reached. A 2021 City notice described a sidewalk from Snow Bowl Plaza to the Fournier parcel, a shared-use path along the KOA, a crossing under US 40 near Sleepy Bear, and then a soft-surface trail toward CR 42 near Silver Spur. The Steamboat Pilot & Today put the planned full buildout at 2.4 miles when design began in 2021. The funded project covers the eastern part of that plan, ending at the Glen road. The Silver Spur and Steamboat II end now depends on an annexation outcome, not on a construction schedule.
Winter Upkeep Is Split Three Ways
A trail that opens just before the moratorium will spend its first months under snow, so upkeep matters right away. City engineering standards classify primary and secondary hard-surface trails as maintained year-round, while soft-surface trails are usually seasonal. The City hasn't published a plowing schedule for the new segment itself.
The tunnel phase has clearer terms. The City's project assumptions say it will clear snow from the tunnel and its approaches, budgeting $8,000 to $10,000 a year in tunnel-related operating costs. Sidewalks that run alongside private property stay the neighboring landowner's job. That matches the city ordinance on sidewalks. It requires owners, occupants, or their agents to clear adjoining sidewalks after snowfall, and at least daily from Nov. 20 through April 15. The ordinance covers sidewalks, not city trails. Once the whole project is finished, different parts of the same walk may be cleared by different parties.
What's at the East End
Since the trail grows outward from Snow Bowl Plaza, the plaza is where it begins. Snow Bowl Steamboat, at 2090 Snow Bowl Plaza, has dining and a bar, 12 bowling lanes, arcade games, concerts, and a dog-friendly patio. Its October calendar is regular week to week:
- Happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m., with $2 off drafts, cans, house wine, and well drinks
- Half-price bowling all evening on Thursdays and Sundays
- Cosmic Bowling on Fridays from 8 to 11 p.m.
- Bottomless mimosas on Saturdays for $25
On Oct. 7, Snow Bowl hosted the announce party for the 14th annual WinterWonderGrass, with free music from members of Heads All Empty, Denton Turner, Jay Roemer, Lucas Mouttet, and others. Its November listings so far show only half-price bowling and game-day specials.
A few other west-side spots are open well into the shoulder season. Storm Peak Brewing's west-side taproom at 1885 Elk River Plaza lists daily hours of 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mythology Distillery runs its Steamboat campus at 2875 Elk River Road, in the former Butcherknife Brewing building, as the Steamboat Pilot & Today reported when the campus was finished. The cocktail bar is open noon to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday and 2 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Yield Smash Co. serves from noon to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday and 4 to 8 p.m. the rest of the week. Mythology opened October with a campfire evening on Oct. 1, presented by the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust. Jay Fetcher and CCALT CEO Erik Glenn told stories about Routt County ranching and conservation easements. On Oct. 8 it hosted another campfire night, this one with Friends of the Yampa.
Over on Copper Ridge Drive, Moots Cycles at 2545 Copper Ridge Drive offers free public factory tours Mondays and Fridays from 10 to 11 a.m., with no reservation needed. At the other end of the new segment, the Steamboat KOA stays open year-round and calls Oct. 1 through April 30 its winter season. That means the trail's western end will have activity through the winter.
If you live along this part of US 40 and want to understand how the trail's timeline and the open question of Slate Creek affect your own street, The Metzler Team follows west-side projects like this one closely and is glad to talk it through. Contact Us.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
