A Perfect Summer Day at Steamboat Lake

On a summer day in Steamboat Springs, we drove north to Steamboat Lake and rented a pontoon boat from the marina for a half day. We packed fishing poles, beverages, and everything we needed to make cheeseburgers and headed out onto the water.

With Hahn’s Peak in the distance, it turned into one of those nearly perfect Colorado summer days.

Renting a Pontoon at Steamboat Lake

Steamboat Lake is about 25 miles north of Steamboat Springs near the small community of Clark. The drive itself is beautiful, but once we reached the lake, I was glad we had decided to spend part of the day out on the water.

We rented our pontoon from Steamboat Lake Marina. We chose a half-day rental, which ended up being plenty of time to cruise around the lake, fish and have lunch.

One of the best parts was that our pontoon had its own grill.

Before heading to the lake, we had packed everything we needed to make cheeseburgers for lunch. Once we were out on the water, we found a place to stop, fired up the grill and made burgers right on the boat.

Cheeseburgers on a pontoon with Hahn’s Peak in the distance are pretty hard to beat.

Fishing on Steamboat Lake

We also brought our fishing gear and spent some of the time fishing.

There wasn’t really an itinerary once we left the marina. We could cruise for a while, stop and fish, make lunch or simply sit and enjoy the view.

That’s probably what I liked most about the day. There wasn’t anything we needed to see or anywhere we needed to be.

We were just spending an afternoon on a beautiful mountain lake.

Don’t Miss the View of Hahn’s Peak

One of the things I remember most about Steamboat Lake is Hahn’s Peak rising above the surrounding landscape.

The distinctive mountain is one of the landmarks of this part of Colorado, and from the lake you get a wonderful view of it.

It made a pretty spectacular backdrop for our afternoon of boating and fishing.

Ice Cream in Clark

After our half day on the lake, we returned the pontoon to the marina and started driving back toward Steamboat Springs.

But we weren’t quite ready for the day to end.

We stopped at The Clark Store in the little community of Clark and got ice cream. It’s a charming little country store and was exactly the kind of place we wanted to find after an afternoon at the lake.

We took our ice cream outside, sat down and enjoyed it before getting back in the car for the drive to Steamboat.

It was such a simple stop, but it’s one of the things I remember most about the day.

Planning Your Own Steamboat Lake Day

If you’re visiting Steamboat Springs in the summer and have an extra day, Steamboat Lake is an easy way to get out of town and spend some time on the water.

Steamboat Lake Marina rents pontoon boats, and a half-day rental worked really well for us. If having a grill on the boat is important to you, check the specific pontoon you’re reserving to make sure it has one.

Bring lunch, fishing gear if you’d like to fish, and whatever you want for a few hours on the water. During the summer, I would also make your boat reservation ahead of time.

And when you’re finished, don’t be in too much of a hurry to get back to Steamboat Springs. Stop in Clark for an ice cream.