Steamboat area ???'s local knowledge please

Debating camping up there this weekend. While I am fully aware it is tourist season I am hoping that some of you locals can point me to a Subaru accessible spot off the beaten path. I know I will not be alone but sure would like to not camp on top of someone else.
Looking for:

Spot near water. Friends wife wants to cast a line.
Tree cover
Remote enough to not hear a generator from an RV.

We will be motoing up Thursday AM and the wives will be cagers later in the day. Tent camping. No facilities needed.

Yeah its a long shot but I have had great luck asking before.

We planned on going to CB but heard there were 15,000 hotel reservations for a town of 1,200.....:eek1

TIA and hope you all have an enjoyable upcoming weekend.

( trust me I'd rather not go out this weekend, but happy wife= Happy life. )

get ahold of Tellydoug...

How close are you wanting to be to Steamboat?

Rough weekend to be out but here are some thoughts.

Buff Pass area, likely to be crowded but some streams and small lakes (20 miles about east)

Whiskey park, small little stream full of brook trout. North of Steamboat Lake on the WY border.(50 miles appx north)

Big Red Park, lots of little creeks. Also north of Steamboat Lake. (40 miles north)

Top of Rabbit Ears, on the east side of the pass off(small stream up there is sometimes good fishing, also south towards Harrison Creek(south of 40) 20 miles east

Flat Tops area south of Yampa Co, this is always my choice when I want to cast a line, have some views and camp. 40 miles south

Sherif Res./Yamcola and some others On the Flat Tops Bye-way stream, lake fishing 40 miles south

There are some roughing it spots around Steamboat Lake/Pearl Lake, Hahns Peak Lake also. But none right on the water. Up the MAdsen Peak Road a bit. (25 miles about)

North of Hayden, the California and Slater Park area is nice. Some ponds and rivers/streams. (25 miles North of Hayden)

South of Hayden, Ripple Creek Pass area. Vaughn and Trappers Lake. Upper White River as well as the Williams Fork and some streams (50 miles)

I am sure i missed something, but these are my favorites

I can send you more detailed directions if you want.

Hey jj,

You got a bunch of great ideas there from Norm. Without knowing any more about how far/close you'd like to be from SBS, I'm just going to give you one idea.

Ride up CO129 out of Steamboat heading toward Steamboat Lake. After you drive through Clark, CO you'll cross the Elk River, take a right on Seedhouse Road. Continue on Seedhouse for about 3-4 miles until you go through the gates at the NF boundary. At this point the road will turn to gravel. About 1/4-1/2 mile up from that gate you'll see a few little 2 tracks going off toward the river on the right side. Start looking there. Almost all the camp sites are right on the river and in the trees. If they are all taken, just continue up Seedhouse looking for another spot. There are several. (This leaves you about a 20-30 minute ride into town.)

Lots of stuff going on up here this weekend. Parade (F), rodeo (Th, F, S), fireworks show (F), Big Head Todd plays a free concert on Saturday at the base of the old ski hill in town , etc. etc. There will also be a "small town 4th parade" down in the little town of Yampa that is just a hoot to see. Took one of my sisters down there for that and she still talks about it years later! They have a "ranch polo" game on the main street after the parade. If your gals have room, have them bring bicycles and folding chairs for getting around town and all. Good place to watch fireworks show from is up at CMC parking lot.

Good luck, have fun. Get in touch with any questions.

Rob

I knew I forgot at least one, Seedhouse area is great.

The FS have cleared out all the dead trees along the river up Seedhouse RD (CR64, right just past Clark) in the free camp spot. That is always the old standby for us from Steamboat if you want to be along the water. Other wise people camp north of Hans Peak, up Buffalo Pass (not sure which gates are open yet), up Lynx/Gore pass or up on Rabbit Ears for free. There is also some nice spot up 129( west side), past Steamboat lake.

or Jim's deck if ya bring him some beers

You guys rule!!!

Just had a buddy get back from Buffalo Pass, he said it's muddy and waist deep snow at the top...

sounds like it needs another week or so.
was a gate open or did he hike up?

I rode up Buff pass Tues. evening. the gate was closed.

Don't know where the OP landed?

I rode up Seedhouse this afternoon just to check and see, and say "hello", and extend some Routt Co. hospitality, as well as bearing a few "local gifts" ........ but saw no motorcycles in any of the camp spots.

Too bad too, there were still a few great looking camp sites right on the Elk River, well away from the road, with shaded tent sites, and a good distance from anyone else. Wish I would have had my tent and fishing gear on the bike!

Hope you are having fun, and not feeding too many mosquitoes, wherever you ended up jj!