Fish Creek Falls Winter Hike Guide
A Fish Creek Falls Winter hike provides all of the beauty you would expect at this set of waterfalls without many of the crowds that the summer months bring. This is a popular short hike located just outside of downtown Steamboat Springs, Colorado. This hike is good year-round but the waterfall is usually frozen December – April each year. For the best flow, its best to visit Fish Creek Falls in May/June when snowmelt from the surrounding areas is at its peak. This hike is family friendly and suitable for those of all hiking levels.
Fish Creek Falls Winter Quick Facts
Fish Creek Falls Rating: ★★★ (3/5 Stars)
Distance: 1.65 Miles RT (both overlook and recreational trails)
Elevation Start: 7,500 ft
Highest Point: 7,800 ft
Total Elevation Gain: 350 ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 1 Hour
Difficulty: Easy What does this mean?
Class: Class 1 – What does this mean?
Season: Year-Round (Expect snow/frozen falls December – April)
Directions to Fish Creek Falls in the Winter
Trailhead: Fish Creek Falls
Getting Here: From Steamboat Springs, turn onto third street, then take a right on Fish Creek Falls road. Continue on this road for about 4 miles until you reach the trailhead. The road is maintained year round and is paved. Hours of Fish Creek Falls are 6AM – 10PM.
Parking: There is a small parking lot that can fit about 20-25 cars, this area will likely get busy on summer weekends. The parking area has a non-plumbing bathroom that is open year-round.
Fees: $5 cash
Summary
Camping: Camping is not allowed at Fish Creek Falls.
Dogs: Fish Creek Falls is dog friendly and has poop bags for dogs at the trailhead. Dogs must be kept on the leash for this hike.
Make it a Loop: Fish Creek Falls is a loop or out and back depending on your route, with options to extend your hike Long Lake which is about 10 miles RT.
Trail X Factors: When hiking Fish Creek Falls, the biggest x factor is the waterfall itself. Visiting December – April? Expect a partially or completely frozen waterfall. Hiking the trail May – July will offer the best flow to the waterfall, while typically it will become drier August – November.
Mick’s Tip: If you want to visit Fish Creek Falls during the winter, I would recommend visiting early in the morning before the snow warms up for the best hiking experience. If you plan on hiking in the afternoon, snowshoes might be required, especially later in the season, as the snow will soften up throughout the day due to rising temperatures and the sun’s rays. During the winter as you get closer to the waterfall, you may notice tracks climbing the snowfall around the frozen waterfall. While this may look enticing, I wouldn’t recommend making the ascent unless you are a very experienced hiker and are confident of the ice thickness.
If you plan on hiking to Fish Creek Falls outside of the winter and want an unfrozen waterfall, I would recommend visiting in the later spring months (May/June) when most of the snow in the area has melted and the waterfall has the strongest flow due to snowmelt in the valleys above.
Best Views: Fish Creek Falls has the best views on the overlook trail and at the base of the falls themselves. I really enjoyed hiking this trail in the winter since it was less crowded and provided beautiful pillows of snow all over the frozen river.
Fish Creek Falls Winter Hike Route
Gear Needed
- Mickey’s Mountain Kit
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Optional: Microspikes
- Optional: Snowshoes (not 100% necessary unless there is fresh snow)
- Optional: Tripod for long exposure pictures
Our Trip to Fish Creek Falls: March 2019
Our trip to Fish Creek Falls was fairly short and uneventful. We visited on a weekday, so we saw no one on our trip to the falls until the way out. Snowshoes were not necessary for us, but the weather was still somewhat cold so the snow was very hard, I imagine this would change later in the spring. I recommend Fish Creek Falls during off-seasons to limit crowds, but it is a quick, dog friendly, family friendly hike.
The start of the overlook trail. 
View of the frozen falls from the overlook trail. 
View of the frozen falls. 
Pillow stacks 
Closer look at the frozen falls. 
An elk who was looking for her breakfast near the falls.