Adult/Family Summer Programs for 2008
You may register using our way cool online adult registration form, or you may call us at (970) 871-9151 or send us email at info@yampatika.org. If you register online or leave us a message, we will contact you within two business days to confirm your registration. If you do not hear from us, please contact us to make sure we have your correct information.
Please be aware that registrations are not final until we receive payment. Please also look at Yampatika's cancellation policy.
Yampatika programs for adults are divided between programs that repeat on a weekly basis and Special Programs that occur only once or twice per summer. Most adult programs are suitable for children 12 and older. You can sign up for any program by calling Yampatika at 871-9151 or clicking on the adult registration form link at the top of this page. Except for the Vista Verde program you do not need to sign up in advance for the weekly programs--you can just appear at the location indicated. You do need to register for all other programs, however.
We do offer need-based scholarships and hope that you will apply if you need it. Application forms are available at Wells.Fargo.Scholarship.Programs08.pdf and Craig-Scheckman Foundation Scholarships.
Weekly Programs
(June 25 - August 30)
Nature Hikes
- FISH CREEK FALLS
- Days: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays
- Times: 10am - 1 pm
- Location: Meet at Fish Creek Falls
- Cost: FREE!
- Only a few miles from town but tucked away between rocky evergreen hillsides, Fish Creek Falls is a peaceful oasis and a popular place for both locals and tourists to get out into nature. Join a Yampatika Naturalist for an informative tour of the falls, creek, and surroundings. Learn about the area's flora, fauna, geology and history. The hike to the falls is moderately strenous on a well-graded trail. In partnership with the U. S. Forest Service.
- VISTA VERDE GUEST RANCH
- Days: Wednesdays
- Times: 2 - 4 pm
- Location: Meet at Vista Verde
- Cost: FREE!
- Explore the beautiful and extensive forests and fields of the Vista Verde Guest Ranch with a Yampatika Naturalist. Are you having visitors? This is a perfect event for entertaining guests. Spaces are limited. Call Yampatika to sign up at 871-9151. In partnership with Vista Verde Guest Ranch.
- VISTA NATURE TRAIL HIKE
- Days: Saturdays
- Times: 11 am & 1 pm
- Location: Meet at top of the Gondola on Mt. Werner
- Cost: FREE Program! -- There is a charge for the gondola.
- Steamboat would not be Steamboat without our ski areas. While the 'champagne powder' has been replaced by sunny green scenery, Mt. Werner. located in the Routt National Forest, is still a fun place to recreate and explore during the summer. Want to know more about our colorful forests of aspen, or learn about the critters that make the Steamboat Ski Area their home? This guided hike is your chance to learn how the natural environment shapes Steamboat and how Steamboat shapes the environment. Click here for a map of the hiking trails on the mountain. In partnership with Steamboat Ski and Resort Corps.
The following hikes are free offerings thanks to our generous partners. They are moderate to moderately strenuous in difficulty. Please wear appropriate hiking shoes and bring your own snacks, water, and sunscreen. Weather can change dramatically in our region. Be prepared for heat or rain!
Special Programs and Field Schools
Spring, Summer, and Fall, 2008
During the summer we offer over a dozen different programs that highlight the environment and our relationship to it. A few of these programs are intended as fund raisers, but most are hikes or trips to natural and historic locations around Steamboat. Scholarships are available, thanks to our generous partners. A minimum of four participants are generally needed to run each of the following programs. Registration is required for these programs. Please call Yampatika at (970) 871-9151 or use the on-line registration form for adult programs.
- LEARNING ABOUT BIRDS
- Date:Saturday, May 10
- Time: 10am to noon
- Location: Carpenter Ranch
- Cost: $10 per adults / $5 per child
- We invite you to attend Yampatika's "Learning About Birds" Workshop at the Carpenter Ranch on Saturday, May 10th from 10:30-12:00 noon. This workshop will help you develop your bird-watching skills for use in your backyard, in the field, and on your travels. This fun event is for everyone who enjoys bird-watching and is appropriate for ages 8 and up. Join Nancy Merrill from the Yampa Valley Birding Club for a free bird walk at the Carpenter Ranch before the workshop form 8 - 10 a.m. "Learning About Birds" is sponsored by Backdoor Sports, Sonja Macys & Chuck Willard and is offered in partnership with the Yampa Valley Birding Club. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children. Please call Yampatika at 871-9151 to sign up.
Register Now!
- BIRDATHON, MAY 17
- We have had to cancel this event, but see the next entry.
- We have had to cancel this event, but see the next entry.
- INTERNATIONAL MIGRATORY BIRD DAY FIELD OUTING
- Date:Saturday, May 24
- Time: 7am to 3pm
- Location: Steamboat Area: Meet at Yampatika
- Cost: FREE!
- Another opportunity to learn about birds is the "International Migratory Bird Day Field Outing" that will be held on Saturday, May 24th from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Meet at the U.S. Forest Service office across from the Holiday Inn east of Steamboat on Highway 40. Join Yampatika's Executive Director, Sonja Macys, U.S. Forest Service District Wildlife Biologist and Region 2 Avian program Coordinator, Robert Skorkowsky and Cheron Ferland, U.S. Forest Service Wildlife Technician for a field outing to see the area's migratory and resident bird species. Practice your field identification skills as you visit different habitat types and learn more about birds' adaptations to their habitats. Designed for backyard bird watchers, beginners and intermediates, too. Loaner binoculars are available. This field outing is offered in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service. It's free and limited to 18 people. Please call Yampatika at 871-9151 to sign up. Also, there are free Bird Walks at the Carpenter Ranch every Saturday in May from 8-10 a.m.
Register Now! - WILD HORSES OF SAND WASH BASIN
- Date:Saturday, June 14
- Time: All day
- Location: Meet at Yampatika at 7am or at the BLM's Craig Field Office at 8am
- Cost: $90
- Join Yampatika for a unique adventure to Sand Wash Basin, west of Craig, to tour the basin and observe herds of wild horses. These are magnificent animals and seeing them in the wild is something you are not likely to forget. This program has been expanded from last year to explore the many environmental and cultural aspects of the Basin and how it is managed. Repeat visitors are encouraged! Transportation and a good lunch is provided. Bring your camera and binoculars if you have them! This program is presented in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management. Sponsored by Lindarose and Richard Berkley..
- SUMMER SOLSTICE EVENT
- Date:Saturday, June 21
- Time: All day
- Location: Meet at Yampatika at 5:30am or at the BLM's Craif Field Office at 6:30am
- Cost: $40 members/ $50 non-members
- Join Yampatika for a special archaeological summer solstice tour of an "archaeoastronomy" (summer soltice) site in Canyon Pintado near Rangely with local astronomer Bill Lawrence. This is an all-day outing that will include visits to other spectacular archeaological sites and rock art panels in the BLM's White River Field District. If you aren't sure whether you want to go on this trip, just look at the Canyon Pintado web site. This program is presented in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management. Sponsored by David and Donna Howell..
- TAKE A LLAMA TO LUNCH
- Date:Saturday, June 28
- Time: 9am to 4pm
- Location: Meet at Yampatika.
- Cost: $75
- Llamas get hungry too! Spend the day on a four-legged adventure by taking a llama to lunch in the Routt National Forest. This program is offered in partnership with the Friends of the Wilderness, and is a wonderful introduction to llama trekking. Llamas and a gourmet lunch will be provided. No experience necessary.
This program is supported by Friends of the Wilderness
Register Now! - LOCAL GEOLOGY WALK WITH NEWELL CAMPBELL
- Date:Saturday, July 12
- Time: 9am to 2pm
- Location: Steamboat Area: Meet at Yampatika
- Cost: $30 members / $40 non-members
- Many of you may have read Newell Campbell's book "Geology Profiles of the Steamboat Springs Area" You can get it from Yampatika if you missed it. Join Newell for a hike exploring local geology and learn more about how our valley was formed. Steamboat so much more interesting when you can look around and recognize how it came to be. Sponsored by Capital Funding Advisors, L.L.C.
- WINDY RIDGE ARCHAEOLOGY HIKE
- Date:Saturday, July 19
- Time: 8am to 3:30pm
- Location: Meet at Yampatika
- Cost: $30 members / $40 non-members
- A U. S. Forest Service archaelogist will lead a hike to Windy Ridge, located near Rabbit Ears Pass. The Windy Ridge quarry dates back at least 8,000 years. This is a five-mile, round-trip hike that will include views of Rabbit Ears and east to the Front Range. Participants must be 12 years or older. Group size is limited to 12 people. In partnership with the Routt National Forest
- For an article about Windy Ridge, click here.
Register Now! - PHOTOGRAPHING NATURE
- Date:Saturday, July 26
- Time: 2pm to 7pm
- Location: Meet at Yampatika
- Cost: $30 members / $40 non-members
- Local photographer Ken Lee will offer a workshop on photography. There will be a classroom session from 2:00-4:00 and then a photography session from 4:00-7:00. If you are not familiar with Ken's incredible work, check out his web site at http://www.kenleephoto.com/site/home.html. Sponsored by First National Bank of the Rockies.
- HISTORICAL/ARCHAEOLOGICAL ADVENTURE
- Date:FRIDAY August 1
- Time: 8am to 5pm
- Location: Meet at Yampatika
- Cost: $30 members / $40 non-members
- Discover one of the hidden historical gems of our area. A specialist from the U. S. Forest Service will lead this program to sites of historical interest in the Yampa Valley. Places you may visit include: a 100 year-old wikiup (a Native American hut) hidden in the forest south of Steamboat Springs. It was most likely built by local Ute Indians around the turn of the last century, and you are not likely to ever see another quite like it in its natural setting! And an old stagecoach stop that has been restored by Historic Routt County! and other organizations. It sits on what is now an abandoned road but was once a major route to Steamboat. The hike to the wikiup is over rough ground for about half a mile, so wear good shoes. Participants must be 12 years or older. In partnership with the Routt National Forest
- FLAT TOPS LLAMA TREK
- We are not able to offer the llama trek this year, but we plan to be back in action next summer.
- Wild Mushroom Foray
- Date:Saturday, August 9
- Time: 8am to 3pm
- Location: Meet at Yampatika
- Cost: $30 members / $40 non-members
- This is another Yampatika favorite. This year we have changed to a one day program. Join us and Bill Emerson on Saturday morning to collect mushrooms. Bill really knows mushrooms, so you can feel safe eating what you collect--and you get to EAT THEM right there!
- HIKE WITH A RANGER
- Date:Saturday, August 16
- Time: 8:30 to 4pm
- Location: Meet at Transit Center
- Cost: $30 members / $40 non-members
- U. S. Forest Service District Wildlife Biologist Robert Skorkowsky will lead a fascinating hike in the Zirkels. He will focus on forest disturbance ecology - both natural and human caused (blowdown, fire, beetles and logging). Starting near the Three-Island Lake trailhead, the hike will allow us to see on all of those disturbance types. If you don't think that this will be a great hike, look at a recent article in Today.Participants must be 12 years or older.In partnership with the Routt National Forest
- PADDLE WITH THE BIRDS
- Date:Saturday, August 23
- Time: 6:30am to 2pm
- Location: Meet at Yampatika
- Cost: $30 members / $40 non-members
- Early morning is when the birds are most active. Join Yampatika's new Executive Director, Sonja Macys, along with local bird expert Dee Bolton, for an early morning paddle to look at water fowl and other bird species. As past Director of the Tucson Audubon Society Sonja has abundant bird knowledge to share. Dee has been birding the Yampa Valley for decades and knows where to find 'em. During last year's Christmas bird count, this dynamic duo found the rarest birds. Join them to see if they can do it again. Sponsored by Colorado Group Realty.
Register Now!
Register Now!
Register Now!
Register Now!
Register Now!
Register Now!
Register Now!
Register Now!
Last updated on April 08, 2008
