On County Road 36 After November 1, the Strictest Rule Is the One That Counts
"The whole purpose of closing the road is to keep people from trying to go up. It makes no sense for them to be checking people's tires if they are already up there."
Routt County Undersheriff Doug Scherar said that to the Steamboat Pilot & Today in February 2020. Hot springs staff had turned away a vehicle at the parking lot, about two miles past the gate where County Road 36 turns from pavement to gravel. Lt. Ryan Adrian of the Sheriff's Office answered the question in the same article. Strawberry Park Hot Springs is a private business, so it can deny service to certain customers.
That exchange still decides how a winter soak goes. From November 1 to May 1, the county's traction rule gets you up the road, and the hot springs' own rule decides whether you get in. The two aren't the same. November 1 is four weeks from today, and the hot springs' online calendar is already taking bookings for November dates.
The county standard is the loosest version on the books. Routt County's October 15, 2002 meeting minutes describe the CR 36 ordinance in force at the time as "4-wheel-drive with snow tires or 2-wheel drive with chains." The Pilot's 2020 summary of county traffic code matches that. It requires chains or four-wheel drive snow tires on county roads from Nov. 1 to May 1 "when dangerous conditions exist," and says multiple signs along the road warn drivers.
The hot springs' own website states its requirement three different ways, depending on the page you land on.
| Where it's written | What it says for Nov 1 to May 1 |
|---|---|
| County code, per 2002 minutes and 2020 Pilot reporting | Chains, or four-wheel drive with snow tires |
| Hot springs homepage and shuttle page | "4WD vehicles equipped with snow tires and/or chains" |
| Hot springs Finding Us page | 4WD with snow tires required; two-wheel drive not permitted "even with chains"; cables and straps not accepted as chains |
| Hot springs pool reservation page | "4X4 WITH SNOW TIRES REQUIRED - NO RENTAL VEHICLES" |
A front-wheel-drive sedan with chains meets the county standard as the Pilot described it. It fails the Finding Us page outright. An all-wheel-drive rental with good tires runs into the reservation page's ban on rental vehicles. The rental clause appears only in the hot springs' booking instructions. None of the county sources reviewed for this post separate rental cars from any other vehicle. Booking is where every visitor ends up, though, so that's where the rule gets applied.
The facility's shuttle page puts it bluntly. Four-wheel drive with appropriate winter tires "is not optional — it is a legal requirement PER ROUTT COUNTY." Whether or not the county code goes that far, plan around the strictest line on the page. That's the version an attendant at the lot can enforce.
The road itself explains the strict standard. The hot springs describes the final two miles as unpaved, steep and winding, though regularly maintained. In 2020, general manager Joe Stepan told the Pilot that staff had tightened enforcement as visits increased. On one Monday night that winter, employees temporarily closed the upper part of CR 36 after a vehicle got stuck sideways and blocked traffic.
On a single gravel lane, one stuck car blocks both directions. Stepan pointed out that some people live on the gravel portion of the road, and a blockage keeps them from getting home. "We want to make sure people can get home at the end of the day," he said. Under county traffic code, a poorly equipped vehicle that gets stuck and blocks traffic can be fined up to $500.
The county's own winter plan for the road dates back to the same 2002 meeting. It called for scoria after plowing and gates at the hot springs and the upper parking lot, and it allowed the gate to be closed after an accident until the road was safe. The gate at the pavement-to-gravel transition lets county officials, and in some cases hot springs staff, stop uphill traffic in bad conditions. When that gate is closed to personal vehicles, the shuttles keep running.
The traction window opens November 1, a Sunday this year. Neither shuttle company switches to its winter schedule that day.
From November 1 through mid-November, the winter driving rule is in effect while both shuttles still run their fall timetables. The Hot Springs Shuttle stays on fall times for three weeks. If you're timing an after-work soak, the pickup you remember from last January probably won't match the one you can book in early November. The age rule holds in every season. The hot springs doesn't permit minors after dark, and The Hot Springs Shuttle limits any trip that's at the springs after dark to adults.
Admission is $30 per adult and $20 for kids 17 and under, cash only. There are no credit cards, no checks and no ATM on site. The Hot Springs Shuttle charges $60 per adult and $40 per child ages 0 to 17, admission and all fees included. Sweet Pea Tours lists $63.60 for adults and $42.40 for ages 0 to 17, which covers round-trip transport, admission and a guaranteed reservation.
At these listed rates, the ride adds $30 per adult with The Hot Springs Shuttle and $33.60 with Sweet Pea. For two adults and two kids, a self-driven visit costs $100 at the gate. The same four people pay $200 on The Hot Springs Shuttle or $212 with Sweet Pea. Shuttle rates come from the companies' live pages as of early October 2026, so check them again when you book.
The extra cost buys three things driving can't. A shuttle seat includes the pool reservation, so you don't book a separate slot. The hot springs asks shuttle riders not to book on its own site, because the shuttles have their own entry times. Shuttles also add capacity when online reservations are sold out. They keep running when weather closes the road to personal vehicles. If you drive, you're limited to two-hour slots that open 30 days ahead, and the hot springs says there's no waitlist. In a snowstorm, a confirmed reservation won't get your car past a closed gate.
The rental-vehicle line matters most for anyone with visitors flying in for the holidays. A guest's rental 4x4 on snow tires still doesn't meet the reservation page's wording, and ride-hail won't fill the gap either. The hot springs doesn't admit Uber or Lyft passengers. That leaves three ways in.
Guests who would rather not drive a steep, winding gravel road in the dark get the simplest option from the shuttle, which is also what the hot springs recommends. Its Finding Us page suggests a shuttle both because parking is very limited and to avoid winter driving hazards.
Forest Service Trail 1169, the Hot Springs Trail, is the one approach that skips County Road 36 entirely. The hot springs says it's open to hiking and biking from Elk River Road and the Mad Creek Trailhead. Hikers must check in with the attendant and pay admission when they arrive. The hot springs also says reservations are required for all pool visits, and its published pages don't promise entry to anyone who hikes in without a reservation.
Winter use is less settled. In December 2010, the Pilot reported that agencies had asked the public to voluntarily stay off Trail 1169 during winter elk season. That was a request, separate from the enforced seasonal closure on Spring Creek Trail 1160 at the time. This research found no current Forest Service statement on whether that request still stands, or on whether skiing or snowshoeing on the trail is permitted. Before you plan a winter hike-in, call the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests.
Over the next four weeks, check that your tires meet the strictest version of the rule. Book shuttle seats for any guests arriving in a rental. Put cash in the glovebox for admission.
Ski season brings a lot of these questions about getting around Strawberry Park, and we're glad to share what we know. If you're weighing what living on or near County Road 36 means for your home's value, Michelle Parilla can walk you through it. Request your free home valuation, and we'll include what we know about this stretch of the valley.
Whether you are looking to buy or sell in Steamboat, she hopes that you will allow her to work for you. Contact her now!