Outdoor recreation possibilities surround Craig, Colorado. In the summer months, you might choose to hike, fish, canoe, swim, whitewater raft, dirt bike, take wildlife photos, four-wheel drive, mountain bike, horseback ride, golf, kayak and camp. In the winter, come to hunt, ice skate, ice fish, snowmobile, and cross-country ski. The Craig City Park facilities include a swimming pool, wave pool, tennis, volleyball and basketball courts as well as a playground and picnicking area. The Yampa Valley Golf Course winds along the scenic Yampa River. While golfing, you might see elk, eagles, deer, geese and a large variety of birds among the wildlife that abound here. Loudy Simpson Park, south of Craig along the Yampa River, has hiking trails, great fishing spots, a place to launch your raft or canoe, groomed cross-country ski trails and snowmobile trails in the winter and an enclosed ice skating rink. The Yampa River State Park encompasses the Elkhead Reservoir where you can choose to enjoy flat-water sports such as water skiing, or access the Yampa River for river recreation, such as whitewater rafting.

Moffat County is a popular mountain biking area, the surrounding Yampa Valley and its 85-mile namesake trail, offers fat-tire riding through Craig and all the way into Dinosaur National Monument in the far northwest corner of the state. Access to four-wheeling, fishing, rafting and hiking also abounds. Home to elk, deer, antelope, mountain lions and golden as well as bald eagles, the Yampa Valley is a photographer’s paradise. Nearby, view Ancestral Puebloan rock art at the Sandrocks Nature Trail and Petroglyphs.

Craig’s slow-paced charm is augmented by the fact that it’s just 15 miles from Routt National Forest and is surrounded by quiet Bureau of Land Management land. Elkhead Reservoir, nine miles northeast of town, is a popular swimming, water skiing and boating area during the summer months, and Yampa River State Park is just 14 miles away.

Moffat Country is revered for its extraordinary canyon beauty. And we’re not the first to think so. Ancient Fremont Native Americans left stories of their lives in the form of rock art. Their carved petroglyphs and pictographs are showcased in “desert varnish,” a phenomenon that is created when iron and manganese oxidize into a dark sheen over red rock. You’ll find them throughout the many scenic canyons of Moffat Country.

Some of our best river canyons are located in Dinosaur National Monument, rivaling those of the Grand Canyon. So don’t just stop at the dinosaur bones. Pick up a map and take the scenic drives to Harper’s Corner, Echo Park, and the Gates of Lodore. Irish Canyon is another one of Moffat’s canyon treasures where wildlife is seemingly everywhere and petroglyphs are very accessible.

ATV/Four Wheeling

Bird Watching/Ornithology

Brown’s Park

Dinosaur National Monument Park

Good Vibes River Gear offers gear rentals and vehicle shuttles!