The Yampa River Botanic Park is a six-acre botanical garden in the heart of Steamboat Springs. Tucked away in a valley next to the Yampa River at an altitude of 6,800 feet, the Park experiences a frost-free growing season of just 60 days, with warm, dry summers and cold, snowy winters.

  • What types of plants thrive in the Yampa River Botanic Park?
    • Due to the high altitude, vastly different summer and winter temperatures, and elevated levels of ultra-violet, the Yampa River Botanic Park features an array of native species, mostly perennials that thrive in these harsh conditions, as well as various other high and low altitude species from around the world.
  • How many gardens are in the Yampa River Botanic Park?
    • The Yampa River Botanic Park is home to 50 different gardens, ranging from herb and hidden gardens to pioneer and pond gardens.
  • What events take place at the Yampa River Botanic Park?
    • The park is a popular venue for weddings and other special functions, including classical and contemporary music concerts held at lunchtimes, known as ‘Music on the Green.’
  • What activities are held on The Green?
    • The Green is also used for yoga, live theater, opera, and other activities.
  • What features does the Children’s Garden offer?
    • The popular Children’s Garden features a playhouse, an amphitheater, bird nests, and hands-on garden activities.
  • What is Trillium House?
    • The Yampa River Botanic Park’s headquarters are based at Trillium House, which houses restrooms for the public, a small office, and a meeting room with a kitchen offering beautiful views of Emerald Mountain and the Yampa River.
  • Can Trillium House be used for events?
    • The conference room can seat up to 30 people inside and over 100 on the patio, making it a great location for intimate weddings and public functions.

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1. Yampa River Botanic Park Gardens

Yampa River Botanic Park Gardens


  • How many gardens are in the Yampa River Botanic Park?
    • The Yampa River Botanic Park is home to 50 different gardens, including an Iris Garden, a Medicinal Herb Garden, a Children's Garden, a Tranquility Garden, a Rainbow Garden, a Rose Garden, and a Spring Bulb Garden, among many others.
  • What is special about the Botanic Walk Garden?
    • The Botanic Walk Garden rests at the northern entrance to the park and features native red osier dogwoods, narrow leaf cottonwood trees, and riverine Hawthorns.
  • What can you find in the Blue Garden?
    • The Blue Garden is one of six Rainbow Gardens that produces sweet-smelling grape hyacinths in spring, blue iris, monkshood, and balloon flowers in summer.
  • What is unique about the Crevice Garden?
    • The Crevice Garden is located in the Hummingbird Neighborhood and uses flat rocks to create crevices where alpine rock plants grow.
  • Where is the Lily Garden located?
    • The Lily Garden is in the Sundial Neighborhood and puts on a stunning show of lilies all summer long.
  • What can you find in the Medicinal Herb Garden?
    • The Medicinal Herb Garden is an elegant garden with dry-stone beds and a lovely patio, featuring medicinal herbs from all over the world.
  • What flowers bloom in the Coreopsis Corner?
    • The Coreopsis Corner is a beautiful three-season garden featuring pasque flowers in the spring, Columbine in June, and coreopsis in the summer and fall.
  • What is special about the Garden for All Seasons?
    • The Garden for All Seasons has an array of plants, shrubs, and trees growing among massive sandstones that bloom continuously between spring and fall.
  • What can visitors find in The Hidden Garden?
    • The Hidden Garden is a sheltered cove surrounded by tall cottonwoods and features an array of shade-thriving flowers, a beautiful trillium, and the ‘Little Bear’ sculpture.

2. Yampa River Botanic Park Attractions

Yampa River Botanic Park Attractions


  • What makes the Penstemon Garden unique?
    • The world’s only garden dedicated to the genus Penstemon, the Penstemon Garden honors the plant, which originates in the Rocky Mountains, with over 273 species, of which 60 are native to Colorado.
  • What can visitors find in Jeff's Garden?
    • Jeff's Garden is a lovely south-facing garden that boasts volcanic rocks found on the sides of the Flat Top Mountains and containers filled with seasonal plants and shrubs.
  • What blooms in the Spring Bulbs Garden?
    • The Spring Bulbs Garden is full of crocus, daffodils, hyacinths, and tulip bulbs that burst into bloom during the spring.
  • What is special about the Foliage Garden?
    • The Foliage Garden is a shady grove that focuses on leaves instead of flowers, featuring plants like Lungworts, Hostas, and Ornamental Grasses.
  • What does Sascha's Rock Garden feature?
    • Sascha's Rock Garden overlooks the Yampa River and features alpine blooms from around the world.
  • What is grown in the Annuals Garden?
    • The Annuals Garden is home to a variety of annuals that are replanted every year.
  • What can visitors find in the Rose Garden?
    • The Rose Garden has a variety of shrub roses grown in a manicured garden of raised beds next to West Creek.
  • What makes Dorothy’s Garden special?
    • Dorothy's Garden is a dry xeric garden with an array of native plants that attract a variety of pollinators.
  • What is the Stumpyland Fairy Garden?
    • The Stumpyland Fairy Garden is a beautiful place for children to explore, discover, and use their imagination to learn more about plants and the environment in which they live.
  • What sculptures can be found at the Yampa River Botanic Park?
    • The Yampa River Botanic Park is also home to an array of sculptures dotted throughout the Park, including The Turtle, The Frog, Peter, Cherish, The Trumpeter, Nammu, Wings, Buddha, The Stag, and the Apollo Armillary Sundial.

3. Yampa River Botanic Park Visitor Information

Yampa River Botanic Park Visitor Information


The Yampa River Botanic Park is located at 100 Pamela Lane in Steamboat Springs and is open to the public for free from dawn to dusk from May through October.

1000 Pamela Lane, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487, Phone: 970-846-5172

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