Legend of the Sleeping Giant

Since you will be partying with us at the foot of the mountain known as the Sleeping Giant (you can see him in profile from town and as your shuttle brings you out), we thought we would share with you how “Elk Mountain” is also known as Sleeping Giant.

If you look to the northwest from downtown Steamboat Springs, it’s hard to miss Elk Mountain, and it’s easy to see that the early residents of the Yampa Valley probably couldn’t help trying to explain why the rock formation that fills the horizon looks like a giant sleeping.

The Ute people were friends with a giant, who also lived in the valley and protected them. The two got along fine until the giant fell in love with the songs of a young maiden, who would sing along the banks of the Yampa River every evening. The giant, who only wanted the girl to sing to him, was upset when the maiden stopped coming to the Yampa to sing. The giant learned she had fallen in love with the chief’s son, and that she would rather spend her time singing for him.

In a fit of jealous anger, the giant turned the beautiful maiden into a doe, and the only way to break the curse was for the chief’s son to shoot the giant through the heart using a giant arrow with a stone tip. The warrior spent many days building a giant arrow and bow using a large stone, bird feathers, Aspen trees and deer hides.

One day, the giant realized he had been wrong and that he had forgotten it was his duty to protect the people living in the valley. He explained to the tribe that the chief’s son must shoot him in order to break the curse, and he allowed the young warrior to fire the shot. The arrow found its mark, and the curse was broken. The giant fell to the ground and turned to stone. He remains there today, and his presence protects the people who inhabit the valley.