Trips in Glenwood Springs Colorado and its Surroundings
♦ Routes (free): Detailed travel itineraries in USA
General:
Glenwood Springs is a town of about ten thousand residents in the state of Colorado which is famous for its hot springs. It is located in the heart of the Colorado Rockies, about 250 km west of Denver city and is also close to two prestigious and famous resort towns, Aspen and Vail, which are recommended to visit for a day trip from there. The town sits at the meeting point of two rivers: the Colorado River and the Roaring Fork River, which add beauty and various recreational options on the rivers.
In Glenwood Springs, it is recommended to stay 3-4 nights to enjoy the variety of options it offers, which include: three recommended hot springs sites that differ from each other and it is recommended to enjoy at least two of them, an amusement park for the whole family located at the top of a mountain reached by a scenic cable car ride, stalactite caves, quiet or adventurous rafting on the river, kayaks, SUP (paddleboard), and fishing. In the evening, it is recommended to see a recommended comedy show that includes a meal.
Glenwood Springs can be combined in a trip with the spectacular nature parks Arches and Canyonlands in Utah, which are located about a three-hour drive west from it, and the national park in western Colorado: "Black Canyon of the Gunnison" located about two and a half hours drive southwest of it.
♦ Recommended Hotels in Glenwood Springs
Hotel Glenwood Springs
A 4-star hotel adjacent to the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park cable car, featuring an indoor heated pool with water slides and a hot tub, free internet, and free parking.
Residence Inn Glenwood Springs
A high-quality and modern Marriott suite hotel with studio units, units with a bedroom and living room, and two-bedroom units with a living room suitable for 6 people. All units have a fully equipped kitchen, dining area, and workspace. The price includes breakfast. The hotel has an indoor pool and gym. Free internet. Parking for an additional fee. Located next to a shopping center with Target, a supermarket, and restaurants.
Glenwood Suites, Ascend Hotel Collection
A 3-star suite hotel belonging to the "Choice" chain. Located in the western part of town, near the river. The hotel has a gym. The price includes breakfast. The hotel has free underground parking and free internet.
Weather:
The weather in the area is alpine with low humidity in summer and temperatures of 24-32 degrees Celsius and in winter -1 to -7 degrees Celsius. In spring and autumn, temperatures range between 16 to 21 degrees Celsius. In summer, it is recommended to travel here from late May to September.
Precipitation: In the months of June, July, and August there is the least rain. From October to April, it also snows.
Average monthly precipitation (mm):
|
Month: |
May |
June |
July |
August |
September |
|
Precipitation: |
45 |
27 |
27 |
32 |
50 |
Attractions in Glenwood Springs
♦ Recommended rafting on rivers in the Glenwood Springs area - book from Viator:
Hot Springs - Iron Mountain Hot Springs
This hot springs site is located on the bank of the Colorado River flowing through the town. This site is the newest in town. The site has 16 pools of hot mineral water at temperatures of 37-42 degrees Celsius. One large pool and the rest are small and intimate. There is also a freshwater hot tub.
In two of the pools, the floor is covered with river pebbles for foot massage. The water in the pools is constantly refreshed so that the water in them is completely replaced every two hours. The site has a locker room with lockers and showers as well as a restaurant / cafe. The place is decorated with vegetation and various statues, and its location on the riverbank gives bathers a lovely view of the flowing river next to it where ducks swim with their ducklings, kayaks, and tube boats. From the pools, you can also overlook the Rocky Mountains surrounding the town.
Reservations must be made in advance for the desired time as stay time at the site is limited to 2.5 hours. Coordination and limitation of stay ensure the place won't be crowded, and indeed sometimes you can even be alone in certain pools. Address: Centennial St, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601, United States281
Hot Springs and Resort – Glenwood Hot Springs Resort
This veteran site founded back in 1888 includes a hotel and spa with two pools: the smaller and hotter one is 30x12 meters with mineral water at a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius, and the large one is the world's largest mineral water pool, containing over a million gallons of water.
The temperature in this pool is 32-34 degrees, allowing for a long stay in the water. The water flows into it at a rate of 3.5 million gallons a day, meaning all the water is replaced approximately every seven hours. The length of the large pool is 123x30 meters. The large pool has three areas: one for soaking where you can stand, the second with 4 defined lanes for swimming, and the third with deep water and a diving board. Occasionally, a sports class for bathers is given in the pool with various gymnastics exercises. Around the pools are many lounge chairs, some shaded for the comfort of bathers. Private cabanas can also be rented. For children, there are also water slides near the large pool. Address: N River St, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601, United States401
♦ Off-road vehicle and horse trips in the Glenwood Springs area - book from Viator:
Hiking Trail – Hanging Lake
A very steep trail defined as medium to hard difficulty level. It climbs over 1000 feet (more than 300 meters) and is 1.2 miles long each way. The trail partly consists of carved or natural stairs and sloped paths. The trail is inside a deep, steep canyon rich in vegetation and trees with steep cliffs on the sides and a small stream flowing along it.
At the peak, you reach a waterfall falling into a small lake with some fish. Swimming in the lake is forbidden. During midday when there is sun, the color of the lake water has a beautiful turquoise hue.
From the peak, a beautiful view of the canyon is revealed. For those interested, you can climb a little further above the lake. The trail is intended for those who want a challenging nature trail. Keep in mind that the ascent alone takes between one to two hours depending on your fitness. The descent takes about an hour. The trail is considered very popular in the area and therefore requires making a reservation well in advance (including payment) on the site mentioned earlier. Address: Hanging Lake, I-70 East of, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601, United States
"Glenwood Caverns" Amusement Park
This is the only amusement park in America located at the top of a mountain. This park is reached via a cable car – a gondola called – Glenwood Caverns Gondola.
3 different types of tickets can be purchased: cable car ride only, cable car + entry to stalactite caves, and cable car + caves + amusement park. The view from the cable car is very beautiful, seeing the town, the river flowing through it, and the mountains around it.
The amusement park has a recommended alpine slide, two medium roller coasters, a zipline, a giant swing over a chasm, a chair carousel, and various rides for small children including fossil hunting in sand and special stones (for an extra fee).
The park has restaurants and stalls as well as live music. The site has two stalactite caves that differ from each other, and in each of them, a guided tour of about 40 minutes is held with explanations about the cave and the various stalactite formations.
The address for the cable car station: Glenwood Caverns Gondola base, Glenwood Springs, CO
Comedy Show with Dinner - Vaudeville Show
In the evening, it is worth seeing a recommended comedy show that has been running for 11 years called Vaudeville Show, which includes a dinner where the waiters are also the show's actors. The dinner menu is not identical for everyone; guests order food and drinks as they wish from the menu and pay for what they ordered. The show takes place on Friday and Saturday evenings. Occasionally there are also music shows.
The comedy show is recommended and is also suitable for families with older children and teenagers who understand English. The show price is cheap, about $25 not including food and drinks. The show takes place in a theater called Vaudeville Revue located in the city's historic center. Address: Grand Ave, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601, United States915
Trips in the Glenwood Springs Area
Resort Town Aspen
Aspen Aspen is located less than an hour's drive (67 km) southeast of Glenwood Springs and is considered the most prestigious ski town in Colorado. In its cute and well-maintained center, there are shops from the most prestigious chains like Gucci, Prada, and Louis Vuitton, many restaurants, galleries, and more.
The town of about 7000 residents is located at an altitude of about 2400 meters above sea level with comfortable and pleasant alpine weather in summer. The town is indeed famous thanks to its winter sports in the surrounding ski resorts, but in summer it also has plenty of active trip and holiday options to offer tourists who visit it, including mountain hiking trails, bike tours, horseback riding, various types of boating in the river crossing it, zipline, various festivals, markets, and more, all in pleasant and comfortable summer weather that is not too hot like in many other states in summer.
On Saturdays, there is a market with many stalls selling diverse products, fruits, sculptures, souvenirs, various foods, and even dogs.
For those who wish to stay in this town, accommodation in it is significantly more expensive than in Glenwood Springs, especially in summer and winter. In September prices are lower and it is still great to visit thanks to the fall colors and the town is also not too crowded with travelers.
John Denver Sanctuary - Garden in memory of singer John Denver
Near the visitor center and on the riverbank, there is a beautiful garden with sculptures, seating areas, small water pools, rocks, and diverse vegetation which is dedicated to the famous singer John Denver who wrote many songs including about the Rockies and Colorado where he lived and loved.
On the rocks in the garden are written various proverbs and songs by John Denver and other people. Address: Rio Grande Pl, Aspen, CO 81611, United States470
Cable car for observation and hiking – Buttermilk cable car
In Aspen, there are two places where you can go up by cable car to the peak of the nearby mountains. One is in the town center near the Aspen Ski Resort hotel and the second northwest of Aspen called Buttermilk cable car. It is recommended to take the cable car to the mountains from where a spectacular view of the mountains and the town of Aspen is seen. It is also desirable to go for a walk on one of the trails at the peak. (Check which of them is active and when open). At the mountain peak of the Buttermilk cable car is a restaurant called Cliffhouse overlooking the beautiful view.
The base station for this cable car is at the resort called Buttermilk Ski Resort. Address: CO-82, Aspen, CO 81611, United States38700
Scenic trip to a mining town
It is recommended from Aspen to drive on a scenic winding road to a ghost town, a mining town (was known for its silver mines) at the top of the mountain that was abandoned Ashcroft Ghost Town . In the town, walk among the historical buildings and especially be impressed by the amazing landscape.
Resort Town Vail
Vail Vail is another prestigious, popular, and recommended ski town. It is located about an hour's drive east of Glenwood Springs. (About 150 km west of Denver).
The old city center of Vail is full of restaurants, cafes, shops, and galleries and has a cable car to the mountains called Gondola One at Address: Gondola One – Base, Vail. This gondola reaches the mountain where there is a beautiful view and a restaurant. In the city center in the pedestrian square in the main square, you can occasionally watch a free music show.
The town has a newer area located about 1.2 km west of Vail's old center called Lionshead Village. It is also full of restaurants, cafes, shops, and galleries and the visitor center is also located there. There is also a free parking lot in the area.
During my visit, there was a GoPro fair with various sports competitions, a long-distance dog jumping competition into a water pool, and there were many dogs with their owners in the streets.
In Lionshead, there is also a cable car station for those interested in a scenic mountain trip called Eagle Bahn Gondola. At the mountain peak reached by this cable car, there are many amusement facilities at the site called Epic Discovery including: a long alpine slide, a ropes park, a climbing wall, a zipline, and tubing. Tickets for this park are available near the cable car station at the Epic Discovery Ticket Office at Address: Lionshead Center, Vail, CO 81657, United States520
Segway tour in Vail
A recommended way to get to know a place is with a guided Segway tour where in a short time of about two hours you can visit many places without getting tired while receiving explanations from a local guide who knows the place well.
The company offices are located in the lobby of the Evergreen Lodge hotel located between the city center and the new area. You can park in the hotel parking lot. The Segway tour included a visit to the Vail pedestrian mall in the city center and then to the park named after Betty Ford, wife of the former US president. In the park are lovely botanical gardens of alpine vegetation, sports fields, walking paths, and an amphitheater. From the park, you can see the view of the mountains surrounding the city and the forests around it.
The tour also passes by luxurious private homes of the wealthy living in Vail, including the house where President Ford used to vacation. The tour continues through the Lionshead Village area between the streets and squares and from there continues on West Forest Road along which are the most prestigious houses in Vail overlooking the mountains and the river.
Recommended travel itinerary including Glenwood Springs:
The proposed itinerary is between Denver and Moab including on the way Glenwood Springs, Vail, Aspen, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and Arches and Canyonlands parks.
Glenwood Springs is located between Denver, Colorado, and the wonderful parks of Utah: Arches and Canyonlands near the town of Moab. Integrated into the route are the towns of Vail and Aspen as well as Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. The trip can be started or ended in Denver. After (or before, depending on where the trip starts) the trip to Arches and Canyonlands parks, you can end the trip in Las Vegas in a travel route including the famous parks of the West: Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Zion Park, and Lake Powell and its surroundings.