Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Glenwood Springs was incorporated 140 years ago and quickly thereafter became a resort town centered around the hot springs and the Hotel Colorado. Many famous people have visited the area such as Doc Holiday, Kid Curry, President Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft. However, it’s roots go back thousands of years as a sacred area of the Ute people who used the hot springs for its physical and spiritual healing properties. Today Glenwood Springs continues its tradition of a resort town and a popular tourist area, and only two and half hours west of Denver.

We arrived in this popular area just as the Labor Day holiday weekend was kicking off. Let’s just say our initial impressions were not great. The amount of people, traffic and general rudeness isn’t our cup of tea. However, we found some great things to do over the weekend which avoided the crowds and then really started to enjoy the town after the holiday weekend warriors returned home.

The Hotel Colorado is an impressive building with lush, landscaped grounds right in the middle of town. The hotel earned its nickname “The Little White House of the West” due to its presidential visitors. Even if you’re not staying at the hotel, be sure to give it a visit and hang out in the garden for a while.

Directly across from the hotel is the historical Glenwood Hot Springs dating back to 1888. The hot springs are probably best known for its world’s largest natural mineral hot springs pool which remains today. The springs mixes its historic culture with somewhat of a waterpark feel, complete with a whitewater river tube ride. If you’re looking for that day spa feel, this may not be the place for you but be sure to walk across the pedestrian bridge and get a look.

If your idea of a hot springs is more along the lines of a therapeutic relaxing day, then Iron Mountain Hot Springs might be your best bet and was our choice. The recently expanded facility now includes over 30 separate soaking pools in varied temperatures and one cold plunge pool. With its location right along the Colorado River, it is a great way to spend a few hours. We specifically liked the globally inspired pools in the 21+ section with the gravel bottoms. Each pool in this section is inspired by different natural hot springs around the world.

The natural hot springs in the area bring other unique opportunities into play such as the vapor caves that you can visit at Yampah Spa and Vapor Caves. These caves, where 125-degree mineral water flows through creating steam, is another natural therapeutic experience. Yampah, an indigenous word, meaning “Big Medicine” was also used by the Ute people for healing and spiritual purposes until the white man drove them out. This was a very unique experience and is said to be the only “natural” vapor cave in North America. It’s also one of those spots to escape the crowds since they restrict the amount of people in the cave and reservations are required.

There are many other things to experience in this mountain resort town for the entire family including Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. This thrill-seeking park is located on a mountain top overlooking Glenwood Springs and accessible via a gondola. We passed on this one, but if you’re traveling with kids this would be a must do.

Just west and north of Glenwood Springs is Rifle State Park which is another one of those state parks that totally exceeded our expectations. When they said “three waterfalls” I didn’t realize it was a triple waterfall all flowing from the same cliffside. The falls are breathtaking but including the short Coyote Trail to the mix will get you behind and above the falls and through several limestone caves to explore. If you’re wanting to explore a little further, include the Bobcat Trail which meanders along a creek and to the “Cascades” and ultimately to the fish hatchery. After visiting the park, head over to Rifle Gap Reservoir for a picnic lunch.

Our other “get away from the crowd” weekend adventure was a drive along part of the scenic West Elk Loop. It takes multiple days to drive the entire loop, but we had two places in mind for a day trip. Our first stop was the town of Redstone to see the coke ovens. The Redstone Coke Ovens, a testament to the town’s coal mining heritage, are beehive ovens that were used to transform coal into coke, a vital component for steel production. These were much better preserved from prior coke ovens we have seen. As a bonus, the tiny little town of Redstone was having an arts festival that day, so we stopped to enjoy that and a snack at one of the local shops.

Our second stop took us six miles outside of Marble Colorado down a rough and narrow 4WD road to Crystal Mill, one of the most photographed sites in Colorado. With a setup like that, we couldn’t miss it. The mill, precariously perched on an outcropping of rock just above the Crystal River, framed by beautiful aspens and a backdrop of stunning mountains, gives it an undeniable visual appeal. The mill was constructed in 1893 to harness the river adjacent to the mill to power the air compressor used for drills in the nearby Sheep Mountain and Bear Mountain mines. Those without capable vehicles can hike or bike the rocky trail to the mill.

Hanging Lake Trail is a short but steep trail ascending over 1,000 feet in just 1.2 miles to a magical natural waterfall and turquoise lake perched on the edge of the mountainside. It’s a very rough trail with lots of natural stairs but extremely rewarding when you reach the top. This national natural landmark, located right of I70 in the Glenwood Canyon, requires advanced reservations through visitglenwood.com to gain access. My 7am reservation was a perfect time to visit this serene paradise with minimal people.

Glenwood Springs is an enjoyable, and very walkable, town (outside of busy holidays) with lots of good restaurants and entertainment. We had a great diner at the Riviera Supper Club and a couple of stops at Sweet Coloradough with the best donuts and breakfast sandwiches on the planet, where you can even get a liqueur infused donut or coffee drink. If you’re staying east of town near Silt, as we did, be sure to check out Miner’s Claim for an excellent meal or drinks.

Glenwood Springs was a perfect example that you shouldn’t always trust first impressions. The town quickly grew on us and there are tons of things to do in the general area. We even feel like there was much that we missed. No matter what direction you’re coming from, it’s sure to be a beautiful drive to this fun and historic town right on the edge of Glenwood Canyon.

Check out our pictures from the Glenwood Springs area.