Colorado has no shortage of cute mountain towns that make for a perfect weekend getaway, but this one in particular deserves more recognition. Glenwood Springs is the absolute perfect destination for a weekend getaway! Whether you are looking for a fun-filled weekend, a relaxing one, or just want to eat and drink your way through the town, Glenwood Springs has it all!
We first visited this mountain town when we were living in Grand Junction, CO. From there, it’s about an hour and a half drive West. Glenwood Springs sits at almost 6,000 ft and only consists of 10,000 people, which may be one reason we love it so much! The town is cute and quaint and feels like a home away from home.
Glenwood Springs is the perfect destination year-round! In the summer you can hike Hanging Lake and go whitewater rafting. In the winter you can celebrate Christmas at the Adventure Park and relax in the hot springs. Either way, a weekend spent in Glenwood Springs is a weekend to remember.
GLENWOOD CAVERNS ADVENTURE PARK
If you’re looking for fun for the whole family, Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is the place to be! Whether you have kids or not, there are plenty of things to do in the park to keep you entertained for hours! We loved it so much we went twice. The park is fun any time of the year, but during the holidays it’s extra special! You can enjoy live music, holiday food and drinks, thousands of Christmas lights, and even a meet and greet with Santa himself. What’s not to love?!
TICKETS
This adventure park is unique because it sits at the top of the mountain! To access the park, you first need to buy tickets. You can do this online in advance or at the ticket counter at the bottom of the mountain. Tickets can range from $30-$52/person. The difference in ticket prices depends on exactly what you want to do. The cheapest ticket, $30, only includes the gondola ride up the mountain to the park. You will have free range to walk around the park but will not have access to rides or tours. If you don’t like roller coasters or rides, I would recommend this ticket! The gondola ride up to the park is worth it for the views!
The next cheapest ticket is $46. This ticket will give you access to the gondola ride up to the park, and access to both cave tours. The most expensive ticket is $52 (during the winter it’s called the Winter Funday ticket). This ticket will give you access to the gondola ride, cave tours, and a limited selection of thrill rides.
If you attend the adventure park regularly, I would recommend their annual pass! The ticket is $160 and gives you unlimited access to everything already mentioned, plus discounts on food, drinks, and souvenirs. You’ll also have the added benefits of parking, and jumping the line on the rides! Sounds like a steal to me.
RIDES & ATTRACTIONS
Our favorite part about Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park had to be the rides! We both love roller coasters so we had an absolute blast! If you purchase the Winter Funday ticket it comes with access to the Mountain Coaster, 4D Motion Coaster, and Laser Tag. We didn’t play laser tag, but we did the other two multiple times! The 4D Motion Coaster is great for those who don’t like roller coasters but can still enjoy a thrill! You’ll enter a movie theater-like setting, put on your 4D glasses, and a short video will play on the big screen. Your seat will then jostle you around, the wind will blow at your feet, and things will seemingly fly at your face. It’s great.
The Mountain coaster, however, is the main attraction! This is the main reason we headed to the adventure park! If you’ve never been on a mountain coaster, essentially you’re the driver. You control how fast or slow you are going down the mountain. You do this by placing your hands on the handlebars at your side, pulling up to brake, and pushing down to go full speed. The coaster will guide you down the mountain through twists, turns, and ups and downs. At the end of the ride, the coaster will automatically take you back up the mountain where you exit. The Mountain Coaster seats one adult and one small child (if any). If you didn’t purchase the Winter Funday ticket you can still purchase individual tickets for this ride specifically.
The other rides not included (during the winter) are the Defiance Coaster, Giant Canyon Swing, Cliffhanger Rollercoaster, Zip Ride, Canyon Flyer, Wild West Express, and Giddy Up. These are seasonal rides only and cannot operate under cold weather.
CAVE TOURS
The cave tours are open year-round and I highly suggest you visit them! There are two different cave tours, the Fairy Cave Tour and the Kings Row Cave Tour. We did both tours and preferred the Kings Row Cave Tour. Both tours last approximately 40 minutes and welcome most all fitness levels (there are many stairs). If you are afraid of tight spaces I would recommend staying away from Fairy Cave as it has more narrow walkways. Kings Row Cave Tour is pretty spacious at all times.
Kings Row Cave is Colorado’s most decorated cave tour. It was beautiful! You’ll see incredibly long stalagmites and stalactites, passageways that the first explores took, and a magnificent room set up for a light show. This tour was one for the books and great for any time of the year considering it’s a cave and stays at a consistent 52 degrees year-round.
GLENWOOD SPRINGS HOT SPRINGS
If you’re looking for more of a relaxing getaway I have just what you need, a nice long hot soak at the hot spring pools nearby. Hot springs are the perfect way to fully embrace R&R, especially during the winter! However, they are open year-round. If you’ve never been in or even near a hot spring you might be a little taken aback by the smell. To put it bluntly, it smells like rotten eggs. But have no fear, it’s completely natural! You can read more about why hot springs have such a distinguished smell here.
There are two great options for soaking in hot springs in Glenwood Springs, Iron Mountain Hot Springs and/or Glenwood Hot Springs. You can’t go wrong with either one, but I would recommend Iron Mountain Hot Springs.
IRON MOUNTAIN HOT SPRINGS
The reason Iron Mountain Hot Springs is preferred over Glenwood Hot Springs is that it’s more like a resort instead of a public swimming pool. There are 31 pools total with a few of them being 21+, which for us is always a plus. The only thing that would make this facility better is if it had overnight rooms available. However, there are a few hotels and Airbnbs available for rent nearby if needed.
There are a few different booking options you could go with. The first is General Access to 18 pools with a 3-hour time limit which costs between $40-$52. The next is the WorldSprings Access (21+) which costs between $55-67. The difference between this one and General Access is you will have access to all 31 pools, 10 being mineral pools, for a 3-hour time limit. You will also have access to a cold plunge, which is a great benefit when soaking in a hot tub for hours. The last booking option is the All Day Soak (21+). This costs between $100-$150. The only difference with this booking is you can come and go as you please between the operating hours of 9 A.M -10 P.M. This is a great option if you want to squeeze a few other activities in your day, but start and end your day with a hot soak and cold plunge.
GLENWOOD HOT SPRINGS
Although I would recommend Iron Mountain Hot Springs, Glenwood Hot Springs is still a great option! Instead of multiple pools, there’s one giant pool, which costs $43/person. There are also cabanas available for rent by the half or full day. And unlike Iron Mountain Hot Springs, Glenwood Hot Springs does have rooms available on-site.
Either hot springs location would be a great option for those who want a relaxing vacation, once you get passed the sulfury smell of course.
HIKING TO HANGING LAKE
No matter what kind of vacation we go on, we always try and squeeze in a hike. Typically vacations are filled with lots of food, drinks, and not much movement. Therefore, being able to move our body in any way possible, especially if it means hiking to an alpine lake, is a number one priority for us.
Hanging Lake trail is a highly coveted hike for many people visiting or living in Colorado. This hike is an out-and-back trail that is only 3.1 miles long but has a quick elevation gain of 1,187 ft. The trail leads you from the bottom of Glenwood Canyon up through the canyon walls to a hidden oasis featuring a waterfall and a crystal clear alpine lake hanging at the edge of the canyon walls. It is a truly unique and breathtaking view and one you’ll never forget.
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED!
Because this hike is so popular and parking is limited, reservations are required. So PLAN AHEAD and book your online reservations ahead of time!! Do not expect to get a reservation on the day of your hike. Click here to book your reservation.
Permits from May 1- October 31 are $12 per hiker and November 1-February 29 are $10 per hiker. Year-round your permit will include self-parking at the trailhead. There are no shuttle services available from Glenwood to the trailhead parking lot as this would contribute to the overcrowding of this popular trail that they are trying to avoid.
HOW TO GET THERE
To get to Hanging Lake from Glenwood Springs, you will head East on I-70, toward Glenwood Canyon. You will drive through Glenwood Canyon, which is worth it even if you don’t want to hike. The drive is absolutely beautiful but could be a little scary for those who fear heights and narrow passes. The trailhead for Hanging Lake is at a rest stop just off I-70 in the White River National Forest. The trailhead is located right next to the Colorado River with great views of the river and canyon. However, before you can access the trailhead you will go through a security gate which proves you have a reservation. So, book your reservation today and get hiking, I promise it’s worth it!
RESTAURANTS AND BREWERIES
My favorite part about a vacation is the food. And Glenwood Springs has AMAZING food! Because we only visited twice, we didn’t even make a dent in the delicious restaurants nearby, but the ones we did try were “Chef’s Kiss”. The best place to find food & drinks is under the Grand Avenue Bridge. This is a prime location for people looking to have a good time. Whether you’re waiting on a table, looking for a drink, or wanting to listen to live music, I suggest going under the bridge. There are obviously other great restaurants spread out across town, but this is a great area to walk around and see what looks interesting to you.
GLENWOOD SPRINGS RESTAURANTS
We received a lot of great recommendations for the best restaurants in town from the locals, but there are too many to list! Ones that we didn’t try but heard great things about are The Italian Underground Restaurant, Zheng Asian Bistro, Juicy Lucy’s Steakhouse, and Hugo’s.
Now for what we did try. One of our favorites had to have been Slope & Hatch. This TINY New American Restaurant is the perfect place if you’re looking for tacos! Although the restaurant is small, the flavors these tacos have are BIG! You won’t be disappointed. Our next favorite is just next door, Grind. Grind has also taken something original but elevated it in a way that will leave you speechless. Grind specializes in gourmet burgers. You can order 1/3 lb or 2/3 lb beef, chicken, pork, buffalo, lamb, falafel, or black bean burgers. What a variety! We opted for the All-American burger and Loaded Sweet Potato Fries. Delicious!!
Just next door to Grind sits Smoke Modern BBQ restaurant. I’m telling you, under the bridge is a prime location for great restaurants! You can’t walk by this BBQ joint and not want to go in. It fills the streets with yummy smells and tastes just as delicious! We ordered Burnt End Mac & Cheese (killer), and the Smokin’ Q Combo with Pulled Pork, Beef Brisket, Slaw, and Beans. Everything was delicious and for a great price!
GLENWOOD SPRINGS BREWERIES/DISTILLERIES
If you’re looking to kill time before a reservation or simply just want to grab a drink before your next destination there are many great spots in Glenwood Springs for that. I would recommend Glenwood Canyon Brewpub, Stoneyard Distillery Tasting Room, and Casey Brewing Taproom. Each of these has a variety of drink options that not only taste delicious but provide a fun atmosphere to hang out, play games, and enjoy the day.
WHITE WATER RAFTING GLENWOOD CANYON
Are you a go-big or go-home type of vacationer? If so, whitewater rafting in Glenwood Canyon is the perfect activity for you! My wife and I have been whitewater rafting in a few different locations now, but this one is up there for scenic views!
TICKETS
There are a few different companies in the area that you could book through, such as Glenwood Canyon Rafting, Glenwood Adventure Company, and Defiance Rafting. We booked through Whitewater Rafting, LLC, and what a blast we had! When booking your trip there are a few different routes you could take depending on your experience level, age, and how much time you have. We opted for the Half Day Rafting Trip.
This trip is approximately three hours long and will see class III-IV rapids. Depending on rapids that day you could be as young as 5 years old for class III rapids or 13 years old for class IV. Ticket pricing is $62 for 12 and younger and $69 for 13 and above. Tickets will include a life jacket, helmet, and a shuttle to and from the drop-off location. Whitewater Rafting LLC does have booties, wet suits, splash jackets, and more available to rent if needed.
THE RIDE
Once you’ve booked your trip and the day has come to paddle, you’ll want to arrive 45 minutes early at the Whitewater Rafting LLC facility to check in, get your gear, rent booties, etc, if needed, and sign your waiver if you haven’t already. From there you will be prompted to sit outside on the steps with the rest of the groups before being advised on weather conditions, rules, techniques, etc. You will also be paired with your guide and other members depending on how big your group is. We were a group of four, my in-laws, Adam, and myself. Because of that, we were then paired with another group of two. We all boarded the bus and took a short ride through Glenwood Canyon where we unloaded the oars and rafts and met our guide, who was nicknamed “Guppy“.
After figuring out where everyone would be best seated on the raft, Guppy gave us more instructions on how to paddle as a team, what kind of obstacles lay ahead, and just reminded us to have fun! We were fortunate to have Guppy as our guide because he was energetic, kind, informative, and overall just very good at his job. Having a great guide can make your experience that much more enjoyable and it seemed that every guide at Whitewater Rafting LLC was perfect for the job.
As soon as we left the shore we were immediately in class IV rapids. We paddled as hard as we could and overcame the challenging obstacles that we faced. We got drenched with ice-cold water, spun around from giant boulders in the middle of the river, and had a blast through it all! The rough rapids only lasted the first 30 minutes of the trip. For the next hour, we floated through the canyon, took a few dips into the river, and admired the views. Then came the rain.
PERSPECTIVE
The last hour of the trip it rained and it poured. It was cold, sharp, and a little miserable. We were all wearing shorts and tank tops, which didn’t provide a lot of warmth. My family being from Missouri is quite used to rain; however, the other couple in our group were from California, where the rain is much less frequent. It was easy for us to wish the rain away and let the rain ruin the last leg of the trip, but thankfully the Californian man spoke up and said “California would kill for some of this rain right now.” We then all took a moment to shift our mindset on getting some precipitation in Mid-Summer. And to add to it, Glenwood Canyon was scattered with wildfire damage from the previous year. Having all that perspective opened our eyes and made the last hour of the trip quite enjoyable, albeit cold, but enjoyable. So thank you California guy for giving us a little perspective!
Therefore, as you’re paddling down Glenwood Canyon and see the devasting fire damage that once occurred, take a moment to be thankful for the firefighters and rain.
Glenwood Springs is full of fun activities for just about everyone! If you’re looking for even more things to do check out Rifle Falls State Park, Harvey Gap, and Aspen. These are all within driving distance and definitely worth a visit if you have the time. Leave a comment below telling us what your favorite thing about Glenwood Springs is. We’d love to hear from you. And if you have any other questions please feel free to contact us!