Activities & Area Info
No matter the season, Glenwood Springs has you covered when it comes to activities. Be sure to pick your season and scan through the list for information on activities
Summer | Winter | Year-Round |
Blue Sky Adventures Phone: 877.945.6605 or 970.945.6605 www.blueskyadventure.com
Glenwood Adventure Company Phone: 877.346.4536 or 970.945.7529 www.glenwoodadventure.com
Glenwood Activities Phone: 970.945.6737 or 800.958.6737 www.glenwoodactivities.com
Glenwood Canyon Rafting Phone: 877.384.0445 or 970.384.0445 www.raftingglenwoodsprings.com
Rock Gardens Rafting Phone: 800.958.6737 or 970.945.6737 www.rockgardens.com
Up Tha Creek Expeditions Phone: 877.982.7335 or 970.947.0030 www.upthacreek.com
Whitewater Rafting Phone: 800.993.7238 or 970.945.8477 www.coloradowhitewaterrafting.com
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If you have a passion to fly, paragliding is the simplest form of human flight. Similar to a parachute, a paragliding wing features a harness that seats you comfortably at the controls. Paragliders are powered by the air currents. A running launch from a high point will set you airborne to experience an exhilarating ride. Tandem flights with experienced pilots are available with Adventure Paragliding in Glenwood Springs.
Adventure Paragliding Phone: 970.274.1619
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Easiest
For a leisurely walk, the Glenwood Canyon hiking and biking trail is ideal. The paved path hugs the Colorado River for sixteen miles with a mild elevation gain of about 350 feet at its end, just past Bair Ranch. And the chances of seeing the resident herd of Bighorn Sheep in the canyon are very good. With picnic areas, restrooms, parking and disabled access every few miles on the path, it’s also perfect for a variety of ages and abilities.
Still Easy...
It's a half mile to Doc Holliday's memorial at Linwood Cemetery. He was Glenwood Springs’ famous gunslinging, gambling dentist. The trailhead starts in town. Other colorful characters from Glenwood Springs’ history occupy Linwood Cemetery too.
Getting Steeper...
The Jeanne Golay trail, named for the Olympic cyclist who now resides in Glenwood Springs and can often be found training on this trail, meanders up steep Red Mountain to the summit. From the top, the views of the valley floor, the Colorado and Roaring Fork Rivers and Mount Sopris make the climb worth the effort. The scrub oak forest turns to evergreen and aspen as the elevation increases, and lucky hikers may see a fox, deer, and several species of birds.
Hanging Lake is a perennial favorite, accessed year-round from Glenwood Canyon, with its trailhead about ten miles east of Glenwood Springs. Stunning waterfalls descend into a limestone lake teeming with trout. It’s a mile to the top and 1000 feet up, and takes about an hour and half round-trip. Five minutes beyond the lake is Spouting Rock, which is not to be missed once the lake is attained.
Grizzly Creek is also accessed from Glenwood Canyon, at Exit 121. A deep canyon with steep walls and a rambling creek, explorers can do the entire six miles and 2500 vertical feet to the top and the lake, or simply hike in a ways then turn around and enjoy the downhill trek back to the canyon. Hanging Lake waterfall
The Storm King Mountain Trail is a memorial to those who lost their lives battling the South Canyon fire in 1994, and a tribute to firefighters everywhere.
The trail takes visitors on the journey of a firefighter with a signed interpretive trail. The trailhead is about five miles west of Glenwood Springs at Canyon Creek.
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Before leaving Hanging Lake you will see a sign for Spouting Rock. Follow this short trail up the steep slope that leads you above the lake and you will be rewarded with a waterfall spouting directly from the face of a cliff. The extra distance is probably only a few hundred yards.
Enjoy comments by those that have hiked Hanging Lake
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Mountain Biking and Cycling
The easiest and most efficient way to get around Glenwood Springs is on two wheels, not four, thanks to the large network of trails and paths. Bring your bike or rent one here, and enjoy the River Trail along the Roaring Fork River—it now merges with the Rio Grande Trail which takes cyclists on a scenic ride south toward Carbondale.
Glenwood Canyon is a perennial favorite; you can even avoid the incline and just enjoy coasting downhill with a van ride to the trailhead that will drop you and your bike at the mouth of the canyon.
*Canyon Bikes Phone: 800.439.3043 or 970.945.8904 www.canyonbikes.com
*Glenwood Adventure Company Phone: 877.346.4536 or 970.945.7529 www.glenwoodadventure.com
*Glenwood Activities Phone: 970.945.6737 or 800.958.6737 www.glenwoodactivities.com
Mountain Sports Outlet Phone: 970.945.5001 www.mountainsportsoutlet.com
*Sunlight Ski & Bike Shop Phone: 970.945.9425 www.sunlightmtn.com
*Shuttle service available.
In town, play the nine-hole municipal course at the Glenwood Springs Golf Club. It’s open daily, usually from March through November. Lakota Canyon Ranch is a world-class 18-hole course open nine months of the year, and just 10 miles west of Glenwood Springs in New Castle, Colorado.
Glenwood Springs Golf Club Phone: 970.945.7086
Ironbridge Golf Club Phone: 970.384.0630
Battlement Mesa Phone: 970.285.7274
Gypsum Creek Golf Course Phone: 970.524.6200
Lakota Canyon Ranch Phone: 970.984.9700
Rifle Creek Golf Course Phone: 970.625.1093
River Valley Ranch Phone: 970.963.3625
Glenwood Adventure Company Phone: 877.346.4536 or 970.945.7529
Glenwood Activities Phone: 970.945.6737 or 800.958.6737
High Canyon Adventures Phone: 970.945.9773 or 970.945.7529
Sunlight Mountain Resort Phone: 800.445.7931 or 970.945.7491
Maroon Bells has limited accessibility by car but there are bus tours running throughout the day for the summer season. The road is open to all Non-Motorized forms of transportation at no charge. (bicycles, skateboarders, hikers, rollerbladers, etc...)
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Glenwood Springs offers great skiing & snowboarding at Sunlight Mountain Resort. Our local ski area boasts beautiful vistas of Mt. Sopris and the surrounding Elk Mountain Range, with 480 acres and 67 trails.
Mild green runs, intermediate slopes and black diamond extremes satisfy all abilities. Its vertical drop is 2,010 feet and the resort's annual snowfall is 250 inches.
Ski and snowboard lessons are available for all ages and skill levels; child care is offered for children between the ages of one and six. Sunlight provides some of the most affordable and family-friendly skiing and riding in Colorado.
Sunlight Mountain Resort Phone: 800.445.7931 or 970.945.7491 www.sunlightmtn.com
Aspen Mountain Phone: 800.525.6200 www.aspensnowmass.com
Aspen Highlands Phone: 800.525.6200 www.aspensnowmass.com
Beaver Creek Phone: 800.805.2457 www.beavercreek.com
Buttermilk Phone: 800.525.6200 www.aspensnowmass.com
Snowmass Phone: 800.525.6200 www.aspensnowmass.com
Vail Phone: 800.805.2457 www.vail.com
Snowmobiling and Snowmobile Tours
If you would like to take a guided tour, Sunlight Snowmobile Tours’ expert guides will review basic snowmobile operations so even a first timer will feel like an expert driver! Their state-of-the-art snowmobiles have hand-warmer handles and safety features such as independent front suspension and hydraulic disc braking systems.
The two-hour Baylor Park tour takes you on a scenic 30-mile ride through White River National Forest, boasting magnificent 360-degree views of Mt. Sopris, the West Elk Mountains and the Flat Tops Wilderness, and that's just the beginning! At Baylor Park, everyone has the chance to ride in a huge wide open meadow.
Looking for more of a thrill? The Tri-County Tour begins at Sunlight Snowmobile Tours, three miles above Sunlight Moutain Resort and winds into White River National Forest.
Sunlight Mountain Resort Phone: 800.445.7931 or 970.945.7491 www.sunlightmtn.com
Yamaha Rentals (Sportland) Phone: 970.945.5977
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Blue Sky Ski Rental & Repair Phone: 970.945.6605 or 877945.6605
Sunlight Mountain Ski & Bike Rental Shop Phone: 970.945.9425
Skate around on an NHL sized outdoor but covered rink at the Community Center. Skate rentals are available. Open November to March.
Glenwood Springs Community Center Phone: 970.384.6300
Native American Utes regarded it as a sacred healing place. Over the past century famous visitors including Al Capone, Titanic-survivor Molly Brown, and President Theodore Roosevelt called it Spa in the Rockies. Today thousands of visitors enjoy the Glenwood Hot Springs Pool in all four seasons.
Established in 1888, the Glenwood Hot Springs Pool is surrounded by the Rocky Mountains and located along the banks of the Colorado River. The thermal waters are 90°-93°F (32°-34°C) in the large pool and 104°F (40°C) in the smaller therapy pool. Water slides, inner tubes, diving boards, and bubble chairs bring out the kid in everyone.
Glenwood Hot Springs
401 North River Street
Glenwood Springs, CO 81601
Phone: 800.537.SWIM or 970.945.6571
www.hotspringspool.com
Pool Hours: Winter 9 a.m. - 10 p.m. Summer 7:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park
Tours, Thrill Rides & Adventures
Cave Tours The 70-minute Cave Tour, ranked in the top 10 by USA Today, takes you on a guided walking tour of Glenwood Caverns and Historic Fairy Caves. The cave formations, which date back about five million years, show off some of Mother Nature’s finest work. A 3 ½-hour Wild Tour and 90-minute Adventure Tour are also available. (Please call for reservations for the Adventure and Wild Tour.)
4D Theater Enjoy state-of-the-art entertainment in Colorado’s only 4-dimensional theater, with interactive seats and special effects that make you feel like a part of the show. From traversing the mountain with snow blowing in your face, to a wild and wet beach-crossing - you're in for some terrific fun.
Canyon Flyer Hop on Colorado’s only alpine coaster, with individual cars on tracks that race 3,400 feet through the trees and down the mountainside.
Laser Tag Arena Round up the whole gang for a new-fangled shoot-out in a wild West setting!
Giant Canyon Swing For the truly adventurous, the Giant Canyon Swing launches you out over Glenwood Canyon, 1,300 feet above the Colorado River!
Bungee Trampolines Jump, twist, and soar through the air on our Bungee Trampolines.
Bungee Jump For you adrenaline junkies who seek extreme adventure, this could be your thrill of a lifetime. You climb the tower, get harnessed up, and go for the big leap – 70 feet of pure free fall! You must weigh between 80 and 240 pounds to use the Bungee Jump.
Discovery Rock Pan for gemstones in the running water of the sluice box mining stream and search for buried treasure in the sand pit fossil dig.
Fort WhereAmI Kids love finding their way through this Western-style maze.
Iron Mountain Tramway Enjoy a ten-minute scenic ride inside fully enclosed glass gondolas. Wheelchair accessible.
Lookout Grille Serves up burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads and more, with a kids’ menu that will make everyone happy.
Mine Shaft Shootin’ Gallery Electronic shooting gallery with animated, Western-themed targets to test your skill and concentration.
Soaring Eagle Zip Ride The Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park has a new zip ride that opened in May, 2011! Enjoy the wind in your face and the incredible views as you soar 625 feet down the mountain, on the new Soaring Eagle Zip Ride. You must be at least 40" tall for the Zip Ride.
Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park
51000 Two Rivers Plaza Road
Glenwood Springs, CO 81601
Phone: 800.530.1635 or 970.945.4228
www.glenwoodcaverns.com
Yampah, which translated from Ute dialect means "big medicine", is the namesake of the Yampah Spa and Vapor Caves—the only natural hot springs-fed vapor caves in the world.
Once a sacred healing destination for the Ute tribe, its underground caves haven’t changed much over the centuries; with the exception of the marble benches in the caves, where visitors can relax, and the spa upstairs features body and beauty treatments.
Yampah Spa & Vapor Caves
709 East 6th Street
Glenwood Springs, CO 81601
Phone: 970.945.0667
www.yampahspa.com
The Roaring Fork and Frying Pan Rivers are Gold Medal waters, offering a quality and quantity of Rainbow and Brown trout that is virtually unmatched. For a water to qualify for Gold Medal status in Colorado it must produce more than 60 pounds per acre of trout and at least 12 of those trout per acre must top 14 inches in length. The Roaring Fork and Frying Pan easily and continuously smash those standards. The 42 mile continuous stretch of Gold Medal water on the Roaring Fork and Frying Pan is the longest stretch of Gold Medal water in Colorado.
There are fly fishing shops and outfitting services in Glenwood Springs that offer equipment rentals or guided wade trips and float trips. And if finding a quiet stretch of publicly accessible river or stream is your goal, the Colorado Division of Wildlife offers plenty of options too.
The Colorado River, which flows through Glenwood Canyon and through the middle of town, and the Crystal River, which tumbles 35 miles through scenic terrain before it joins the Roaring Fork River two miles below Carbondale, also offer spectacular fly- fishing opportunities with a little less crowding and plentiful public access.
If waders and a fly rod are not your fishing preference, Ruedi Reservoir above Basalt is the largest still-water fishing in the area.
If you're seeking solitude, then some of the hundreds of high mountain streams and lakes offer an opportunity to catch a Brook Trout or a spectacular native Cutthroat Trout.
Whatever your fishing preference, the Colorado Division of Wildlife can provide the information you need to get the trip started.
Roaring Fork Anglers Phone: 800.781.8120 or 970.945.0180 www.roaringforkanglers.com
Western Colorado Fly-Fishing www.westerncoloradoflyfishing.com
The Frontier Historical Society was created in 1964 to preserve the pieces of Glenwood Springs’ past. A small museum was opened at that time, continued to grow and in 1972 a larger museum was opened in its present location at 1001 Colorado Avenue in Glenwood Springs.
Museum Hours
May through September: Monday - Saturday, 11:00 - 4:00
October through April: Monday and Thursday - Saturday, 1:00 - 4:00.
Admission
$3 for adults (13+)
$2 for seniors (60+)
$1.00 for children (3-12)
FHS Members are free.
Check out the Frontier Historical Museum to discover all the services they offer!
Frontier Historical Museum
1001 Colorado Avenue
Phone: 970.945.4448
www.glenwoodhistory.com