Glenwood Springs, Colorado- A Quick Getaway Guide
Our family snuck away to Glenwood Springs, Colorado for a couple days this month. It was a great spring break getaway with our teens (13 and 16). Let me share some of what we did, and a few tips we learned, while we enjoyed some world famous hot springs.
Why Glenwood Springs?
Let me start by saying this was our first trip to Glenwood Springs. After being cooped up at home, thanks to COVID, for over a year I wanted to a quick two night getaway during spring break. Glenwood Springs fit the bill for us. The price point was within budget, it was just under a four drive from our cabin, and most importantly there were enough activities to keep our teens entertained for a couple days. I had heard from several friends (with kids about the same age as ours) that Glenwood Springs is a wonderful family getaway location for Colorado locals and out-of-state tourists alike.
It was a great trip! We went in the middle of the week (more on that in a minute), stayed at a local historic hotel, enjoyed two different hot springs experiences, and went to a mountain-top theme park.
The History and our Hotel
Glenwood Springs is known for it’s historical hot springs experiences but I had no idea it is also rich with American history! From Buffalo Bill and Doc Holliday, to Theodore Roosevelt, Glenwood boasts of its incredible historical visitors who helped shape it as one of America’s first resort towns.
My family stayed at Hotel Colorado. It was built by silver baron and original Glenwood settler Walter Devereux. The hotel dates back to the 1890s and has maintained its integrity as a luxurious historical hotel. Frequent guests included Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft along with celebrities like The Unsinkable Molly Brown and Buffalo Bill. Walking through the halls and floors of the hotel is truly an experience in and of itself. The halls are decked with historical photographs, newspaper articles, and museum quality artifacts. During your stay, you are stepping back in time to the luxury offered at the the turn of the 20th century.
Glenwood Hot Springs Resort
Glenwood Springs has three primary hot springs experiences. All three of them are rich with history and offer their own health benefits.
My family was able to go to Iron Mountain Hot Springs and Glenwood Hot Springs Resort. The more well-known of the two is Glenwood Hot Springs Resort. It’s the largest hot springs pool in the world and has been welcoming visitors since 1888. Currently visitors are welcomed on a first come first serve basis with access and on site numbers carefully monitored due to COVID.
My family enjoyed an afternoon soak in the huge mineral waters hot springs pool. The water is thick with minerals. You can really feel the difference of the water supplied by the Yampa Spring. It feels thicker and is between 90 and 105 degrees F depending on what part of the pool you are in. When you leave the pool you can feel the minerals on your skin. A quick shower onsite in the locker room is a good idea at the end of your visit. While Glenwood Hot Springs Resort started as a spa for only the well-to-do, it is now a family friendly experience for everyone! The atmosphere is playful, joyful, and feels like the timeless neighborhood pool we grew up with. Except this one has ancient medicinal waters running through it.
Iron Mountain Hot Springs
The second hot springs experience my family had was at Iron Mountain Hot Springs. Currently access to this hot springs is by reservation only and we had a great time during an evening 2 1/2 hour session. Iron Mountain Hot Springs is a much newer, much smaller hot springs location. It has 16 various geothermal soaking pools terraced along a gentle hillside and a freshwater family pool. Spa music plays amongst twinkle lights throughout the evening. Iron Mountain Hot Springs is very tranquil and relaxing. While it is family-friendly the general tone is very quiet. Children under 5 are not encouraged in the soaking pools and the ambiance in general is designed to promote wellness, tranquility and relaxation. The bathhouse is luxurious and amply stocked with all the shower necessities.
The experience over all at Iron Mountain Hot Springs was relaxing, and felt very private. My family enjoyed hot beverages while in the pool as we watched the sunset in the distance. It was the highlight of our trip.
Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park
My teens couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go to a mountainside theme park! Glenwood Caverns was so fun! It has one of the top 10 roller coasters in the nation, is very family friendly, and has an array of theme park rides to enjoy.
All of us enjoyed the Alpine Coaster and my two teens loved The Soaring Eagle Zip Line. We enjoyed a great round of laser tag and the entire ambiance of the park is jovial and mountain themed. Due to the time of year we enjoyed our day, not all the thrill rides were open (something to consider for your visit). We ended our day with a fun trip through the gift shop and lunch overlooking the mountains. One of the most amazing parts of the day was the Gondola ride up and down the mountain. The views were spectacular and we lucked out with great weather!
Glenwood Caverns has something for all ages. Be sure to check height requirements for rides before attending. It is perfect for a daylong adventure followed by an evening soak at one of the local hot springs locations.
Glenwood Springs Tips
All in all our quick two day getaway to Glenwood Spring was wonderful. Many hotels include discounts to local attractions as well as specials and packages. So while big box travel websites are a great place to find out what’s in the area don’t forget to go to hotel websites directly to check for specials. We snagged discounts to Iron Mountain Hot Springs and Glenwood Caverns directly from our hotel. Additionally, by booking during the middle of the week we got a great package that included a wonderful breakfast each day and day passes to Glenwood Hot Springs Resort.
Ask the locals for restaurant recommendations and where great coffee shops are. Sherri, A Pine Daisy House community member and Colorado resident, over on instagram, recommended The Italian Underground for dinner and it was AMAZING! We enjoyed ice cream a couple times at Sundae and were genuinely impressed with the conscientiousness of the town’s COVID policies and thoughtfulness of tourists.
Our two day getaway to Glenwood Springs was wonderful. It’s great for all ages who are looking for a Rocky Mountain vacation or family weekend away. Even this Colorado local looking for a quick trip had a great time! Glenwood Springs can’t be beat!
With hope for you and your intentional life,
