Glenwood Springs, Colorado - Rocky Mountain Getaway

[Music] miners digging for silver and coal began coming here in the 1880s these hot springs first discovered by the eu indians became one of colorado's first tourist attractions in 1888 the world's largest hot springs pool it created a need for this resort hotel in 1893 and when these caverns became one of the first places in the u.s to be lit with electric light four years later in a tunnel blasted through iron mountain from this very spot looking down into the canyon and the colorado river glenwood springs was well on its way to becoming a popular tourist destination welcome to the fourth and final video of our colorado series as we head to glenwood springs [Music] located in the west central part of the state at the confluence of the roaring fork in colorado rivers originally known as defiance it was populated with gamblers and gunslingers like doc holliday the name was eventually changed named after a small town in iowa today one of amtrak's most scenic trains the california zephyr brings travelers to and through this narrow mountain valley town along the colorado river in the interstate system which further put it on the map as a top tourist destination we'll look at a modern engineering marvel i-70 through not only glenwood springs but also grand junction as it makes its way through the sandstone steep river canyons into popular colorado ski resorts like vale we'll take you aboard the glenwood springs gondola up iron mountain and show you around glenwood caverns adventure park where you can fly over the canyons 1300 feet above the colorado river ride down one of the top mountain coasters in the country glenwood springs a perfect base for outdoor activities we'll show you the extensive trails around the city and into the canyons [Music] [Applause] explore several rafting options on the colorado river give you tips on dining and lodging so hold on sit back relax and enjoy the ride as we explore another rocky mountain getaway glenwood springs colorado [Music] [Music] i'm going to start with showing you a couple hotels we stayed at we filmed part of this video on the way to telluride in part on the way back from silverton so ended up staying here twice a week apart at two different places first in the west part of glenwood springs the pet friendly red mountain inn this is under two miles from downtown you'll find the hotels here significantly cheaper due to being a little ways away from downtown it was about one-sixth of the price of the fancy resort we showed you in telluride a little older looking on the outside but more convenient in that you can park right next to your cabin or hotel room and with a full kitchen with plates utensils plenty of room even a fireplace it's right next to glenwood springs golf club i would have stayed here on our return trip but they were booked up another benefit is vehicle's charcoal burger driving is right next door last week i told you i had the best veggie burger in telluride well here i tried the double elk burger and i have to say it is the best overall burger i have ever had it's just a quick easy drive on route sucks to downtown on the right the lakita inn that we stayed at and i like this hotel too newer clean a good stay but about three times the cost as the red mountain inn an advantage with this lakita is it is walking distance to downtown into glenwood caverns adventure park just off of i-70 so a great location also just over the pedestrian bridge from downtown is the historic hotel colorado this hotel has hosted many presidents and is said to be the place where the teddy bear was birthed when a hotel maid gave teddy roosevelt a stuffed bear and his daughter called it a teddy bear across the street from the hotel colorado is the glenwood springs hot springs resort and pool the pool is 37 for adults and 23 dollars for children 3 through 12. this is the world's largest hot springs pool the shoshone shoots adventure river ride gives you the feeling of riding down a mountain creek you can also rent a cabana that seats up to six with towels bottles of water and a mini-fridge [Music] this grand avenue pedestrian bridge opened four years ago it connects the downtown shopping dining district and train station with the hotels and hot springs makes for a convenient scenic walk or ride over the colorado river as well as i-70 16 feet wide it gives plenty of space bella and i will take the stairs but there is also a handicap accessible elevator we're gonna head across from the train station for a coffee and bagel at river blend coffee house they have pastries ice cream a nice outdoor area next to the hotel denver we will come back later to show you around downtown but for now let's head to the top amusement park in western colorado [Music] the entrance and parking for glenwood caverns adventure park is located on route 6 where you board the gondola that takes you up to the park there are three options for tickets if you just want to ride the gondola without going into the park it's 21 or if you want to do the gondola in the caves 34 or the fun day pass which includes rides as well as the gondola in the caves is 61. the granolas are wheelchair accessible and is a five minute scenic ride to the top of iron mountain [Music] you want to do the alpine coaster early as it is one of the most popular rides and will have longer lines this is one of the better mountain coasters in the country as you descend one thousand feet down the mountain there is also a zip line here which i think is okay it's kind of short [Music] i think a better thrill is on the canyon flyer you see these rides at fairs no big deal but here you are flying over the canyon in the valley 1300 feet below [Music] the giant canyon swing the cliffhanger coaster also come in summer of 2022 the defiance coaster named after glenwood springs original name will have a 102 degree fall will be the highest looping coaster in the us [Applause] the haunted mine drop plunges riders 110 feet inside the dark depths of iron mountain there's also milder rides like the mine wheel a circular 32-foot rock climbing wall and of course the two different cavern tours where this adventure park began the ferry cave tour allows up to 20 people on a 40-minute guided tour underground through narrow winding passages and leads out to exclamation point with an amazing panoramic view of the colorado river in glenwood canyon which we'll show you closer up in a bit the king's road tour on this day they allowed us to walk on our own down to the enormous cave room where a tour guide was there to point out interesting facts in history and show us what it looked like without the light there's also a 4d motion theater and places to eat like the smokehouse or the lookout grill alright let's get back to ground level and show you some areas outside of glenwood springs [Music] let's hop on i-70 i'm going to jump around to various segments of the scenic interstate from grand junction to denver as it runs along the colorado river to keep flowing ain't like the mink to find the strength to keep on going when it seems that justice just don't bend ain't it like a wind in a river my old friend this highway is considered a modern engineering marvel especially through the 15 miles of the glenwood canyon stretch it is actually two roadways with the westbound lanes being elevated on this segment of the highway alone there are two tunnels and 40 bridges which took 13 years to build there are frequent road closures just an amazing highway as it goes over beside and through the rocky mountains eating like a mountain to stand tall ain't it like the downtrodden to rise after they fall when the climb up top don't seem to end ain't it like the highest mountain my old friend ain't the roadster freedom rougher than they seem don't the plans of peace begin with just one dream [Music] oh enjoying the drive so much i blew right past my exit let's head back to glenwood springs for some rafting as we catch the blue sky adventure bus watch the car in front big time blowout he had to drive on his rims for several miles as there was no place to pull over blue sky offers half day and full day rafting adventures they can be combined with a bike rental and or the glenwood hot springs pool inflatable kayaks also available defiance rafting is located at glenwood canyon resort the only lodging camping and rv resort in the canyon year-round cabins for couple getaways here there is also ziplining fly fishing bar and grill a bike path and rafting with defiance rafting you can cruise down the colorado or roaring fork rivers do either a thrilling white water or a scenic float trip from two and a half hours to a full day trip and then there's white water rafting llc where as well as guided trips you can rent rafts kayaks wetsuits and equipment you'll ride the free shuttle to grizzly creek then raft down the colorado and end at the riverfront facility where you parked typically takes about an hour and a half to three hours a group raft is 38 per person charge with a minimum of three people or a single person inflatable kayak is 38 or a two-person kayak is 76 dollars [Music] another way to see the colorado river and the mountains is on amtrak's california zephyr which runs from near san francisco to chicago one of the most scenic train rides in north america as you climb through the heart of the rockies this is train number six traveling eastbound and arriving at glenwood springs station this train station built in 1904 has medieval inspired towers with pyramid roofs the glenwood railroad museum is located inside on this day the timing of the trains aligned where the westbound train number five arrived at around the same time i've tried to film this train on two previous trips to california and colorado and just had the worst of luck but today the best of luck able to get a lot of footage with the trains arriving at around the same time leaving glenwood springs the eastbound train follows the colorado river through the glenwood canyon for an amazing view it parallels i-75 before it takes a more northerly loop up through hot sulfur springs granby and el dorado state park that we show in our boulder video before it drops down to denver [Music] glenwood springs first established in 1883 as defiance how is that for a name it was the camp of tense saloons brothels populated with gamblers gunslingers and prostitutes and some say a mean toy poodle the founder of the town isaac cooper decided to change the name of the town because his wife was having a hard time adjusting to frontier life so in an effort to make her more comfortable he renamed the town to glenwood springs after her hometown of glenwood iowa legendary gunfighter doc holliday known for the okay chorale gunfight spent the final years of his life here and is buried here you can see the doc holiday museum in the tavern where you can get burgers cocktails served in a western saloon with pool tables in the summer try a horse and carriage ride with puree dice carriages you see the western frontier architecture that permeates downtown very pedestrian friendly underneath the grand avenue bridge a nice shaded area with tables good place to have a meal on both sides of the bread several eateries and breweries with patio seating kc brewing the italian underground restaurant sunday ice cream in sacred ground coffee house in delhi [Music] i called in an order at main cafe a relaxed brickline eatery with asian classics i picked up some tofu pad thai still trying to teach bella how to use chopsticks maybe someone needs to teach me as well once i got it into my mouth it was delicious on the east side of the bridge is the riviera supper club a 1947 cafe and bar with modern art on the walls river views behind that is las palmas for seafood and mexican food next to the riviera supper club on 7th street is juicy lucy's steakhouse with rooftop dining overlooking the train station and the colorado river next to juicy lucy's is casey's wing house and sports bar in the pullman restaurant and across the street the hotel denver with the riverblend coffee that we were at earlier the hotel denver built in 1915 has vintage old world architecture yet with modern amenities it is directly across the street from the train station also at the hotel denver the glenwood canyon brew pub serving american pub fare with award-winning hand-crafted beer as well as wine cider and spirits further down on grand avenue the stone yard distillery or how about a dinner theater the highly reviewed glenwood vaudeville review also at slope and hatch a chic counter serve cafe with taco's dog stir-fry good unique food [Music] glenwood springs has several bike trails we're going to show a couple of them [Music] so far we have seen the glenwood canyon by drone by train and by car well you can also bike through the canyon on the glenwood canyon multi-use trail which accommodates bikes walking jogging or rollerblading this trail is dog friendly and runs from glenwood springs 2.0 it is 16 miles long but you always want to check weather conditions because the trail can close due to mudslides or snow you can rent a bike at canyon bikes and they have a shuttle that drops you off at bear ranch and you cycle 14 miles back to glenwood springs the trail crosses over and runs parallel to i-70 it passes through four different rest areas off the interstate [Music] this is a perfect place to view wildlife fish the riverbanks check out the scenery close up at the hanging lake rest area that is about 10 miles east of downtown you can take the hanging lake trail which is about 1.2 miles long and steep as it climbs 1000 feet but it is worth the view this amazing hanging lake [Music] [Music] so [Music] now back near downtown glenwood springs we head towards where the colorado river and the roaring fork river converge the rio grande trail is a mostly paved trail on an old railroad bed and follows along the roaring fork river for 42 miles from glenwood springs to aspen you can also rent a bike here with canyon bikes as well for this trail the shuttle takes you to carbondale and then you ride the path 60 miles back to glenwood springs this is also a multi-use trail that allows horses as well as bikers joggers rollerbladers just note a segment from woody creek to aspen is hard pack gravel so it might be tough to rollerblade on that segment this trail as well as the glen canyon river trail begins at two rivers park the river trail is 3.7 miles and follows the colorado river then joins up with the rio grande trail at two rivers state park there is also a skate park barbecue grills picnic pavilions playground water fountain and restrooms [Music] as you can see glenwood springs makes a great vacation getaway in the summer but also in the winter many people like it as a side trip to the many popular ski resort towns like steamboat springs aspen eagle or vale the beauty of colorado with the snow-capped mountains is stunning and we'll give you a little bonus showing winter in colorado and vail before we get back on the road to the southeast backs are packed are you ready to go [Music] this time tomorrow we'll be on the road riding with you and a sunnier there is a huge parking area near lions head village be aware in the winter parking is very limited you can stroll the pedestrian friendly cobblestone streets at lions head in vail village with hundreds of shops amidst cozy resorts there is a small outdoor ice skating rink here during the winter the lions square lodge a three-star hotel located at the base of the gondola station but is not pet friendly [Music] the eagle bon gondola takes you above 10 000 feet with breathtaking views in winter and summer dogs are not allowed on the trip up but if you hike up dogs are allowed on the trip down vail is popular in winter for skiing and snowboarding and in the summer for golfing hiking fly fishing and festivals well it's been a great trip to colorado despite leaving some blood at telluride and losing a drone in silverton but i eventually got back thanks to some nice people so wanted to show you some of that footage that we thought we had lost that was in that drone from gold mountain trail rides in eurasi [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] glenwood springs is more than just a place you pass through on i-70 but so much to do here i would love to hear your ideas about glenwood springs in the comments below we have put information on the places we have featured in this video in the description below we are tampa aerial media we film travel promos across the usa for licensing or stock footage contact us at info at aerial media dot com next we go back to the southeast as we are looking at chattanooga or atlanta or both and then eventually get ready for winter hibernation in florida we will do the long promise video of west palm beach and we already have new videos planned for the florida keys in miami for later in winter from the rocky mountains i wish you blessings to you wherever you may [Music] is with you be that may be

Channel: TampaAerialMedia

Views: 33,043

Rating: 4.9427547 out of 5

Keywords: glenwood springs colorado, glenwood springs, colorado, What to do in glenwood Springs, Travel Guide Glenwood Springs, glenwood hot springs resort, glenwood caverns adventure park, Amtrak, california zephyr amtrak, Glenwood Canyon Trail, Rio Grande Trail Glenwood Springs, Rafting Glenwood Canyon, Rafting Glenwood Springs, Defiance Rafting, Whitewater Rafting LLC, Vail Colorado, i-70 colorado, interstate 70 colorado, Rocky Mountains, Defiance CO

Id: j8LfT2usi84

Length: 22min 48sec (1368 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 06 2021