Glenwood Springs, Colorado

The Historic Colorado Hotel, where most of the hot springs and pools in Glenwood Springs are
The Colorado Hotel in Glenwood Springs

At the confluence of the Roaring Fork River and Colorado River, Glenwood Springs is located in a beautiful valley cut through the surrounding mountains. The location is probably most famous for its mineral hot springs. A second major attraction to Glenwood Springs is the Hotel Colorado. The Hotel was built by Walter Devereux in 1893. Mr. Devereux spared no expense in his efforts to create the Hotel as a place “to serve the wealthy, to house the ailing, to offer a playground to society's elite.”

Glenwood Springs is also famous as the town where the infamous Doc Holliday came for therapy in the mineral hot springs in May, 1887. The therapy might have eased his pain but he finally died of his tuberculosis on November 8, 1887. He was 35 years old. The owners of the gambling halls where Doc usually played took up a collection to pay for his funeral and he's buried in Glenwood Springs' original cemetery above Bennett Avenue. Another famous visitor was President Teddy Roosevelt, who spent an entire summer vacation here living in the historic Hotel Colorado.

Glenwood Springs is located in the heart of some of America's finest downhill skiing (Aspen, Snowmass, Vail, Beaver Creek, Avon, Sunlight), rafting, kayaking, fishing, and mountain biking countryside. If you'd like a nice bike ride through some gorgeous scenery but aren't up for heavy-duty up-and-down, try the 16-mile-long recreation trail that winds through Glenwood Canyon beside the Colorado and beneath the Interstate. Several outfitters in Glenwood offer bike rentals and shuttles. There's also a paved loop from one end of Glenwood to the other, and back again, along the Roaring Fork River.

Aspen is about 40 minutes south, Vail about 45 minutes east and Grand Junction about 90 minutes west, from downtown Glenwood Springs.

A view looking down on the large public pool at the Glenwood Springs hot springs
The Glenwood Hot Springs public pool
Water slides at the public pool
Water slides at the public pool
Looking east from the footbridge over the Colorado River, in the distance are the cliffs of Glenwood Canyon
Looking east, toward Glenwood Canyon, while crossing the footbridge over the Colorado River
One of Glenwood Springs banks
Looks like a bank on Main Street
The International Order of Odd Fellows Hall in downtown
The International Order of Odd Fellows Hall on Main Street
The National Forest Service offices in Glenwood Springs
National Forest Service offices in Glenwood Springs
Restaurants and stores in downtown Glenwood Springs
More on Main Street
Looking north on Main Street through more stores and restaurants to the Colorado Hotel across the river
Looking north on Main Street, the Colorado Hotel in the distance
Retail shops and restaurants on Main Street
More on Main Street
Across the street from the AmTrak Station is the historic Hotel Denver
The Hotel Denver, across the street from the AmTrak station
The AmTrak train station in Glenwood Springs, Colorado
The AmTrak station

Garfield County Related Pages

Carbondale - Glenwood Springs - New Castle
Parachute - Rifle - Silt - Garfield County
Rifle Gap State Park - Rifle Falls State Park - Harvey Gap State Park

Photos are courtesy of TheArmchairExplorer, CCA-by-SA 4.0 License