Glenwood Springs is an ideal stopover during a tour of America with kids. This charming mountain village in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado surprises families with a mix of hot springs, rugged nature and adventure activities for all ages. During our route from Denver to Moab we had less time than planned, but because of that we discovered how much fun Glenwood Springs really is-a place where you can easily spend several days. In this blog you can read everything you need to know for a relaxing and adventurous stay in Glenwood Springs with kids.
Glenwood Springs with kids
#1 Hotsprings
The most famous and popular attraction in Glenwood are the Iron Mountain Hotsprings: hot springs heated by the earth. The earth here heats the water to about 40-42 degrees, and you can take advantage of that at the Iron Mountain Hotsprings. You have over 16 different pools of various sizes here, filled with water that is full of healthy minerals.
The pools all have a different temperature, so there is one among them with the perfect temperature for everyone. This makes the Hotsprings an ideal activity during your tour of America, because here you can swim with the whole family and above all relax!
The mineral pools are not open to kids under 5 years old. Kids between the ages of 5 and 13 may visit them with parental supervision. However, it is also possible for families with children under 5 to visit the Hotsprings: in fact, there is one large family pool where younger children are also welcome. There are also a restaurant, café, changing rooms and showers.
You don’t need to book this attraction, but you do need a ticket to get in. It is recommended that you buy them online in advance. This saves on costs and you are guaranteed a ticket. During vacation periods, weekends are particularly popular.
You can choose between a 3-hour or 5-hour visit. Prices vary by season and the Hotsprings are open year-round. Want more information or to reserve a ticket? Then check out the Iron Mountain Hotsprings website online.
#2 Farmersmarket in Glenwood Springs
Glenwood Springs is a village with a cozy, charming but small center. It is fun to stroll through it and visit the various local (souvenir) stores or have a meal in one of the restaurants. Between mid-June and the end of August, this cozy center is transformed every Tuesday evening from 16:00-20:00 and you will find a Farmers Market worth visiting.
You’ll find several market stalls where locals sell their products: handmade souvenirs and delicious snacks. It reminded us of an American version of a Nightmarket in Thailand, and the kids feasted their eyes! In the summer months, a children’s movie is shown every Thursday night under the bridge in the center and bands are regularly playing.
This makes for a cozy vacation atmosphere, especially if you’re having a drink or a bite to eat at a downtown patio. If you are in downtown Glenwood Springs with kids, don’t forget to grab an ice cream at Sundae’s, a true household name in this region – and rightfully so! Delicious (but also great) ice cream. You can find this place on the main street.
#3 Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park
Glenwood Caverns is a theme park atop a mountain, which you can visit with kids from Glenwood Springs by taking the gondolas up Iron Mountain. These gondolas will take you from the town to the top of the mountain in 5 minutes and offer stunning views of the Rocky Mountains.
The theme park is open year-round. From May to August, all attractions are open, and in the other months certain attractions may be closed (depending on the weather). However, the park is worth visiting all year round because there are different activities each season.
Should you wish to visit this park, check Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park’ s website for that month’s opening days and activities. During the summer months the park is open daily, but the other months the park is only open on weekends or closed on some weekdays.
It is an amusement park with a number of exciting rides, including a roller coaster with the highest looping and deepest free fall in West America, the Giant Canyon Swing and the Cliffhanger roller coaster. There are also suitable attractions for families with smaller kids.
During the summer months, you can enjoy live music on weekends. In the autumn months, the park celebrates Oktoberfest: the theme park is then transformed into a large German beer garden including beer tent, traditional music, special festive drinks, traditional carnival activities, axe throwing and various games. In the winter months you will find a winter wonderland with magical lights, music, marshmallow roasting by the fire and visits from Santa Claus and “the Grinch.
What makes a visit to this theme park extra special is that you can not only enjoy attractions on top of the mountain, but also ín the mountain. This is because you will find a number of caves that you can visit with a tour. These caves have recently become national natural monuments. A visit to the famous ‘Fairy Caves’ and ‘Kings Row’ is included in your ticket. Some of the caves can be visited with a special extra ticket. A visit to one of the caves takes an average of 40 minutes.
Families with kids of all ages can have a whole day of fun with everything this theme park has to offer – and all in a special place!
#4 Hiking in Glenwood Springs
For families who like to be active, the region around Glenwood Springs offers several hiking opportunities. One well-known hike is “Hanging Lake. This hike goes from Glenwood Canyon toward a lake surrounded by mountains. You will have views of the mountains and waterfalls.
It is a fairly short walk of 2 kilometers, but steep and therefore particularly suitable for families with older kids. It is not impossible with younger kids, but extra challenging. Make sure you are well prepared and have sturdy shoes on! At the beginning of the route you will find restrooms and water points. Then follow the route along the Colorado River.
Gradually, you will walk along streams, climb over rocks and cross bridges. To take this scenic hike, you must apply for a permit in advance ($12 per person). You can apply for a permit online through the Glenwood Springs tourist website.
A hike suitable for young and old alike is the Rio Grande Trail. It is an easily accessible 42-mile (65 km) trail that runs from Glenwood Springs to the well-known winter sports village of Aspen. There used to be a train track here. Because the trail is so long, it is especially suitable for walking part of the trail. It is beautiful hiking along the Roaring Fork River. Along the river, you can sit at benches or picnic tables at various places, and on a warm day you can take a dip on the bank.
Are you curious about the hikes in this region? Then visit the Glenwood Springswebsite and choose a hike that suits your family.
#5 Biking in Glenwood Springs
In addition to hiking, the region also offers wonderful biking. There are three bike trails that are easily accessible for families, even with young kids. The aforementioned Rio Grande Trail is also a great bike route. If you want to bike the entire 42 miles, it’s best to start in Aspen: you’ll bike downhill toward Glenwood Springs.
Another option is the Glenwood Canyon Recreation Path. This is an 18-mile (30 km) bike path along the Colorado River and through Glenwood Canyon. Along the route you will find four picnic areas where you can take a break and enjoy the scenery. Restrooms are available at all of these spots.
Finally, the 3-mile (5 km) Atkinson Canal Trail is also easily accessible for families. On this trail, you’ll pass an old bridge, picnic areas and places to cool off along the riverbank.
Want to go cycling with your family? Then you can rent bikes from Canyon Bikes. They have several options, including regular bikes, e-bikes and fatbikes. Fatbikes are ideal in the winter months because they are less likely to sink in the snow.
The nice thing about biking in this region is that Canyon Bikes also offers shuttle buses to the various bike routes. You are taken to the starting point with your bike and picked up again at set times. Ideal if you’re traveling with younger kids who can’t cycle long distances yet.
#6 Winter Fun
Glenwood Springs is located in the Rocky Mountains in a region known for its winter sports, such as the more famous town of Aspen. Even in the winter months, this region is perfect to visit and you can enjoy many activities.
In Glenwood Springs you will find the Sunlight Mountain Resort, which is surrounded by a ski area of about 700 acres. The terrain is suitable for both novice and experienced winter sports enthusiasts. At the resort, you can get something to eat or drink after skiing or snowboarding, and you can rent equipment.
This is also possible in Glenwood Springs itself. Buses go from the village to the ski area during the winter months. You pay about $75 per person per day for access to the slopes. They also offer ski lessons. Curious about all the options around lessons and rentals? Then visit Sunlight Mountain Resort’ s website for more information and prices.
You can also cross-country ski and ice skate in this region. You can skate at the Glenwood Springs Community Center, where you will find a large ice rink and can rent skates.
Want something really different for once? Then join a snowmobile tour. Sunlight Snowmobile Tours offers several rides through forests and snowy open plains to explore this winter landscape in a special way. Tours are offered for different ages.
The family tour lasts one hour and is suitable for kids ages 6 and up. They will sit on the back of the snowmobile with an adult. You must be at least 16 years old to drive a snowmobile yourself.
#7 Water sports on the Colorado River
The Colorado River runs past Glenwood Springs and there are several organizations that organize tours that allow you to go rafting with your family. The river around Glenwood Springs has quiet stretches, where the water is calm and you can fully enjoy the beautiful canyon, the mountains around you and the wildlife you can spot from the water.
If you have a Freek Vonk in your family, they have the chance to spot eagles, hawks, waterfowl, otters, snakes and frogs along the shores here. With any luck, you’ll see elk, reindeer, bears (rare), bighorn sheep and beavers on land. There are also wilder stretches on the river, but these are generally quite predictable. As a result, rafting here is also doable for families with younger kids, provided you go with a guide. Generally, the water is calmer in the summer months.
What makes rafting on this section of the Colorado River extra special is that in the river itself you also have natural Hot Springs in certain spots. During a tour, you may sometimes take a dip in the river to enjoy the hot springs. The guide will indicate whether or not this is possible, depending on how wild the water is at the time. The season for rafting is from May through September.
Are there family members who like to fish? Then too, you can go fishing along the Colorado River. Several fishing tours are offered, but you can also apply for a permit yourself.
Family-friendly hotel Glenwood Springs
We visited Glenwood Springs as a stopover during our round trip from Denver to Moab. We stayed at the Best Western Antlers Hotel and were very pleased with it. The hotel is ideally located a 10-minute walk from the center of town and in doing so, it is next to the famous Hotsprings, close to the Colorado River and the gondolas that go into the mountains.
Besides its ideal location, it had spacious rooms, a swimming pool (indoor and outdoor), a playground and pickleball courts. You could use these for free and we especially enjoyed the latter as a family. Pickleball is an American sport and it is a bit like padel, only with a different ball and racket. The hotel had a spacious garden where there were several places with cozy seats near fireplaces.
In the evening, these were lit and you could have a drink on a rocking chair by the fire or roast your own marshmallows. This was a real hit with our kids! So there is plenty to do during your stay in Glenwood Springs, but also definitely at this hotel. Look online for more information about Best Western Atlers Hotel.
In addition to this hotel, there are several family-friendly accommodations in the Glenwood Springs area. We list some of the best-reviewed family-friendly accommodations below.
Budget accommodation: Starlight Lodge
Mid-range accommodation: Hotel Colorado
Luxury Accommodation: Hotel Maxwell Anderson
Also, check out the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in Glenwood Springs.
Tips Glenwood Springs with kids
Family-friendly restaurant Glenwood Springs
There are several restaurants in Glenwood Springs, especially on the main street downtown. No matter what cuisine you like, they have them all. We found the nice thing about a restaurant on the main street was that some of them also allowed you to eat outside on the patio. We happened to be there during a farmers market and there was live music playing outside.
The kids could walk straight from the terraces towards the music and play under the bridge, while as parents you had a good view of this from the terrace. We ate at the barbecue restaurant “Smoke” and had a good meal here. For the kids, they actually have kids’ menus almost everywhere in America for a good price.
Are you in the mood for dessert after dinner? Then walk down the main street to ‘Sundae’ for a super delicious ice cream!
Best Travel Time Glenwood Springs
Glenwood Springs can be visited year-round, however, you are most likely to have pleasant weather during the months of June through September. Temperatures during these months average 25 degrees, with the evenings and nights cooling off considerably. It is recommended to wear layers! During the day you have a good chance of sunshine.
In the afternoon, thunderstorms can frequently occur in this region; these showers are often short-lived. Glenwood Springs is fortunate that most of the showers often linger on the other side of the mountain, so this village generally receives less rain in the summer months than the surrounding areas. During the months of November through April, there is a good chance of snow.
Glenwood Springs hosts activities throughout the year to suit the weather conditions. From water sports on the rivers, festivals and pleasant walks to winter sports in the snow or relaxing in the Hotsprings. So it’s just what you want to do, then which time is most ideal.
Transportation to and in Glenwoord Springs
It is a long flight towards Colorado. Therefore, most people choose to combine a visit to the Rocky Mountains with a round trip. Glenwood Springs is located in the Rocky Mountains. We chose to fly into Denver in our roundtrip. From there it was another three-hour drive to Glenwood Springs.
There are no direct flights to Denver from Amsterdam, Brussels or Düsseldorf. A tip is to book your plane tickets early, as they are often cheaper then. Through skyscanner.com or kiwi.com, you can easily figure out the best flights for your family.
At Denver airport you can rent a car, for example through Sunny Cars. Since distances in America are great (even within cities), renting a car is recommended.
About the author: We, Ronald and Maartje love to go “on adventures” with our 2 kids, discovering the world and making memories for life.
