When my sister and I first decided to take a weekend getaway to Glenwood Springs, I didn’t anticipate going to a theme park. We had originally planned on visiting the town for the hot springs in Glenwood Springs but after exploring the small town and soaking in the springs, we had sort of run out of things to do. I had read that there was a little Glenwood Springs adventure park on top of the mountain but we weren’t too sure about it.
We decided to buy tickets for the gondola that takes you up the mountain, thinking we’d at least get a good view. Luckily we changed out mind and got the full tickets for the rides because it was more than a little park. We actually had a great time riding the mountain rides and definitely screamed on the thrill rides. We were pleasantly surprised by this excursion and it’s definitely one of the fun things to do in Glenwood Springs.
The Glenwood Springs Adventure Park (or Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park) is America’s only mountain-top theme park. And contrary to what I initially thought, it is not just a place for kids. There are full thrill rides and roller coasters at the top. While there are definitely things for kids to do, my sister and I (two fully grown adults with no kids) had a great time.
When to Go
There’s a few things to note when looking at when to go to the Glenwood Springs Adventure Park. First of all, the rides and the gondola are very dependent on the weather. So, if the weather isn’t great, the gondola could be shut down briefly. You’ll also want to take note of the season because not everything is open year round.
Winter: In the winter months from January to March, the park is closed from Monday to Thursday. And only the caves and the Alpine Coaster are open during this time.
Spring/Summer: During the Spring and Summer is when you’ll experience the best weather and when the rides will be open. The park is also open 7 days a week during this time.
Holiday: From November to January, rides are open but the park is closed Monday-Thursday.
What to Bring
Colorado weather can be very unpredictable. We were in Glenwood Springs in the Spring when it was still pretty cold. We started the day with coats on but once we got to the top of the mountain and the sun came out, we were sweating. And then we had to lug around our coats all day.
It got pretty hot and we found ourselves waiting in line for some of the rides, especially for the caves. The Colorado sun is no joke so remember to bring sun screen even if it’s cold outside. I’d also bring a jacket and or layers depending on the time of year.
Tickets
There are a few different ticket options for the Glenwood Springs Adventure Park. Originally, my sister and I were just going to go up the gondola to the mountain top. When we were standing in line (after we had already bought tickets online), we decided to upgrade to do all the rides. We had already been exploring Glenwood Springs and done most of the things we wanted to do and really, weren’t sure what else we would do that day.
Ticket Options:
Gondola: $21
Caves + Gondola: $34
Gondola + Caves + Alpine Coaster (available during Winter): $39
Fun Day Pass (Gondola + Caves + Rides): $49
*Prices for children are $5 less than the adult prices
And after spending the day there, we were glad we opted for the rides. While the gondola ride is nice and gives you a great view of the city, if you don’t buy the add-ons, you’ll be walking around aimlessly. There’s a general store and two restaurants, but other than eating, there just isn’t anything else to do. I’d highly suggest buying a ticket that includes the caves or the rides.
Glenwood Springs Adventure Park Attractions:
There are way more things to do here than I initially thought. I thought there would just be some rides that were mostly for kids, but on the contrary, there were quite a few things for adults. We spent the better part of the day here and didn’t even make it to all the rides or both caves.
The Alpine Coaster
This is probably the highlight of the adventure park. There’s nothing quite like zooming around the mountain on a roller coaster that you have control over. The difference with the alpine coaster is that each car is attached to the track so that you can’t ever fly off of it. It’s also designed so that you can take each turn at full speed.
Everyone has their own car and you have control over the throttle and break system. So if you want to take it slower to enjoy the view, you definitely can. Or you can also just let it rip and ignore the breaks altogether. Your choice. But maybe just wait for the car in front of you to get a little bit of a head start.
You have a great view of the mountains and the city while you zoom around. It’s pretty great. Another plus is that because of the design, it is operable all year-round, even in the snow! In the winter, they have twinkle lights along the track that glow through the snow and I have to say, that would be pretty magical. (Though even riding in the Spring with most things dead around us was still pretty cool. 🤪)
Once you hit the end of the track, your car gets pulled back up the incline and sends you back around to the start of the track.
Giant Canyon Swing
If there’s something we did not expect at the Glenwood Springs adventure park, it was this. The Giant Canyon Swing. I did not expect there to be this level of thrill ride here and quite honestly was not prepared for it. But we walked around the corner and there it was. With a devastatingly short line. So of course we just HAD to walk up to it and get in line.
We had zero preparation to panic. Usually I like to sweat about these things for a little while and watch other people go on it a few times but no. We did not have that luxury. There were THREE people in front of us who got on the ride just before us. Next thing we knew we were being led up to the seat.
The thing about the Giant Canyon Swing is that two people are facing out and two people are facing in. The two people facing out, get to look at the crowd of people 50 feet below them when they go inward and see the sky when they go out over the canyon. The people on the OTHER side of the seat, get thrown out over the canyon and quite literally get put upside down over a staggering cliff of rock with a view of the river 1,300 feet below.
The two sides are not equal and guess which side we got put on?
The view is fantastic but you’re quite literally looking at it upside down as you free fall towards the river. Another fun fact about this ride is that there is no harness. You have a little seatbelt and a little thing that goes down between your legs but those types of safety features are designed to make you feel like you can plummet to the ends of the earth. You 100% lift out of the seat with nothing over your chest and you just pray that the seatbelt is strong enough to keep you in. We were both shaking for a good minute after we got off. 10/10 would recommend.
Cliffhanger Roller Coaster
The Cliffhanger Roller Coaster does just what the name says. This coaster sits right on the edge of the mountain with curves going out over the canyon. It’s also the highest in elevation in terms of full-sized roller coasters in North America.
Haunted Mine Drop
This was probably the line we waited in the longest. For whatever reason, it moved incredibly slow but I’m glad we stuck it out. This was a ride I thought would be a little more kid-friendly but ended up making me and my sister scream a lot. The Haunted Mine Drop is one of those rides where the floor drops out from underneath you and you free fall. Well, since we’re on the side of a mountain, the free fall is pretty generous–a lot longer and scarier of a fall than we anticipated!
Soaring Eagle Zip Ride
The Soaring Eagle Zip Ride is one that we didn’t get to because the lines were pretty long at the time. But essentially, it is a two-person seat that is attached to a zip line. The ride pulls you backwards up the mountain, then sails you forward back down. We weren’t that excited about it and didn’t end up waiting in line for this one but it looked like something kids would like.
Canyon Flyer
Most all of the rides here are on the edge of the mountain so this one is no exception. The Canyon Flyer spins you round and round while giving you views of the valley below.
Defiance Roller Coaster
Coming in the summer of 2022 is a new roller coaster called Defiance. It will be the highest looping roller coaster in the United States and will have a 102.3-degree freefall, the steepest in the Western US. They’ve already got pictures of the roller coaster on their site and it looks like it will be pretty awesome.
Adventure Park Caves:
There are two cave systems at the top of the mountain that you can tour and depending on which ticket you choose, may be included. The two caves you can see are Fairy Cave and King’s Row. Since we chose the Fun Pass, the two caves were included in our ticket. Both caves had quite a few people waiting in line so we asked around to see which one was ‘better’. King’s Row was the winner but we had to wait about an hour and a half in the sun to get in.
Fairy Cave Tour
This 40-minute guided tour takes you through narrow passages and into an underground canyon. You’ll be taken to the Cloud Room, Pendant Room, Reflection Room, History Lane and more as you learn about the different rock formations.
King’s Row Tour
The King’s Row tour is also a 40-minute guided tour that takes you down into a large room nicknamed ‘The Barn’. There are various viewing platforms as you descend down the many stairways. Eventually you make it to ‘King’s Row’, a room full of different rock formations that have been lit up by different colored lights.
Adventure Park for Kids:
There’s quite a few things to do for kids here as well. They of course have the rides to do but they also have other things like a fossil dig and themed areas that look like the Wild West.
If you’re going with younger kids, they have a Kiddie coaster called the Wild West Express. It’s a much shorter, tamer version than the adult roller coaster. There’s also laser tag, the first 4D theater in Colorado, and The Mine Wheel, which is a ferris wheel type ride for kids.
Where to Eat
There are a few dining options once you get to the top of the mountain. There’s The Lookout Grille and Smokehouse. I’m not sure if they are two different restaurants or rather two different menus. It looked as if there was only one restaurant to the left of the general store. But either way, there’s options. If you want a quick snack or drink, then you can get that at the general store.
I was not expecting much when we went here. I really thought it was going to be a place for kids that was sort of out of date. And I definitely did not expect to have my stomach drop and be shaking from thrill rides. This mountain top theme park was a pleasant surprise and definitely a fun way to spend the day.
PIN IT FOR LATER!
Leave a Reply