Glenwood Springs

Glenwood Springs is a lovely town located off of I-70 on the western side of Colorado. Within Glenwood Springs is one of the top destinations for tourists, the Glenwood Hot Springs Pool. There are two pools here, and the largest is over two city blocks long. It is kept at a warm 90-93 degree temperature so it can be enjoyed any time of year. Both adults and kids love the pool because there are slides, lap lanes, and all types of pool toys are welcome. There is also an area with miniature golf. The pool itself has over 15 different minerals that are good for the body which many feel have healing abilities. There is also a therapy pool which is a warm 104 degrees for anyone with joint pain or for those active people who have been working hard at playing in the mountains.

Another attraction is the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. This park offers tours of the local caves as well as rides, mazes, climbing walls, laser tag, and many other attractions. There are also numerous restaurants here but my favorite is the Riviera Restaurant. This is the one restaurant that my family makes sure we eat at every time we're in Glenwood Springs.

The current population of Glenwood Springs is about 9,500 although it can feel smaller. This is a big tourist area so there are hotels and motels to accommodate visitors, but it never seems crowded. One thing that is a must to do while visiting is hike the Hanging Lake Trail. It's not an easy hike and probably not good for younger children, but it is well worth it for others. There is a sign saying the trail is "difficult" and it can be in certain parts, although the hike itself isn't very far, just steep in some areas. There are some bigger rocks you need to climb over so proper footwear is a must. Once you get up the trail to Hanging Lake it is really pretty and the lake is rather amazing. You can see all the way to the bottom and it is very cool to see, unlike an other lake I've ever seen.

For anyone interested in history, Doc Holliday's grave is located in Glenwood Springs also. It's a medium difficulty hike to get to it, but not too far - only about a mile or maybe less.

The schools in Glenwood Springs all test at above average on state standardized tests, with the high school higher than the rest and rating an eight on a scale of one to ten with ten being highest.

I would recommend visitors to Colorado stop in Glenwood Springs for at least a couple days to explore all it has to offer. The Glenwood Hot Springs Pool is worth it by itself, and the other hikes and attractions are also good. This would also be a great place to live for anyone who wants to live in a mountain town that doesn't seem too small.

The one drawback to Glenwood Springs is that I-70 goes through it. It seems that for years there has been so much construction on the highway in this area that backups were inevitable. I haven't been there in several years so this may no longer be the case, but at one time it was pretty awful. They do keep the highway pretty well maintained in the winter, with all of the semis that travel this route.