SPA GETAWAY in the Rockies

I love to soak in the soothing, 104-degree hot mineral therapy pool, and then cool off with a swim in the olympic-size pool at the Hot Springs Pool.

Quick Tips:

During your stay, you may want to take a short half-mile hike up to the grave of the infamous gunslinger, Doc Holliday. Just follow the trail at the end of 10th Street in Glenwood Springs to the old cemetery. The nearby Frying Pan River and parts of the Roaring Fork River are designated as prime fishing waters.

Best Way To Get Around:

IF YOU GO: By car: From Denver, it’s a three-hour drive west on I-70. By train: AMTRAK offers daily scenic service from Denver to Glenwood Springs. Call (800) USA-RAIL.

Many times we have stayed at the Hotel Colorado, a national historic landmark that is directly across the street from the pool. This famous old 1891 hotel served as “the Little White House of the United States” in April of 1905 when President Theodore Roosevelt came west for his famous bear hunt at the time. Then Secretary of State William Loeb set up his offices with telegraph service direct to Washington D.C.

The gift shop clerk told us a legend about President “Teddy” Roosevelt and teddy bears. When he returned empty handed from a bear hunt, one of the hotel’s staff presented Teddy with a toy stuffed bear. Later a toymaker nabbed onto the caption and began making teddy bears. Today the historic hotel claims to be birthplace of the teddy bear and its gift shop sells all kinds of lovable stuffed bears.

We like staying at this hotel and just walking across to the pool.

While taking an early morning walk in the crisp clean Glenwood air, we noticed the scenic Bavarian murals painted on the walls of Rosi's Little Bavarian Inn. The paintings looked so inviting that we walked in for breakfast. We chatted with Rosi over feather-light blueberry pancakes and discovered that her family came from that same part of old Germany near the Rhine River as George's ancestors.

One of the most popular places to hike is the Hanging Lake Trail, nine miles east of Glenwood Springs, in Glenwood Canyon. The trail ascends over 1.2 miles up Deadhorse Canyon. Upon rounding the last bend on the trail, you are richly rewarded for your efforts as magnificent Hanging Lake suddenly comes into view. If you’re lucky, you may spot some deer and elk.

The first strawberry picnic more than 100 years ago was a small neighborly gathering, a chance to get reacquainted with old friends and make new ones and an opportunity to share the bounty of the strawberry harvest.

Today, Strawberry Days is Colorado’s oldest continuously held civic festival and attracts thousands of locals and visitors alike the third weekend in June.

From a colorful parade to an Artisan’s Fair, to free strawberries and ice cream, Strawberry Days sums up the friendly character of Glenwood Springs.

The Artisan’s Fair features more than 150 crafts from myriad artists throughout the country.

FamilyFest entertainment will take place on the main stage to accommodate bigger and better acts. As always, families also will enjoy a petting zoo, face-painting, juggling and magic acts, pony rides, strolling clowns, troubadors and more.

Every year a contest to find the best strawberry mixed drink is held with Glenwood Spring's Strawberry Festival Days. Here's a winner submitted by Buffalo Valley Inn.

ALMOND BERRY PATCH
1/4 oz. Banana Liqueur
1/2 oz. Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum
1/2 oz. Amaretto
1 oz. half and half
2 oz. strawberries
1 oz. Sweet and Sour


Put in with ice in blender and blend till smooth.

Now you can ride a tram to the entrance of the cave instead of taking a bus. It's more fun to go up to the cave entrance this way. Millions of years ago, churning mineral waters like these carved out miles of underground caverns in the area. After being closed for 82 years, the old Fairy Caves and adjacent caves have reopened as Glenwood Caverns, adding a new attraction to this popular recreation area.

Originally opened for public tours in 1886, Fairy Caves was advertised as the "Eighth Wonder of the World." When electric lights were added a year later, this cave became the first one in the world to be electrically illuminated. World War I put an end to the cave’s tourist operation.

New lighting focuses on the reddish-brown walls of these caves to show off the delicate limestone stalagmites and stalactites. One of the most striking formations that we viewed was "cave bacon"--thin strips of cream beige and brown stone that resemble giant bacon slices. We got a terrific view of Glenwood Canyon we emerged onto Exclamation Point, cliffside balcony viewpoint perched 1,200 feet above the Colorado River.

The Glenwood Caverns tour starts at the Glenwood Caverns Gift Shop & Museum behind the historic Hotel Colorado. Buses shuttle visitors from the gift shop up a winding road to the entrance of the caves. 

It’s always hard for me to pass up a chance to get a relaxing massage. Yampah Spa and Vapor Caves offers mineral steam baths and massages. The Indians camped at the healing hot springs in the 1800s and called the springs “Yampah” (Big Medicine).

As you descend into the dimly lit caves, clouds of steam and vapor embrace you, coaxing you to relax and unwind. Three naturally occurring underground caverns trap the vapors from the hot springs to create natural steam rooms. Marble benches line the walls and provide places to sit, relax and let the vapors permeate body and soul. Upstairs in the spa area, you can finish your treatment with a massage.