Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park
Park's Website
So this is a place that I'm sure everyone has seen a picture of but might not know anything about. Colorado isn't known for it's amusement parks outside of the Ferris Wheel at Elitch's, only because the Broncos are a thing. But 4 hours into the mountains near the famous hot springs we have a bizarre and crazy amusement park that goes by Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. You don't walk from the parking lot, you take a sky cabin of sorts up to the top of a mountain. Its a solid 5 minute ride to the top, like something out of rollercoaster tycoon, it builds this anticipation. From the bottom this place looks like a little blip on the map, but as you ride up you'll see a hidden alpine coaster on the hillside and a zipline among other cool attractions. Now, this isn't a Six Flags park by any means. This is merely a tourist attraction with some serious, serious potential. This was taken late last summer towards the end of august, I finally got around to uploading it but this is what you can expect from this park.
Pulling up into the parking lot this is going to be the building to get into the park and where you'd buy your tickets or wristband. You either pay per ride, or get an all day wristband. The gondola up to the top counts as a ride and as your general park admission.
Park map. Its a small park but what would you expect when its literally on the peak of a mountain?
Looking up from the parking lot, you can't see much from here. In town you can kinda see more, but more or less you look at the top of the mountain and think to yourself "what in the world is that? Is that seriously a park?"
Getting closer up the mountain you start seeing rides
This is what gets me excited. Things like this. Love it. You can't see the whole layout at all, just bits and pieces. This is the best shot I have of the ride, you start in the station and go downhill from there with the lifthill being the final portion of the ride. Very unique and goes against everything rollercoaster tycoon taught me.
Station at the top of the mountain
If you didn't pass out from the heights, this is it!
Walking into the courtyard you have a few family rides. Themed western, nothing but the finest. Also had a nice little stage for live performances during peak season.
So, I must say, even being a native Coloradian, this place kicks your butt. You aren't just a mile high in Denver, this place is more like 7,100 feet up. The paths go every which way, left right up down. This is no joke, it really is an adventure because it feels bigger than it really is. It will drain you.
Station over at the Alpine Coaster. Nothing fancy, standard station.
For the tourist in us all
Lets be honest, this is why we are here.
It reminds me of the Big Shot at the Stratosphere in Vegas... Ground level it isn't anything to sneeze at. We love 'em. But oh crap you get this thing 2,000 feet above a cliff and we have ourselves an absolute monster that urban myths are made of.
Another hard shot to get, this picture doesn't do it justice. This swing goes full force out and over, the airtime that S&S Swings are known for is in full gear. It doesn't gently swing you over, it pushes you out and pulls you back down.
So before the park got the S&S they had their own swing. I can't tell if it was their own custom creation or not, there wasn't anyone working in the park that day that knew anything about it. It looked pretty darn sketchy, but you couldn't really tell how it worked in the first place. To my understanding it was a pullback type of swing and not hydraulic like the one they have now.
This is the view you get when looking down that swing. Driving up from Denver you can see the swing from the highway, and it is definitely another double take moment for many people.
View of Glenwood Springs from the park.
They have caverns you can take tours of with your all day pass, but we passed it up this trip. Michele said this picture did it justice. So there we go.
But this is the entrance to one of the two caverns. They have dedicated times that you can go in with a guide and a group. It is pretty cool and I highly recommend checking it out. They can be lengthy tours but since the park is lighter on the time side most people should have the time to do it. Small park means lighter lines.
Wildlife this high up doesn't care if there is a park. They still live here.
More hills to climb. But at the tip top we have another coaster, and to the park's website it claims to be the highest altitude rollercoaster in the world.
I give you, the Cliffhanger.
It isn't anything to get crazy excited about, but it still gets me excited thinking about the logistics behind getting this stupid thing up a mountain. I mean, its a portable rollercoaster, not unlike one you'd see at a fair. But it is still impressive to walk up a mountain to find a good sized coaster!
To the right of Cliffhanger there is another swing meant more for families.
It wasn't operating that day, but in the past I've found this thing to be more terrifying than the other one.
Another picture not doing it justice, but there is no railing at the edge of that ride. Just a basic net meant for loose items, past that net is a good 1000 feet down. The swings go out and over that edge, and any kind of breeze while on that ride is sure to make you a bit squeamish
The Eagle Zipline, goes out and over a little valley. Cool ride, works well for the weird terrain better than the generic flat ground most parks have to work with.
Live Blacksmith doing his thing. Lots of areas where they had staff actively doing stuff.
Kiddy coaster that they dug right into the hillside. Makes for a really cool place to bring kids even though the whole reason I came up here was a freaking swing that could be argued as one of the craziest in the US.
Basic maze for the families. Interchangeable, but most importantly there is a bar at the end!
See! A bar!!!
I really do mean every which way.
So I didn't dare go in. I'm a fit guy who can do most things but I do not trust this death box. The sign on front says it takes 15 minutes to get through this death trap "maze". It simulates spelunking in a cave, I have no desire to do that in a cave or a box. Nope nope nope
Ha.
The 4D Theater with rotating shows. We skipped out on it so we can't speak for the quality, but being the theme park snobs that we are we decided to skip it. They do rotate out films based on the season so for December it looks like they have a special snowman film.
These guys are learning to be cowboys. There was a super nice guy playing guitar up there and singing campfire songs. All the staff were very friendly.
One last look down the mountain with the alpine coaster peaking out
And one last look back up at the park.
Overall a highly recommended park that not many people know about, even the locals out in Denver. We all see that crazy picture of the swing in travel magazines but I don't see much else mentioned about this place. It can be on the expensive end, a day pass face value in the summer runs $50 per person, but it includes two cave tours. Considering most other crazy attractions in Vegas or Orlando can cost just as much it isn't a half bad deal. Insane swing, unlimited rides, plus two cave tours and a bunch of family rides, Can't complain about this place. All I can do is show the world that it is worth visiting and hope that they keep adding more cool things. C'mon S&S Space Shot!!!
