Around the US,  Colorado

Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park

June 22, 2019 /

It’s billed as America’s only mountain top theme park – and for a good reason! Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is located at 7160 feet above sea level. Which may not seem like a big deal, until you are swinging off the edge of a cliff 1300 feet above the Colorado River!

Now I admit, I’ve never been skydiving, but swinging off this cliff was one of the most heart-stopping adventures I’ve taken! Here was my daughter’s reaction. Of course she begged to go again the minute we were off the Glenwood Canyon Flyer!

The entrance to the park is actually at the bottom of the cliff, where you board a gondola to take you to the top of the mountain. The gondola ride gives some great views of the Colorado River and Glenwood Springs.

When you get to the top, there is a visitor’s center and gift shop that opens up to the Park itself. Then you are free to explore! Besides the rides, there are fun and quirky displays of the old west scattered throughout the Park.

There weren’t a lot of crowds the day we were at the Park. There were only a couple of rides that we waited for at all. It’s a small Park, and easy to do in a day. We did have to wait in line for the Soarin’ Eagle Zip Ride.

The Soarin Eagle Zip Ride works like a zip line in that it travels down the line by gravity. But on this ride, you are belted into a chair and pulled 600 feet backwards up the mountain before your release. When you get to the top, the chair releases, and you zip back down to where you started.

One of our favorite rides was the Alpine Coaster. To ride, you sit in an individual seat on a 3400 ft track that winds gently down the mountain. You can control the speed of your vehicle by pushing down and pulling up on the handles.

Don’t worry, the coaster is hooked to the track – even though sometimes it feels like it will come off! When you get to the bottom, your vehicle is pulled 1000 feet back up to the top, where you disembark.

Most of the rides have a height requirement, but if you have kids over 36″ they will be able to find something to do. Even the Wild West Express allows kids 36″ to ride with an adult.

Don’t miss the guided cave tours, which is why the Park exists in the first place! The caves have a history stretching back to 1897, but the beginning of the Glenwood Caverns tours we know today was in 1999. By 2005, the wait for the cave tours had surpassed three hours, so rides were installed for guests to pass the time. Currently there are 2 different tours included with park admission, each approximately 40 minutes long. I loved both tours!

If you get hungry during your visit, there are several dining options, including pizza, hot dogs, paninis, and grilled cheese or PB&J for the kids. Alternately, you can bring your own picnic, as long as the container is small enough to fit in your lap on the gondola. And there are also some super-cute souvenirs available at the Trading Post!

Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is located just off I-70 in Colorado at Glenwood Springs. The cost of admission is $58 for adults and $53 for children age 3-12. This includes all rides, the Gondola, and the cave tours. Gondola and cave tours only (no rides) is $32 for adults and $27 for kids. If you are traveling through, take time for a stop!

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