Glenwood Springs?????

Hey do we have anybody that has used Glenwood Springs (GSC) as a jumping off spot for a Colorado High County trip?

What did you see and do?

Did you rent a car? (where?)

How log did you stay?

Got any good stories to share?

My trip is not very current, but in 1981 I had flown to Denver and then took the Rio Grande Zephyr to Glenwood. I cancelled one rental car and the station agent called the Ford dealer for me, who came to pick me up. He told me as we drove to the dealer, " See that mountain down there that looks like a big tit? That's Mt. Sopris,but we call her Mt. Soapy! ". He was the old cowboy type. I stayed four days. In the hotel by the Hot Springs pool, drove to Aspen, and then the dirt road that parallels the railroad through the canyons east of town. Continued on the train to Salt Lake City, stayed two nights, and returned to Denver on Amtrak through Wyoming, which left from the UP station, now part of a shopping mall.

Lots of AU members have stayed in Glenwood Springs and there are many posts discussing this jewel of a mountain town. Please Google 'me up and get lots of good info.

My favorite memories are the Hot Springs, the Cemetery where Doc Holiday is buried and pretty decent Bar-B-Q and Craft Beers.

I stayed a night in Glenwood Springs a few years ago and was in the big pool, but was driving.

With that many question marks I expected to be reading that Glenwood Springs had been suddenly wiped off the face of the earth by some horrible calamity.

I stayed in Glenwood Springs last year for 2 nights in late May in the Hotel Denver right across street from the Amtrak station. Did not rent a car but enjoyed walking around Glennwood Springs and taking a tram up the mountain to an amusement park with a couple rides that cling to the side of the mountain. Also the view of distant taller mountains from there was majestic. I believe there is an inexpensive local bus system that will take you to nearby Aspen. Lots of very good restaurants. I had some of the best beef brisket at one restaurant and also found within the block of the hotel away from the station, a very yummy ice cream shop.

If you chose to rent a car and stay longer the adventures are unlimited. i drove from Tennessee to Colorado a few years ago and stayed in nearby Rifle, CO and visited Rifle Falls Park. I good day of hiking around and over the falls.

A shout out to a fantastic lady Amtrak station agent. When I got off the CZ on arrival, I met this station agent to retrieve my checked bag. My bag was not on the cart so she immediately radioed the conductor. They stopped the already moving train. Agent went back to the baggage car and retrieved my bag which for some reason although clearly marked for Glenwood Springs, they just did not take it off. As the train departed the agent knowing that I was staying at the Hotel Denver across the street volunteered and took me and my bags across over to the hotel. Great service from that station agent.

If you are into biking, there are some good options here to supplement your walking-around adventures.

Nice bike path for several miles up Glenwood Canyon along the Colorado river. You will be going under I-70 in places. Lots of great scenery, including seeing the Zephyr passing through on the other side of the river if you time your ride right. Then a nice downhill coast back into town ;>)

There is also now a longer bike path from Glenwood Springs all the way to Aspen. This is flatter, but long enough to spend the entire day - or overnight in Aspen if you want.

You can rent a bike in Glenwood.

In 2015 we stayed at the Hampton Inn,and rented a car. We were able to walk to the downtown area.Also visited Aspin,as well as Tennessee pass,Rifle Falls.

I do remember staying in Glenwood Springs at least once. There is a good bus service to Aspen (also Rifle). http://www.rfta.com/routes/velocirfta-brt/

The two big old hotels are the Hotel Denver and the Hotel Colorado on the north side of the Colorado River and I-70.

I think it is easier to rent a car in Grand Junction.

If you are staying in Denver and the CZ is late, you can ride the Bustang bus from Denver Union station to Glenwood Springs. It leaves at 8:05 AM which is the same time the CZ is supposed to get to DEN.

The Rio Grande trail is built on the old D&RG line to Aspen, a 42 mile-long trail

There used to be a Budget rent a car location at the Ramada Inn downtown, also an Enterprise location. Rentals may be cheaper in Grand Junction, but that's also a drive back.

If you do an overnight, Hotel Denver is located immediately next to the Amtrak Station, just across the street. It's an older property but rates high on Trip Advisor ratings. The Hotel Colorado is located behind the hot springs pool, has lots of history, but the rooms are older. Hot Springs Lodge is owned by the same company that owns the pool, and you can get discounts on pool visits. There's also a number of newer properties, including both the Holiday Inn Express and Hampton, both located downtown.

There was a very nice bookstore downtown called the Book Train that had a great magazine assortment, also decent book selection for a smaller independent shop. Hope like heck it's still there. The Glenwood Springs Vapor caves is a great place for a massage, also steam caves.

If you do some traveling, definitely would recommend a trip to Redstone / Marble area. This is where the Marble for the Lincoln Monument came from; the drive is very scenic, and the river has chunks of Marble that were tossed there from the narrow gauge railroad that used to run between Carbondale and Marble. Redstone is the home of a historic hotel that was built by a steel company I believe when they had mining operations in Redstone.

If you are into railroad history, there is a lot to see in the area. In addition to the Rio Grande railroad, the Colorado Midland Railroad also provided service to the area. Their old right of way is where the train currently runs in Red Canyon west of Glenwood; the original D&RG route was on the side of the canyon where the interstate is. The CM right of way continues west from the river bridge on the far side of the river to New Castle, where it joined the D&RG. Old bridge abutments are still visible in the river in New Castle. There was also the railroad to Marble, noted earlier.

Have a great trip, it's a neat area -

The blond lady station agent at GSC is named "Sandy" and also receives kudos in the book about the CZ by AU member "henryk".

Years ago she tracked me down in another town via my cell phone to alert me that Greyhound had cancelled my direct service to GSC to connect to the CZ with no advance warning. When I arrived many hours later on another bus, having missed my train, she had already reserved an

overnight room for me at Amtrak expense AND provided a cash voucher for dinner AND had rebooked for me space on the next day's train AND waived any change fees and fare increases.

I can only say the best about Sandy, as well as all her fellow station agents at GSC, who handle more passenger loadings than all other stations in Colorado, after Denver.

A little late to the thread but a couple places to add:

The Maroon Bells are near Aspen - one of the most photographed Rocky Mountain Scenes, you'd probably need a car to get there, but worth it.

Aspen has a new art museum - can't vouch for the collection - but it has an interesting new building.

And of course, you've got the Rocky Mountains to explore all around - if you're after that kind of adventure, there is too much to list.

There is a shuttle bus from downtown Aspen to the Maroon Bells this time of year. I think it is free. I do know it is convenient. In fact, you might be restricted from driving to that area during peak hours due to the high popularity.

A few minutes with Google should nail down these questions.