- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Glenwood Caverns
Category: Active Life Amusement Parks Amusement Parks [Edit]
51000 Two Rivers Plaza RdGlenwood Springs, CO 81601
(800) 530-1635
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 9 am - 9 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
19 reviews for Glenwood Caverns
19 reviews in English
-
Review from Kevin M.
Florence, AZ
10/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
Had a wonderful time with my family here. My boys are 9,6,and 3 years old. They had a great time.
The cavern tour guide was great and very interesting. We will be back to seethe next expansion of tour and rides! my boys could not get enough of the rides.
I rode the mega-swing 4 times. Too much fun! Adventure is the operative word, my boys thought the entire day was a great adventure.
The staff was very nice, friendly, and were obviously part of a great team with a boss who is closely involved in every aspect of the operations of the park.
We recommend the park to all families.
Get the whole day pass with the cave tour and you will more than cover the cost of the day.
Beautiful scenery to top it all off.
Loved it! -
Review from Jason J.
6/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Note that this would be a 5 star review if the all day pases weren't so insanely expensive.
You start off by taking the tram up from the base of the mountain, which seems to run insanely slow and got backed up going back down. Then we did the cave tour, which was cool. We had a funny, knowledgable guide. Their web site says that the temp in there is 52 degrees and recommends wearing a jacket, but let me tell you that if you go in the summer you don't need it at all. You exit the cave three times in the tour and in a sweltering summer day you barely cool down.
There are other activity/rides to do. The Alpine Slide is the obvious other great attraction and we rode it several times. The kiddo loved it! -
Review from julie b.
Sugar Land, TX
7/17/2011
Pricey and touristy: Yes.
Crazy awesome rides you can't do anywhere else? YES
We planned a short trip to Glenwood Springs from Vail so that i could fulfill my pre road-trip promise to bungee jump on this year's family vacay. Once we got into town though, we started to wish we'd planned a full day there. Lots.to.do.
we loved the doc holliday history of the town and were intrigued to try out the hot springs. but today was about bungee, so we did a quick stroll around the city to take in the vibe, then headed for the gondolas up to the Adventure Park.
from arrival at the Ticket Gate two things struck me:
1) this looks really cool
2) this is really expensive
but these simultaneous thoughts had become common along our 10-day road trip from texas through colorado, so we proceeded with eager, albeit cautious, anticipation ... the plan was to bungee, so we paid for "only" the gondola trip and assumed we'd take a look around, watch me jump, then head back down the mountain. That afternoon, we had plans for ice skating in beaver creek. it was a family vacation: our capacity for fun had no bounds, but it did have scheduling restrictions.
At almost any other "amusement park," you'd get a lot more than one roller coaster and a couple lame attractions (like a 4D movie and a show featuring motorized hillbillies in an outhouse); so forty-two bucks a person is pretty stiff for an all-day pass, but it turns out to be a better deal by the time they nickel-and-dime you on each individual ride (rides are priced per ticket and tickets are $4/piece... it's like getting bent over at a carnival side-show game). and you're gonna want to ride these rides. a bunch of times.
That being said: the few rides they have are spectacular, awesome and unique only to Glenwood Springs. in other words: it's pricey, but in a sense it's also priceless. in fact, we did everything (including my bungee jump!) and still wanted to do everything again (except my bungee jump!).
There is a huge 4-person swing that catapults you right over the canyon, so as you swing upward, you face straight down into the open gorge. good stuff. we did it three times. and would have done it a fourth if i could have gotten that 2nd loan on my house.
The alpine coaster seemed to get faster and more fun with every eight dollar ride. we were addicted. luckily, my credit card had a high limit.
I personally didn't dig the Zip Ride. you climb a gazillion steps to the top of a scaffolding structure, then they shoot you down a cable while riding a small metal bench, much like a miniature ski-lift. the return ride is slow, backward and bumpy. my kids liked it, but we only shelled out twelve bucks on that one. pressed my paranoia-about-falling button.
with multiple trips to the ticket booth, the good news is: we had a stellar family-fun day, stuffed with great memories.
the bad news: we were way too sweaty, tired and adrenalined-out to ice skate. we made it to beaver creek just in time to hit the Dusty Boot before they closed.
Bottom Line: for families with kids it's an awesome experience, that you'll pay for dearly, and remember fondly. -
Review from Daniel d.
7/31/2011
We are older. We did enjoy this park. The cave was fantastic and yes we did do the swing over Glennwood canyon. Wow once is good enough! Oh yes the 40 dollar pass gets used. Food was fun and a great view!
Yes bring every member of the family. -
Review from Vicki R.
Broomfield, CO
9/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
The giant swing is the ride to go for. If there's a "must do" ride that would be it.
Yes it is a little pricy but you will ride the swing more then once so its worth the day pass. -
Review from Jessica J.
Aurora, CO
The Caverns is a fun place. Not only is the cave tour a nice cool decent into the mountain, it provides some educational entertainment. The thrill rides are actually pretty fun too. I loved the giant canyon swing - it is just the right amount of scary thrilling fun! And my stepson (well and all of us), could have ridden the alpine coaster all day. He also particularly liked the 4D theater.
I was worried that the $40+ day pass might be a waste, but man did we use it! We stayed hours longer than I thought we would. I think we did most of the rides (with exception of the bungee) and thoroughly enjoyed it all! There were tons of kids, but that is kind of the target market! However, if you don't have kids you will be fine, I think it is a place with enough stuff to keep all ages entertained.
We ate at their restaurant and sat out on the deck. The burger was surprisingly good and the view of Mt. Sopris was spectacular. You really get a lot of great views of the mountains and the city at the top. Well worth it! -
Review from Zeke H.
Denver, CO
12/28/2011
Great view from the restaurant at the top, and the bowl of chili was thick and meaty. The tour of the caverns is well worth the trip. Our guide Paul has a very good command of the geological and mineralogical facts (calcite fluoresces under intense UV light, large cavernous rooms imply solution by sulfuric acid, travertine precipitates very slowly, etc.). Historical perspectives were interesting too.
-
Review from stacey g.
Austin, TX
4/11/2011
The tour was really interesting. Great guide. The winter exhibits were very good if you like small places with not many people and just 3 activities to participate in for the kids, ages 8 and 5, - and I do.
The food was ok, the views were great, the alpine coaster was awesome as was the laser tag. Small place but nice for a weekend trip. -
Review from Troy W.
8/12/2011 35 photos
This is one of the hybrid parks. It falls somewhere between a bona fide amusement park and a carnival. I compare it to "Ober Gatlinburg" in Gatlinburg TN if you are familiar with that park. I get the feeling at these places are regulated by the same agencies as a regular amusement park. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. Just a feeling.
Compared to other parks in this bucket, this one is certainly one of my favs. If you are a roller coaster fan or an alpine slide fan in any way, shape or form, then you must visit this park to experience their Alpine Coaster! This one is one of the first in the country and, so far, one of the best. Though, they are rapidly starting to pop up all around. Some parks putting them in from scratch while others are replacing their alpine slides--taking out the old fiberglass half-pipes slides and installing a real track that the individual cars are locked onto. Buckle up and fly down the mountain. There's no flying off these tracks--you can go as fast as you want--you control the speed! At the bottom of the mountain, you stay in your car as it is pulled back up the mountain via a cable lift. Loved it, loved it, loved it! This coaster track zig-zags down the mountain with banked turns gripping the sides of the rocky ground. It is too, cool.
There are many other fun attractions like a human maze, a 4-D theater, a zip line, bungee trampolines, gift shops, a restaurant, and much more. With that said, please know that it is not a big park at all. You will quickly tackle the whole park. But some of the rides are unique compared to other parks, I enjoyed riding them over and over again (best value is certainly the unlimited, all-day pass). Go for that Alpine Coaster!!!
Other cool stuff: You park at the bottom of the mountain and ride an aerial tramway to the top. That alone is pretty cool. If you purchase the all-day pass, you are permitted to ride the tram down, leave the park, and return late if you like. Oh yeah... they have a cave tour. Or, I guess I should say a "cavern" since that's the name. I can't rate the cave tour because I didn't do it (to many caves in my neck of the woods already).
So the family visited this park on a Colorado vacation. In fact, we made sure to visit Glenwood Springs because of this park and we were not disappointed. If you are traveling anywhere near this place, and you like adventure or amusement parks, I think you should try to work in this place. We all really enjoyed it. -
Review from Janet B.
Hoffman Estates, IL
8/22/2011
So the only way getting up to this place is through a gandola which is kinda neat. We went on a not so busy day so we were able to ride the ride several times without having to wait to long. The staff was young and friendly except for one, she was an older lady in the ticket both, she was so rude. The best ride in the park are the alpine coasters, even the little ones had fun. I would definitely recommend the big swing that goes over the cliff.
The cave was too commercialized, a bit boring and long. So if you seen other caves this one falls short, nothing really interesting. I would skip it.
A bit pricey but I think it was worth it. -
Review from Rachel M.
Lakewood, CO
10/22/2010
If you can find freebie coupons, use them. We had one for the tram (aka gondola) for two adults and two kids - which would have cost us $40 just for the round trip to the top.
At the top, there are a good amount of attractions, also pricey - we went in October and most things were closed for the season. We did ride the Alpine Slide and enjoyed it - very fast and easy to operate!
Great view, fun times, use coupons. -
Review from pinche d.
Denver, CO
10/10/2010
If you're light in the wallet, this place isn't for you but I found it well worth my time and $$$$.
PROS: Friendly staff, cheap food, great views, hella fun rides
CONS: Cost ($39 for a day pass) or $12 per person for a tram ride and you can purchase tickets separately
In our experience, we dropped $30 bucks per person here for just a tram ride and the Alpine Coaster. Was it worth it. YEP! If I had to do it again, I'd buy a day pass and stay 2-3 hours.
Obviously you'd pay the same price at Elitch's for a bunch more of rides and entertainment but if you're in Glenwood Springs, this is a must !!!! -
Review from Petronella D.
Chicago, IL
8/14/2007
If you like long lines, insufficient restroom facilities, being nickeled and dimed to death, and children run amok all within an amusement park that appears to be run by high school juniors, Glenwood Caverns is your place.
The cave tour and the Glenwood Flyer are definitely fun, but if you're torn between going to Glenwood Caverns and doing something else, do something else. -
Review from Erica G.
Glenwood Springs, CO
4/14/2011
Great! My family always has a great time when we head up there. Great for the tourists as well.
-
Review from Shannon S.
Denver, CO
8/15/2011
Nice place to visit once, but I don't think I will be going back. The gondola ride and cave tour were fun and interesting, but the other stuff is geared more towards a younger crowd, or families. That's not a bad thing - but most of the attractions were not something I personally wanted to see or do. On a whim we decided to see the 4D movie - I felt like I was watching an over-priced cartoon while someone was shaking my chair, blowing in my face and spraying water on me. The cost was $6 per person and the movie was over in less than 8 minutes. Not really worth it. But I would definitely recommend seeing the caves.
-
Review from ELLY W.
Littleton, CO
6/16/2011 1 photo
Over the past two-three seasons, this place has expanded to become "Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park". They still have the cave tours but have expanded to include a few "thrill" rides. The highlight of my day was the Giant Canyon Swing. I rode it four times and would have loved to do it four more. One of my favorite thrill rides EVER. Warning: this ride only sits four people at a time so I imagine the lines get quite long on summer weekends. I went the day after Memorial Day and there weren't any lines except for the Soaring Eagle Zip Line (also seating only four at a time) which wasn't worth the wait at all (nor the walk up the gazillion stairs). The Alpine Coaster is fun and fast. I actually like the traditional alpine slide better for feeling the dips and hills but the coaster is nice because you don't have to worry about cement burn! Did I mention it is FAST? This is a fun place for adults for a couple of hours but I imagine young kids could spend all day here riding the coaster over and over, playing laser tag, etc. A bit pricey but adults can save money by finding free/discounted tram coupons and then buying tickets to ride just one or two things. If you plan on riding more than a couple of rides, the day pass is the best option (currently $42 for peak season).
-
Review from James M.
Indiantown, FL
1/3/2011
We had a good time at the Cave and took a few turns on the Alpine coaster. The Coaster was a blast! If you're in the area it's a great little stop.
-
Review from Ramon G.
6/29/2007
Oh my. When I first saw the gondola I thought "tourist trap". I was right. BUT, what surprised me more was that on the way up I saw what I thought was an abandoned roller coaster track. But to my surprise I saw some dude flying down on it. It's a personal roller coaster ride that can sit 1 to 2 people. Let me tell ya, I screamed like a little girl on the 1st big turn. It's not called "Canyon Flyer" for nothing. I recommend a few margaritas down at Tequilas then heading up the mountain.
-
Review from David R.
Littleton, CO
10/14/2008
Yes, this is a tourist trap, but you can avoid the trap and go straight to the real attraction: the caverns. The gondola ride up feels like you're going skiing, which I imagine would be a great feeling if you've never skied before. At the top are all the God-awful cheesy attractions you see in a drive-thru carnival. To give you an idea, I'll only mention one: a couple of talking, robotic old farts in outhouses that, well, uh, fart. Hahafunny. So forget all that and go straight to the guided tour of the caverns. It's easily walkable for tourists of all ages, even old farts, and you will be amazed at the stalactites and the story on how they are created as well as the history of the caverns (I say "are" created because this is a living cave). The tour is 70 minutes, after which you should leave immediately before your kids make you buy a 50 cent souvenir for $12.
