The world's largest hot springs pool. A 1,000-foot canyon. A 130-year-old grand hotel that hosted three U.S. Presidents. And a downtown still cooking the way the Roaring Fork used to.
Forty miles down Highway 82 from Aspen — at the confluence of the Colorado River and the Roaring Fork, where the dramatic walls of Glenwood Canyon open up — sits Glenwood Springs. This is the historical anchor of the valley. The Ute called the natural source spring here Yampah — Big Medicine — and people have been coming to soak in it for thousands of years. The town that grew around it dates to the 1880s, and the hotel that anchors it dates to 1893.
For the visitor staying in Aspen: the drive is fifty minutes each way, and worth every one of them. The hot springs alone justify the trip. The grand hotel and the dining set make it a full day out, or a one-night stay.
Glenwood Hot Springs Resort has been drawing visitors since 1888. The Grand Pool — over two city blocks long, 405 feet by 100 feet, holding more than a million gallons of mineral water — is the largest hot springs pool in the world. Adjacent to it sits the Therapy Pool, a 100-by-40-foot soaking pool kept at a steady 104°F.
The water comes from the Yampah Spring, which the Ute people called "Big Medicine." It emerges from the earth at 122°F and is cooled to 90–93°F for the Grand Pool, perfect for actual swimming and extended soaking. The spring produces over 3.5 million gallons a day. Fifteen minerals in the water; no reservation needed; in-and-out free with a hand stamp.
The resort recently added the new Yampah Mineral Baths — a collection of five smaller pools at varying temperatures, including an infinity-edge pool, a waterfall grotto, and cold-water plunge pools for contrast therapy. The Sopris Splash Zone runs in summer with a tube ride, splash pad, and kids' areas. The pool is open 365 days a year, and you can see the steam rising off it from the highway in winter.
In 1893, silver baron Walter Devereux opened the most ambitious hotel between the Great Lakes and the Pacific. He spared no expense — $850,000, two years of construction, an Italianate design by architect Edward Tilton modeled after the Villa de Medici in Rome. He called it the Hotel Colorado. The newspapers of the day called it "a marvel of the age."
It became known as the Grande Dame — the "little White House of the West." Theodore Roosevelt arrived for a three-week bear hunting expedition in 1905, and returned year after year. According to legend, the world's most irresistible toy — the teddy bear — was born here, named after a stuffed bear given to Roosevelt at the hotel after a hunting trip. President William Howard Taft arrived by private train car in September 1909 and addressed a crowd of 700 from the hotel's "Roosevelt" balcony. The "Unsinkable" Molly Brown — the Titanic survivor and Colorado society fixture — was a regular guest; one of the Tower Suites is preserved today as the Molly Brown Suite, with her family photos and period furnishings.
The hotel was leased to the U.S. Navy as a convalescent hospital from 1943 to 1946. Over 6,500 patients passed through its doors during the war.
It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977 and admitted to Historic Hotels of America in 2007. The hotel's three on-site restaurants — Baron's Restaurant for full dinner, Polo Wine & Lounge for casual cheese trays and wine, and Legends Coffee & Trading Company for breakfast — handle the dining program. At Christmas, 10,000 lights cover the outdoor decorations; the lobby fills with trees. The location is steps from the Glenwood Hot Springs pool entrance.
The hotel is also widely considered one of the most haunted in Colorado, with named ghosts (Bobbie, who appears in the dining hall with her distinct perfume; Walter, believed to be the third owner). Most guests come for the history. Some come for the ghosts.
Twelve rooms — from the chef-driven flagship and the seasonal scratch kitchen with twenty Locals' Choice Awards, to the Bavarian classic, the Aspen-trained chef who came back to Main Street, the historic-themed bar named for Doc Holliday, and the donut shop everyone keeps coming back to.
Widely called the best restaurant in Glenwood Springs — contemporary American comfort cooking with imaginative flavors and a real commitment to locally sourced ingredients. Industrial-but-warm space, superior food and service, exceptional value for what's on the plate. The room visitors leave talking about, and the room locals quietly default to for special-occasion dinners.
Located in historic downtown Glenwood Springs, Riviera Scratch Kitchen has won more than twenty Locals' Choice Awards — Best Restaurant, Best Chef, Best Place to Take a Date, Best Community Oriented Company. Seasonal scratch food, an extensive wine list, inventive cocktails. The room runs Wednesday through Sunday; reservations recommended.
Chef Hugo brought his Aspen experience to Main Street Glenwood Springs — and the result is one of the more interesting rooms in town. Refined cooking at a price point well below what the same plates would run a fifty-minute drive up the highway.
A Glenwood institution that locals will, somewhat reluctantly, admit may be the best restaurant in town. The kitchen takes a unique perspective on Italian classics — handmade pastas, wood-fired pizzas, the kind of room where you can taste the years of refinement in every plate. Charming modern feel, attentive service, well-curated menu.
Established 2013 — "big world flavors in a small mountain town." The Glenwood Springs flagship of the small two-location chain (the other is in Snowmass). Tacos and gourmet hot dogs that punch well above the storefront. Casual, fast, and a default lunch stop for visitors and locals alike.
The Gucci burger has its own following — and the Parmesan fries with truffle aioli that come alongside it are a meal of their own. The boozy root beer floats are exactly what they sound like. Friendly, fast service; great beer selection; the kind of room where everyone gets exactly what they ordered, cooked to order.
One of the better tequila programs in the valley — the room runs an old fashioned with tequila that has its own dedicated fans, plus tacos that get called out by visitors as some of the best they've ever had. Vegetable plates that hold their own next to the meat. A Glenwood newer addition that has quickly built a real following.
Named after the artist Frida Kahlo, with a charming setting that reflects the cultural richness of its namesake. The kitchen runs authentic regional Mexican: seafood, tamales, burritos done with proper traditional technique. Hometown hospitality, generous portions, a real taste of Mexico in a downtown Colorado mountain town.
Genuine German cooking — the kind of room where actual Germans visiting Glenwood Springs choose to eat. Schnitzel done properly, spätzle, the full Bavarian menu, and a beer list to back it up. Rosi has been at this for years and the kitchen reflects it.
Doc Holliday — the gunslinger of OK Corral fame — came to Glenwood Springs at the end of his life seeking the healing waters and is buried in Linwood Cemetery up the hill from town. The bar and grill that bears his name is a great saloon-style spot in the historic downtown, casual food and a strong cocktail program. Worth a stop for the history alone.
Local craft beer brewed on premises, paired with American pub food. The kind of brewery-restaurant that handles a casual dinner, a long happy hour, or a stop after a day of soaking. Solid menu, friendly staff, and the kind of beer list that gives you a real sense of what Western Colorado craft brewing has been up to.
The donut shop that anchors many a Glenwood Springs morning — recently moved to a larger location to handle its growing following. Sandwiches at lunch are unexpectedly excellent. Friendly staff, immaculate execution, the kind of small business that makes a town feel like a town.
The classic Glenwood Springs visit: arrive late morning, soak at the hot springs for two hours, lunch at Slope & Hatch or Sweet Coloradough, walk through downtown, dinner at The Pullman or Riviera, and a night at the Hotel Colorado with the Christmas lights on (or the ghosts, depending on the season). Drive back to Aspen the next morning.
Eight options — from the 1893 Grande Dame and the historic Hotel Denver across the river to the resort that owns the hot springs themselves and the chain mid-range stays. Glenwood is one of the few towns in the valley where the hotel can be the destination.
The Grande Dame — see the featured section above for the full history. Three on-site restaurants (Baron's, Polo Wine & Lounge, Legends Coffee), the preserved Molly Brown Tower Suite, the famous "Roosevelt" balcony, and 10,000 Christmas lights from late November through New Year. Newly renovated guestrooms — King, Double Queen, Signature suites, and Family suites available. Located steps from the Glenwood Hot Springs pool. Member of Historic Hotels of America since 2007.
One of Glenwood Springs' oldest and most venerated names in hospitality — the Hotel Denver continues to welcome travelers more than a century after it first opened. Located in the heart of historic downtown, across the Colorado River from the Hotel Colorado. The right pick for travelers who want the historic-hotel experience but a quieter room than the Grande Dame, and walking access to the downtown restaurants.
The 107-room Lodge owned by the Hot Springs Resort itself — every guest room comes with unlimited pool access and a complimentary breakfast. Across the street from the pools, with a private guest entrance directly into the Athletic Club. The right pick for travelers whose primary mission is the hot springs and who plan to soak morning and evening.
The new 16-room boutique hotel from Glenwood Hot Springs Resort, opened in the original 1888 historic Bath House — adjacent to the pools themselves. Smaller and more design-conscious than the larger Lodge, with the same unlimited pool access for guests. The right pick for couples, design-minded travelers, and anyone who wants the most direct possible access to the springs.
Reliable Hilton-affiliated mid-range stay — clean rooms, free hot breakfast, and a price point well below the historic hotels. The right pick for the visitor who wants to spend the budget on the hot springs ticket and the dinner instead of the lodging.
Long-running Best Western on the Colorado River — pool, hot tub, and the kind of straightforward stay that does its job and stays out of the way. Walking distance to downtown and the hot springs. A reliable Glenwood Springs default.
Standard Comfort Inn — clean, functional, free breakfast, and a price point that competes with the Hampton. The right pick when budget is the only consideration and the hot springs ticket is the splurge.
Locally owned budget lodge — the cheapest of the cheap on the Glenwood Springs stretch. Functional, no surprises, the right call when the trip is genuinely just about the soak and the next morning's drive.