Tips for Visiting Glenwood Hot Springs Pool – Glenwood Springs, CO
Glenwood Springs is a small town in the mountains of Colorado about two and half hours from Denver. What the town seems to be most known for is the hot springs pool. The Glenwood Hot Springs is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year and we were invited to check it out.
Visiting the hot springs is as easy as visiting your local public pool but there are some things you should know ahead of time. The hot springs are fed into pool areas that will resemble your public pools. They can get very crowded (we were there on a big celebration day as you will see in the pictures) but I think it is worth a visit to experience at least once. My children and I had fun comparing the hot springs to the much colder springs we have visited.
Parking is free but limited. Parking at the pool is free but there is not a lot of it on crowded days. Arriving early in the day will give you a better chance of decent parking.
Towels are available for rent but you will want to bring your own. Towels can be rented for $2.50 a piece but you will want to bring your own towels. The towels are a little rough and small compared to the beach towel you will bring from home.
You can bring a cooler but no alcohol is allowed. I love when attractions allow you to bring in your own food. There is food available for purchase, but you are also allowed to bring in a cooler with a picnic lunch. This will help defray some of the costs.
Lounge chairs are a hot commodity. If you can, bring a large blanket for the grassy area. Lounge chairs go quickly and people saved them with their stuff. We were able to grab one and that was plenty for us. We didn’t spend much time in the chair so it wasn’t a big deal. It was just chilly enough that sunbathing was the last thing on my mind! Lockers are available for rent if you need one.
Once you pay your entrance, you can come and go with a hand stamp. Admission into the hot springs pool is included with your hotel stay, but it can get very pricey if you are just visiting for the day. It can cost up to $20 per person on peak days. To get the most out of your money, you will want to plan your day around your visit. Start your visit in the morning and be sure to get your hand stamped before you leave. This will allow you to return in the afternoon or evening if you would like. The hot springs pool is just a short walk from many restaurants.
Prepare your kids for the sulfur smell. The smell isn’t very strong in the largest pool but it is still definitely there. It is a bit stronger in the therapy pool and if you drive around the building you will be hit by it. I didn’t think to prepare my children to expect the smell and that was a big mistake. What ensued were many bathroom jokes.
Access to the water slides (summer only) is an additional cost. You can purchase an all day pass to the water slides or just four rides for $4.75. We decided that was a little pricey and opted not to purchase water slide passes. It was easy enough to keep my elementary school aged children’s attention off of the slides. They are set off to the side and the slide does not drop you in the hot springs pool. The only time we had an issue was at the end of our visit when we walked right past the slides. The kids wanted to try them then but we just said no and made our way out!
*Thank you to Visit Glenwood for hosting some of our costs on this trip. All opinions are mine and mine alone.
This post is part of Travel Tips Tuesday with Suitcases and Sippy Cups and Walkingon Travels.
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