Visit to Glenwood Springs, CO

Glenwood Springs Iron Mountain Hot Springs offers a serene and rejuvenating escape, perfect for unwinding in a stunning natural setting. The moment we arrived, we were welcomed by a warm, inviting atmosphere that promised relaxation. The facility features 16 naturally heated mineral pools, each with unique temperatures and therapeutic benefits. Signs in front of each pool display the temperature, making it easy to choose the perfect one for your preference.

After changing into our swimsuits, we eagerly stepped into the first pool, instantly feeling the soothing warmth envelop us. Each pool's mineral-rich waters are reputed to have healing properties, helping to relieve stress, ease muscle tension, and promote overall wellness. As we moved between pools, we could feel the restorative effects, leaving us both relaxed and refreshed.

The stunning backdrop of the Colorado River and lush surrounding vegetation added to the peaceful ambiance. Drinks and snacks are available for purchase, along with towels and souvenirs at the on-site store. Whether you're soaking in a warm pool, enjoying the fresh mountain air, or sipping on a beverage, Iron Mountain Hot Springs is a blissful retreat that leaves you recharged and ready for your next adventure. For pricing and hours, click here.

After dinner (at the Grind) on our way back to our hotel, we decided to visit the Hotel Colorado. This hotel was built by the famous silver magnate Walter Devereux starting in 1891. The hotel’s design was based upon the Villa Medici in the Borghese Gardens Rome, Italy. The Hotel Colorado had some famous visitors, including Theodore Roosevelt, William Henry Taft, Herbert Hoover and Tom Mix the early Western Cowboy actor who was here to film a movie. The hotel’s glory days might be over, but it is a beautiful building with an interesting history.

The Hotel Colorado was constructed starting in 1891 with a design based upon the Villa Medici in the Borghese Gardens in Rome, Italy. Take a look at the Wikipedia article and you will definitely see the resemblance between the two buildings.

The Hotel Colorado has had some famous visitors, including Theodore Roosevelt, William Henry Taft, Herbert Hoover and Tom Mix the early Western Cowboy actor who was here to film a movie. The hotel’s glory days might be over, but it is a beautiful building with an interesting history.

In 1942, the hotel was leased to the United States Navy for use as a hospital. The U.S. Naval Convalescent Hospital was commissioned on July 5, 1943 and served over 6,500 patients by the end of 1945. The hospital was decommissioned in 1946.

For our first full day in Glenwood Springs, we decided to try the Doc Holiday Trail up to the cemetery where he may be buried (there is a certain amount of conjecture about where he is really buried).

After breakfast, we drove to the Doc Holiday Trailhead  , so we could hike up to the cemetery. It is a short hike (approximately a half mile) but the views of the valley below are quite good, providing a number of photo opportunities.

Half-way up the trail, we found Annie’s Wishing Tree; a tree full of ribbons started by Annie Zancanella while she went through cancer treatments. The tree has ribbons tied to it with written wishes, dreams, prayers, and names. Please be respectful of the tree and items left at this spot. Annie has a Facebook page   where she describes her thoughts about what she went through.

Having been a fan of western movies, novels and history - it was interesting to be able to visit the grave of Doc Holliday. If you saw the Kurt Russell movie "Tombstone"   you saw that Wyatt Earp   & Doc Holliday   came to Colorado (from Tombstone, AZ) in hopes that Doc's tuberculosis would benefit from the mountain air and the thermal hot springs. Doc did not benefit and he passed away on 11/8/1887 and was buried in the Glenwood Springs, CO cemetery. We hiked up to the cemetery to visit Doc’s grave, as the cemetery sits on a hill high above the city. For those of you who might be interested, Wyatt Earp had an amazing set of adventures and eventually wound up in Los Angeles where he worked as a technical adviser for a company that created western movies.

Wyat Earp died in 1929 leaving behind his common law wife Josephine Marcus   who he met in Tombstone in 1881.

It should be noted that there are other graves in the Pioneer Cemetery, including that of “Kid Curry” a member of Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid's "Hole in the Wall" Gang. If you saw the movie  , you may remember Harvey Logan which was Kid Curry’s real name. I'll give you a hint; Harvey Logan and Butch Cassidy had a knife fight.

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After our hike to see Doc Holiday’s grave, we drove to Snowmass and Aspen - primarily because we had looked at these areas for skiing on numerous prior occasions and wondered what they were like. Snowmass Village is 40 miles from Glenwood Springs and Aspen is only 8 miles further.

We stopped in Snowmass first, and had initially wanted to eat lunch there, but Snowmass was totally closed down for the season. Unlike Aspen, Snowmass does not reside next to a community, it is a self-contained area where people come to recreate on the snow, have some meals, and then depart for home. Aspen, Breckenridge, etc are ski areas that reside next to a city. So we pushed on to Aspen, as we wanted to explore it and maybe get some lunch too.

It was a beautiful day and we were really impressed with the Aspen area. The town of Aspen has numerous shopping opportunities and pay parking all around the town. It was quiet in May but we imagined it being a bustling location in the winter time.