Glenwood Springs, Colorado-Inclusive and accessible activities

​One town with two accessible hot springs? You read that right. So how do you choose? In this blog I am going to highlight our favorite activities in Glenwood Springs and the difference between the two hot springs.

Iron Mountain Hot Springs

Picture yourself with a frozen drink, soaking in the warm water and no worries about cooking dinner. This hot spring tends to have less of a crowd and attract the locals. The main family pool is accessible with a ramp and free use of a water wheelchair. The Sopris Café has options of pizza, charcutier boards, desserts and more! There are also some great options with and without alcohol. Our daughter enjoyed floating around with a smoothie! My recommendation is to end your day here. We watched the sunset, ordered pizza for dinner, and stayed until closing. You will find a family/ADA friendly changing space. There is a fold down shower chair and baby changing station in this room but no full-size changing table. There are 19 pools on the kid friendly side and 32 total if you are 21+. The only accessible pool is the main family pool which stays about 90 degrees. You can roll to the side of two smaller hot tubs listed on the map above. This hot spring also does 3-hour wristbands which helps keep down the crowds. Click here for more information.
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Glenwood Hot Springs Pool

A completely different vibe at Glenwood Hot Springs Pool where you will find an entire accessible kid’s zone. The Sopris Splash Zone is a kid’s wonderland with padded ground safe for crawling or knee walking like my son. There is a splash pad, baby pool area, slides, and a lift into the kid’s pool! Something I loved about this location was there are no time limits and no extra fees for slides etc. You can come in the morning, stamp your hand on the way out and come back after a break or lunch. Now let’s talk size. This pool does get busier, but it is so large you aren’t crowded in the water at all.  The main pool is 405 feet long and 100 feet wide. In this pool you will find lap lanes, a diving board and floats are allowed. It is kept at about 90 degrees making it perfect for families. The therapy pool is 100 feet long and kept at 104 degrees. It features therapeutic water jets for a nice massage. There are 3 lifts on the property, one into each pool and a ramp into the therapy pool. There is also a snack bar with some basic options that are kid friendly. Click here for more information.
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Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park

​If you are looking for the best wheelchair accessible views in Glenwood, I suggest taking the Gondola ride up to Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. We had lunch at the Lookout grille which is also roll friendly. There were a few ride areas we were able to access and take turns with our daughter doing the mountain coaster and flyer ride. The entire adventure park is not wheelchair accessible as it is built climbing uphill on the side of a mountain.  There is a wheelchair lift located inside the gift shop that will take you to the top of the building and avoid the stairs. Just ask a gift shop employee and when you get to the top knock on the door. You actually roll through their office, but they are happy to help, and the view is amazing!

Find the Glenwood Wings

​Stop by the visitor center and grab a FREE map for a hunt to find the Glenwood Wings. This was a fun activity for the whole family. I loved that the wings are at all different heights so wheelchair users or small children can easily pose for photos. The visitor center is also a great place to stop and ask questions. Whether you are looking for trail maps or local experiences they can help guide you.

Hike or Bike 

​We used Glenwood Adventure Company for our bike rentals. They had an e-assist bike that was able to tow our Wike trailer. They do have a few different bike trailer options for children that you can use with the e-assist which is very helpful on trails with an incline. We chose to bike the Glenwood Canyon Trail and it was beautiful.  Either the Glenwood Canyon Recreation Path or the Rio Grande Trail are both paved and accessible to hike or bike. The employee at this bike shop was eager to assist us in any way possible and said they have taken kids with disabilities on other adventures like rafting as well. Hopefully we will make it back to try some of their other options!

Where we stayed

​We stayed at the Hampton Inn Glenwood Springs. There are accessible rooms, it is dog friendly and there is an indoor pool. Most importantly its location is right next to the Gondola and Iron Mountain Hot Springs. We also stayed at Ami’s Acres campground. There are steps to reach the office, but their staff is happy to greet you at your vehicle if needed for check-in. Call the office on arrival to let them know you are there. Our site wasn’t very wide so if you need to use your wheelchair at your RV site I would recommend calling ahead and making sure your site will be wide enough. 

Equipment we brought with us

​Safety Sleeper by Abrahms- Robbie sleeps in this when we stay away from home outside of his camper.
Adaptive Life vest-Used at both hot springs and the hotel pool, Robbie uses the LJ-A model.
Wike Special needs bike trailer- Used with a rental e-bike

We had an amazing time in Glenwood Springs and can't wait to help you plan more Accessible Adventures!