Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park facts for kids
| Previously known as Glenwood Caverns (1999-2002) | |
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| Location | Glenwood Springs, Colorado, United States of America |
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| Coordinates | 39°33′38″N 107°19′13″W |
| Opened | 1999 |
| Owner | Family Owned |
| Slogan | America's only mountain-top theme park! |
| Operating season | Year Round |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 12 (as of 2017) |
| Roller coasters | 3 |
| Website | http://www.glenwoodcaverns.com/ |
Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is an exciting adventure park found high up on a mountain. It's located above Glenwood Springs, Colorado, which is about 160 miles west of Denver. What makes this park special is its location! It sits at an amazing height of 7,100 feet (about 2,164 meters) on a mountain. Before 2003, visitors could only explore the cool caves. But since then, the park has grown a lot, adding many thrilling rides and attractions alongside the cave tours.
Contents
History
Discovery of the Caves
In the late 1800s, a man named Charles W. Darrow found a cave system on Iron Mountain. He heard the mountain "whistle," and it turned out to be air coming from the cave's entrance. In 1895, Darrow opened these caves to the public. People would reach them by riding horses or walking.
By 1897, Darrow brought electric lights into the cave. He got help from the city's hydro-electric power plant. This made it one of the first caves to have electric lights! That same year, a tunnel was blasted out to Glenwood Canyon. It led to an observation deck called Exclamation Point. However, when World War I started in 1917, the caves had to close.
New Owners and Big Changes
In 1999, Steve and Jeanne Beckley, who own the land, reopened the cave. They did a lot of work to restore it. At first, buses took people to the caverns from a small building near the Hotel Colorado.
In 2002, the Beckleys got permission for a huge expansion. The main part of this plan was a special gondola built by Poma. This gondola would take visitors to a new center at the mountain top. This center included a restaurant and a gift shop. The new tramway allowed people to visit the caves all year round. This expansion was a big success, attracting 150,000 visitors in less than a year!
Becoming an Adventure Park
Because the gondola brought so many people up the mountain, there were long lines for the cave tours. To give visitors something fun to do while they waited, the park added new attractions.
In May 2005, several big rides opened for the summer. These included North America's first alpine coaster, a zip ride, a swing ride, and a climbing wall. Many of these attractions were named by local people. To handle more visitors, the gondola also added more cabins.
From 2005 to 2010, the park kept adding fun things. They opened Colorado's first 4-D theater and other temporary attractions. A very famous ride, the Giant Canyon Swing, opened in 2010. This huge swing has become well-known in the theme park world and has been shown on many TV shows. Around this time, the zip ride moved to a new spot, sharing a tower with a bungee jump.
More Thrilling Rides
The year 2012 brought the biggest expansion since 2005. Three new rides came to the park. These included a small Zierer kiddie coaster and a Ferris wheel, both moved from a park in Canada. The most exciting new ride was the Cliffhanger roller coaster. It was moved from a closed park in Missouri.
The Cliffhanger coaster opened in June 2012. It sits at 7,160 feet (about 2,182 meters) above sea level. This makes it the highest full-sized roller coaster in America! In 2013, the park also expanded the upper part of the cave system. This allowed them to split the cave tour into two shorter, 40-minute tours, so more people could enjoy them. The tramway also added two more sections, bringing its total to six, with eighteen cabins.
In 2014, another swing ride called the Glenwood Canyon Flyer was added. It's a milder option compared to the Giant Canyon Swing. This ride was even featured on a TV show called "Thrill Factor" in 2015. Early 2017 brought the Haunted Mine Drop. This unique drop tower is the first in the world to drop underground! It starts at the top and features a 110-foot (about 33.5 meters) drop with cool themes.
For 2019, the Iron Mountain Tramway was replaced by the Glenwood Gondola. This new gondola has 44 cabins and can carry 1,000 people per hour up and down the mountain.
Rides and Attractions
| Name | Type | Year Opened | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine Coaster | Wiegand Alpine Coaster | 2005 | This was the first alpine coaster in the United States. It used to be called Canyon Flyer. |
| Cliffhanger | S&MC Windstorm | 2012 | This is the highest full-sized roller coaster in the U.S. It was moved from Celebration City. |
| Wild West Express Coaster | Zierer Kiddie Coaster | 2012 | This ride was moved from a park in Canada. |
| Giant Canyon Swing | S&S Screamin' Swing | 2010 | This huge swing hangs about 1,300 feet (about 396 meters) above the Colorado River. It has been shown on many TV shows. |
| Glenwood Canyon Flyer | SBF/Visa Custom Swing | 2014 | This swing is located on the edge of Glenwood Canyon, between the Giant Canyon Swing and Cliffhanger. |
| Haunted Mine Drop | Soaring Eagle Drop Tower | 2017 | This is the first drop tower in the world to drop underground. It opened on July 31st. |
| Soaring Eagle Zip Ride | Soaring Eagle Zip Line | 2014 | This ride has been moved three times! Its current starting point is next to the alpine coaster. It has two different lines. |
| 4-D Motion Theater | 4-D Theater | 2009 | This was the first 4-D theater in Colorado. |
| Giddy Up Ride | S&S Frog Hopper | Unknown | This is a Western-themed frog hopper ride with 7 seats. |
| Laser Tag | Lazer Runner Laser Tag | 2009 | You can find this game above the restaurant in the main building. |
| Mine Wheel | SBF/Visa Ferris Wheel | 2012 | This Ferris wheel was moved from a park in Canada. |
| Glenwood Gondola | Leitner-Poma Gondola lift | 2003 (as Iron Mountain Tramway) 2019 (as Glenwood Gondola) |
It first opened in 2003 as a pulse gondola, which was the first of its kind in North America. It was replaced with a new, detachable gondola in 2019. |
Exploring the Caverns
When the Fairy Cave (the official name for the cave system) first opened in 1895, only a small part was open to visitors. After it was abandoned in 1917, more rooms were discovered. However, during this time, some people damaged parts of the cave.
In the 1960s, Pete Prebble bought the cave. He sealed it off, hoping to open it as a business later. While he didn't achieve that, he explored much more of the cave system. He found it was much larger than anyone thought! He even found a huge room called The Barn by squeezing through a tight spot known as Jam Crack. Jam Crack is only 8.5 inches (about 21.5 cm) wide at its narrowest point. It's the only natural way known to connect the upper and lower parts of the cave.
Today, the cave is divided into three sections: upper, middle, and lower. About 3 miles (4.8 km) of passageways are known, but experts believe the cave might be as long as 10 miles (16 km) in total! Even at three miles, the Fairy Cave is one of the largest cave systems in Colorado. It's also special because it was formed by hot springs, which is rare for caves. A few cavers are still actively exploring it today.
The Historic Fairy Caves Tour
The Fairy Cave Tour is about a quarter-mile (0.4 km) long and takes place in the upper part of the cave. The first half of the tour follows the path of the original explorers. You'll go through the Darrow tunnel, which leads to Exclamation Point. From there, you can look down 1,300 feet (about 396 meters) into Glenwood Canyon!
The second half of this tour opened in 2013. It explores areas that used to be only for the "Wild Tour." This tour focuses on the cave's history, including how it got its name. It lasts 40 minutes and, because the cave is quite small, only about 20 guests can go on each tour.
The Kings Row Tour
This tour used to be the second half of the original cave tour before 2013. It mainly features two amazing rooms: The Barn and Kings Row, which are in the middle section of the cave. Guests enter through a bore (a narrow passage) before reaching the top of The Barn.
This tour teaches you more about cave formations and geology. Guests walk down 127 stairs to the bottom of The Barn, which is the entrance to Kings Row. Here, guides will show you the many beautiful features of what is known as the most decorated cave room in Colorado. The tour also includes a light show that highlights the cave's natural glow (bio-luminescence). Guests then slowly return to the start. This tour also lasts 40 minutes and can hold up to 25 people.
Wild Cave Adventures
Wild Cave Tours are for those who want a real caving experience! You need to book these tours in advance. They are not just walking tours; you'll be doing actual caving, which means climbing and crawling, sometimes for long periods.
However, participants get to see a more untouched part of the cave. These areas are less visited, and the groups are smaller. This adventure lasts three hours and is for groups of eight people or fewer.
See also
In Spanish: Cavernas de Glenwood para niños
