Historic Fairy Cave Tour
Fairy Caves
The Historic Fairy Cave Tour is a 40-minute guided walking tour that is appropriate for most fitness levels. This tour leads you on a quarter-mile-long underground stroll through narrow, winding passages, to natural water features and includes a stop at Exclamation Point—a viewing balcony with magnificent panoramas.
What to expect. While there is no need to bend or stoop on this tour, some visitors may feel claustrophobic by the narrowness and low ceiling in places. Though tempting, visitors may not touch the walls or cave formations. This is to protect the living cave environment. Also, there are 19 steps, with a stop at the half-way point. Once the tour has started, plan to follow your guide to the end as the lights behind you are turned off as you progress through the tour. See more details below.
A little history. Named by C.W. Darrow who began giving tours in April 1896, the Fairy Caves was one of the first caves in the U.S. to have electric lighting installed. Today’s cave tour includes a historic lighting section called History Lane, which is illuminated with replica Edison and Marconi-style light bulbs. On your tour, you will experience a portion of the Fairy Cave just as a visitor would have viewed it over 100 years ago.
Darrow had hoped his venture would be a huge commercial success, drawing visitors from nearby Glenwood Springs. To reach the cave entrance, customers had to climb a steep trail to the mountain-top. Ahead of his time, Darrow proposed an electric tram to take people more efficiently to the attraction. Unfortunately, the town leaders were not as enthusiastic and refused to fund it; his project floundered and tours ceased in the mid-1910s.
With special permission from the Darrow family, caving groups continued exploring and mapping the extensive caverns. Over the years, new discoveries were made including areas not previously accessible except to a few hardy cavers willing to crawl and wiggle through them. The property remained in the Darrow family until 1961 when Peter Prebble and his partners bought it.
The current route of the Historic Fairy Cave Tour was two years in the making with close to 1,000 tons of rocky debris removed by hand with buckets and in wheelbarrows. Thankfully visitors don’t have to inch their way through tight spots anymore to appreciate the beauty of the caverns.
We were honored to have Rocky Mountain PBS film a Colorado Experience special of the Historic Fairy Caves at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. Descend into the magical Fairy Caves – dubbed “The 8th Wonder of the World.”
Highlights of the tour include:
- The Cloud Room with a subaqueous calcite ceiling.
- 40-minute walking cave tour. Cave tour times are posted at the Glenwood Gondola ticket counter and the customer service gazebo in the Plaza.
- A souvenir snapshot of your group in the cave right at the beginning of the tour, available to purchase afterwards.
- The Head Office, where deeply penetrating tree roots are visible.
- The Eternal Towers underground canyon.
- A trip through the Darrow Tunnel, which took three years to build, starting in 1897.
- Briefly exit the tunnel to visit Exclamation Point, with panoramic views of Glenwood Springs, Glenwood Canyon and the Colorado River.
- The Pendant Room with its bulbous formations, carved by air and water.
- History Lane historical lighting section, with lighting design based upon Glenwood Springs Historical Society archival photographs.
- A candle-lit side trip into the Back Passage Room.
- The magnificent Register Room with it’s brilliantly-rich saturated colors created by interaction with hot springs waters.
- The Reflection Room with formation-reflecting pools reflecting stalactites, stalagmites and soda straw formations.
- Views of Jam Crack Passage with rich colors, popcorn-covered stalactites, and beautiful flowstone.
Accessibility:
- This is a walking tour designed for persons wearing regular street clothing and street shoes. As in our other cave tour, flip-flops are not recommended
- The packed fine pea-gravel floors are generally level, though there is one very gradual short slope with a handrail
- There is one short section containing two sets of 9 steps with a connecting level platform
- Passageways between cave rooms average approximately 5 feet (1.5 meters) wide
- There are three narrow sections (smallest = 25 inch or 63 centimeters, only at shoulder height) which take only a brief second to step through
- There is one reduced headroom of 5.5 feet (1.7 meters) portion which is well-lit and requires briefly ducking your head underneath it
- 80+ year old visitors with canes have walked this tour without difficulties
- Our apologies, this cave tour is not wheelchair accessible.
The most highly decorated cave room in Colorado!
40 min guided walking tour suitable for most fitness levels.
For those seeking an authentic cave adventure.
Learn more about the rich history of our caves!
Check Out Our Guest Reviews!
- Called off work that day to drive 3 hours from Denver to hide and go on an adventure! Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park called out to… read moreCalled off work that day to drive 3 hours from Denver to hide and go on an adventure! Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park called out to us to a hideaway with a couple of friends, to ride the Gondola up (7 min ride up) and check out a very outdoorsy mountain themed park. We did the Gondola and Cave Tour Only
Adult $33.00 EACH. Not a long wait in line, we got escorted by the Gondola and it was beautiful every second of it. We got to see everything from up there and the breeze felt nice. As we finally got to the top of all, we were greeted from an associate and we explored our options of the park. We noticed they had lots of little trails heading into different sections of the park, and it felt like a small hike which I liked. They had a mini rock climbing wall for the little kiddoes. They had a whole water spraying area to cool off as we all got red from the unforgiving sun.
We were attracted to the thrill rides that Caverns had to offer, and we chose to experience The Eagle Zip Ride as the first ride and it was kind of scary for me, not because of the speed of the ride, but because of the height and so far off into the elevation of the mountains. That’s one way to face your fear of heights. I dreamed of crossing out the Alpine Coaster out of my bucket list, but I didn’t know where to find such a ride and just my luck, this park had it!
My favorite whimsical, fairytale like ride! Passing through trees and tracks, this ride is very beautiful, not too fast and very fun. The cave tours were also very beautiful and the children all around us seemed to be curious and intrigued by the “Cave Bacon!” Our tour guide was also wonderful and we felt such accomplishment for a successful visit. read lessAlice Q.11/16/2020Beca one of the tour guides for the cave tour and she is amazing! I have done the cave tour twice and been lucky enough… read moreBeca one of the tour guides for the cave tour and she is amazing! I have done the cave tour twice and been lucky enough to have Beca been our guide for both and she does an incredible job very funny and yet very enjoyable. read lessJunior Ortega11/02/2020Most amazing place! One of the best times I’ve ever had!! Great views, food & people. Staff is very friendly & helpful. Tom, that was… read moreMost amazing place! One of the best times I’ve ever had!! Great views, food & people. Staff is very friendly & helpful. Tom, that was our guide for the caverns was absolutely wonderful. Need more employees like him, that love the park. He was very informative as well. Highly recommend this adventure park. Will be back!! Fun times !! read lessAmber England10/27/2020 - Marilyn Castorina10/27/2020Fun even in a pandemic. Take a gondola to the top of a mountainside. Grab a pound of fries and a souvenir cup of Sprite… read moreFun even in a pandemic. Take a gondola to the top of a mountainside. Grab a pound of fries and a souvenir cup of Sprite while staring at the view from the Lookout Grille. Wander around the General Store. Wander down the hill and check on cave tours. If you have time, go watch people SCREAM their heads off on the Giant Canyon Swing. See the Fairy Caves, preferably with adorable kids on the tour. The one on ours (not mine) got to be “tour guide” and he was so happy! read lessR Cusick10/15/2020Probably the most anxious I’ve ever been in my life to ride the canyon swing and it was so fun. Would have rode again if… read moreProbably the most anxious I’ve ever been in my life to ride the canyon swing and it was so fun. Would have rode again if we had time. More scared of the flyer while on it which was surprising. Then the haunted drop ride sealed the deal. So much fun if you love thrill rides. The coaster and zip were also very fun. I love amusement parks and this was a very cool experience on top of the mountain. Only did the fairy cave tour and was great. read lessLisa Brummett10/05/2020
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Unique Adventure Park There are many reasons this place is unique. First, the park is perched on top of a mountain which has amazing views all around…. read moreThere are many reasons this place is unique. First, the park is perched on top of a mountain which has amazing views all around. There’s a gondola ride to the top, an alpine coaster, a roller coaster, caves, and rides that leave you swinging over the edge of the mountain above a canyon. I can’t think of many theme parks like it. You can pan for rocks, rock climb and enjoy a 4D theater experience.
The cave tours were also pretty cool. The Fairy Cave was pretty awesome and our tour guide Parker aka Batman, was a awesome guide and had a dry sense of humor which was great. The Fairy Cave tour lasted about 30-40 minutes and was a pretty decent walk through the cave. There was also the King’s Cave led by our tour guide Tom. He was really knowledgeable about the cave and you can tell he had a passion for caving which I thought was really inspiring. I learned a lot from him and hopes he gets to explore more caves around the world. The King’s Cave was a larger more cavernous cave and there were more steps to go down. The tour lasted about 20 minutes. We went during COVID so both tours only allowed 15 people per tour, but there were tours for both caves every 20 minutes or so.
Lastly, we got a fun day pass which I thought was worth the value for the rides and experiences. If I’m ever in the area again, I’d definitely come back to visit. read lessdngrockstar9/16/2020We had an awesome time at the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park! We took a last minute trip and were able to book a gondola and… read moreWe had an awesome time at the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park! We took a last minute trip and were able to book a gondola and cavern tour. We were only able to see the Fairy caves however, Cole was super awesome! The tour was engaging and beautiful … what an awesome time, thanks Cole! Everyone we came in contact with at the park was super professional and very friendly. We look forward to coming back! read lessLindsay Sunshine8/21/2020Maybe the most fun ever This place is the bomb – if you are looking for thrill rides. My husband and I are both 52 and our daughters are… read moreThis place is the bomb – if you are looking for thrill rides. My husband and I are both 52 and our daughters are 12 and 13 – we all had the best time! We rode the canyon swing 4 times – screaming in terror every time. So much fun! We went during Covid so we had a reserved entrance time and the park was limiting the number of guests so we never had a long wait on any ride. the longest we waited was about 30 mins for the fairy tour because those were being limited to groups of 15 or less. The alpine coaster and the rest – big time fun. People were wearing masks and there was hand sanitizer. Also, i was surprised that the snacks and food were reasonable for an amusement park. I would definitely do this again. well, maybe I would just recommend other people do it since I’m not sure i really could do it again! read less
debradefreyn8/05/2020 -
Cave tours We wanted something educational for our kids to do during our vacation and stumbled on the cave tours. We all really enjoyed it. We were… read moreWe wanted something educational for our kids to do during our vacation and stumbled on the cave tours. We all really enjoyed it. We were glad that we started with the “Fairy tour” and ended with the “Kings room”. The first was a guided tour and the second was self-guided but workers were stationed at key spots to help tell the story of the cave, tell facts and answer questions. read less
Mojave_54897/13/2020We had so much fun! The fairy caves were amazing but our guid Parker definitely elevated our experience and laughter.
Emily P.6/23/2020This is a not to be missed adventure in the Roaring Fork Valley I have been in many caves around the country. The Fairy Caves at the Glenwood Springs Adventure park is world class. There are… read moreI have been in many caves around the country. The Fairy Caves at the Glenwood Springs Adventure park is world class. There are things you will see here that you might not have seen anywhere else. The cost of the entry fee is worth it simply for the cavern tours.
But there is more. They have a safe, thrilling, and amazing alpine coaster. Strapped in, you can go as fast as possible and have a block buster adventure. There is a giant swing, a “drop straight down” type ride, laser tag, zip line, and lots more. Great fun for the entire family. I love the ride up the gondola, the cave tour, then cocktails watching the sun go down with the phenomenal view of Glenwood, and Mount Sopris in the distance, then a dark ride back down. You are here to ski, don’t pass up this adventure read lesszgshaw3/05/2020