Glenwood Caverns Celebrates Summer, 10th Anniversary

Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Glenwood Springs, Colo., will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a summer kick-off party and live music on Friday, May 24. Guests will be able to enjoy an evening of Music on the Mountain by Beatles tribute band Doctor Robert and a free tram ride in exchange for a canned food donation to benefit the LIFT-UP food pantry.

“We have so much to celebrate this year,” said Steve Beckley, who owns the Adventure Park with his wife Jeanne. “In addition to the 10th anniversary of the Adventure Park, we have just opened the expanded Historic Fairy Caves Tour and added six new gondola cabin cars. All of our rides and attractions will be open, and we’re looking forward to the fifth season of Music on the Mountain to support LIFT-UP.”

Steve and Jeanne Beckley opened Glenwood Caverns & Historic Fairy Caves to the public in 1999, transporting guests from an office behind the Hotel Colorado to the top of Iron Mountain on buses during the summer. The response was so positive that they decided find a way to keep the caves open year-round. The tramway, which the original owner Charles Darrow proposed to the city in 1903, opened in 2003, along with the mountaintop restaurant and visitor center. The Beckleys rebranded the destination Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park that year and have been adding family-friendly rides and attractions ever since.

Kicking off the fifth season of the popular Music on the Mountain benefit concert series, Doctor Robert is a new generation of Beatles tribute band, committed to the accurate reproduction of more than 100 songs of The Beatles’ repertoire. Their high-energy shows are full of Beatles magic, as Casey Falter, Karen Janssen, Ben Wright and Kevin Reinert recreate some of the most band’s demanding musical compositions.

Reflecting pools seen on the newly expanded Historic Fairy Caves Tour provide a unique perspective on these beautiful formations.

Beatles tribute band Doctor Robert kicks off the fifth season of Music on the Mountain at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park.

The “cans-for-a-tram” rides will begin at 4 p.m. and the band will play from 6 – 10 p.m. The Lookout Grille and Snack Shack will be open for dinner and refreshments; drink specials including $3 glasses of wine, $3.50 Coors Lights and Coronas, and $4 well drinks, will be available in the plaza.

During the summer kick-off party on May 24, guests will also be able experience the newly expanded Historic Fairy Caves Tour, the King’s Row Cave Tour and the park’s rides and attractions. A Funday Pass, just $35 with the free tram ride, includes both walking cave tours and unlimited access to the Alpine Coaster, the Giant Canyon Swing, the Cliffhanger Roller Coaster, the Mine Wheel, the Wild West Express Coaster, the Soaring Eagle Zip Ride, the Fort WhereAmI Maze, the 4D Motion Theater, the Laser Tag arena, the Speleobox cave simulator, the climbing wall and the Giddy Up! Western ride.

The Music on the Mountain series continues throughout the summer and fall: June 1, Already Gone; June 8, Night Plane; Aug. 10, Fifty50; Aug. 17, Little Friday; Aug. 24, The Rock Dogs; Sept. 7, Lizard Skinner; Sept. 8, contemporary Christian music; Sept. 14, Acoustic Mayhem; and Sept. 21, The Missing Link Band. This year’s sponsors include Bighorn Toyota, Community Banks of Colorado, Glenwood Springs Post Independent, AMT Network, Perri’s Collision, Swire Coca-Cola, Glenwood TV, Glenwood Insurance & Pinnacol Assurance and Hotel Glenwood Springs.

The park will be open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on May 24. Beginning on May 25, it will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with later hours for most of the Music on the Mountain concerts. The last tram ride up will be half an hour prior to closing. For more information, visit www.GlenwoodCaverns.com or call 800-530-1635 or 970-945-4228, ext. 0.

Unlimited rides on the Cliffhanger Roller Coaster — America’s highest-elevation roller coaster — are included in the Funday Pass!

Glenwood Caverns Hosts Caving Rescue Seminar

“The seminar is really to update cavers on how to rescue people,” said Ken Headrick, a tour guide at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park and a volunteer during the seminar. “We spend one day at the community center with a classroom setting to learn about cave rescue, and then we actually perform a real rescue on the second day. They hide people in the cave, and the scenario this year was four lost people we had to find. It took a few hours, but it was overall the best rescue we’ve had.” This year’s seminar attracted 34 participants from around the state, in addition to 22 volunteers, ranging from locals such as Headrick to caving experts and speakers from the Front Range. A number of volunteers were also required to handle the logistics of the seminar, such as caving gear. One of the key areas of focus during the seminar was evacuations involving extreme injuries, such as broken backs, which prevent cavers from crawling out themselves. A large portion of the weekend was dedicated to packaging cavers onto litters, which were then carried out of the caves by other members of the group.

“For the search and rescue personnel, it gives them the experience to actually practice a cave rescue,” said Marty Reames, director of the CCRN as well as an instructor for the National Cave Rescue Commission (NCRC). “From the caver’s perspective, it provides an education on what it really takes to get someone out. We end up creating safer cavers by helping them realize the ramifications of getting hurt.”

The next major cave rescue seminar in Colorado will be held in May of 2014 in Divide, CO. This weeklong session will be an NCRC event.

New Cabin Cars For Glenwood Caverns Tram

Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park will be adding new tram cabin cars to the existing tram cable system Monday April 29 through Wednesday May 1. The Park will be closed during that time. For more details on the project I spoke with the Park’s Tram Manager Wade Beattie.

Wade explained that he and a crew of four or five other Adventure Park staff will work together with a similar-sized team from Leitner-Poma of America to carry out the job at the Glenwood Caverns tram base in Glenwood Springs. Leitner-Poma, located in nearby Grand Junction, Colorado, and their parent company, Poma, is a world leader in tramways & chairlifts, with close to 8000 installed world-wide.

The tram line currently has four pods (groups) of three cabin cars per pod for a total of 12 cars attached to the tram cable. The new addition entails adding two more pods of 3 cars each, for six additional cars, which translates to a 50% increase in tram seating capacity.

Wade reported that the new cabin cars were shipped from Switzerland, and have been traveling towards the west coast via ocean freighter.

Tram cars at the Adventure Park Tram Base in Glenwood Springs. 

                                              photo by Doug Davis 

Wade added that there are some logistics involved with the new cabin car installation. Because the cabins are very sturdily built and are not lightweight, a small long-arm crane is required to support the cars while they are being attached to the cable line.

“When the work is completed an Acceptance Test will be performed by a registered professional engineer from the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board,” Wade states. “We do tram maintenance all the time, and the state does surprise inspections, so they’re a very safe form of transportation.”

“In the meantime we’ve been re-upholstering all the seats in the existing tram cars. We will also be polishing the cabin windows, and replacing some windows… in effect all tram cabins are getting a facelift. If all goes according to plan, the work should be completed and 6 new cabins will be installed by May 1.”

Seven Steps for a Fun Family Colorado Spring Break

Families who travel together reap a lot of benefits: better health, reduced stress, renewed bonds and shared memories. Whether travelling a long distance, looking to find affordable homes to relocate, an extended trip or staying closer to home for a long weekend, spring break is the perfect opportunity for families to escape their daily routines of work, school, homework, chores, practices and carpools, and have some good old-fashioned fun. Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park offers families a sure-fire plan to get rid of the doldrums:

1. Gain a new perspective from Mother Nature: The Adventure Park is nestled in the Rocky Mountains above Glenwood Springs, Colorado. After a scenic 10-minute gondola ride with views of snow-capped mountains, two rivers and the Roaring Fork Valley, you will feel nature’s calming effect kick in.

2. Learn something new to spark creativity: A guided tour of Glenwood Caverns provides the chance to learn about the area’s rich history and geology in a beautiful underground setting. Who knows what ideas might be triggered by a visit to the most highly decorated cave room in Colorado, filled with glittering formations?

3. Pump up the adrenaline: Get the heart pumping with a race down the mountain on the state’s longest Alpine Coaster. Unlike most thrill rides, you control the speed and can fly screaming around the curves and over the bumps, or use the brakes and go at your own pace as you wind through the trees. You could even find a tennis coach for beginners if you’ve never given this sport a proper go before, you’ll all burn off some energy, and you might even have fun!

4. Yuck it up: Laughter really is the best medicine. Throw in a few surprises and a scream or two, and the 4D Motion Theater can be a real mood-changer. Featuring three films: “A Night at the Toy Store,” “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.”

5. Take out frustrations with a laser: A game of laser tag, that is. A little healthy competition in an Old West setting, using the latest in wireless laser tag technology, can help get everyone laughing again. Airsoft and BB guns are also a great way to have fun with your friends; equipment can be purchased at onlybbguns.

6. Break bread together: Talk about the day over a meal. What was each family member’s favorite part? What did they learn? What was the funniest thing that happened? An impromptu awards ceremony with silly photos can be turned into a memory book for the family to share.

7. Start planning: Now’s the time for a family time-out. Numerous studies have shown the benefits of travel: travelers rate their health higher while on vacation and report that they sleep better upon return; employees are more creative and productive after a vacation; and couples who travel together strengthen their relationships.* While having a vacation can have numerous health benefits and bring you closer with family and friends, there are still a few worries that come with it. Some people worry about their finances and whether or not they have enough to go abroad, this worry deepens if they decide they would like to visit for longer than the normal period or even live in a country like the US. There seems to be nothing worse than being in a country and not being able to access money to tide you over until you are ready to leave. Luckily, you can search online for a credit card for foreigners that may be able to help you while you are visiting. There are also vacation spots that offer affordable holidays to groups who are looking for a relaxing and fun time with the family.

Our mission is to make people smile – so our employees are dedicated to helping you have a good time. The Funday Pass this winter is just $30 per person and includes the gondola ride and unlimited access to the Alpine Coaster, Laser Tag Arena and 4D Motion Theater. Guests can add the guided Cave Tour for just $5 more.

The mountaintop Lookout Grille has a cozy fire and menu choices that include nachos, bratwursts, hot dogs, salads, soup, sandwiches, wraps, chili and Colorado-raised hormone-free burgers, ranging in price from $5.95 to $9.95. Kids can choose mac and cheese, a hot dog or a cheese quesadilla, with chips and a small drink for $5.95.

Conveniently located on I-70 midway between Aspen and Vail, the Adventure Park is close to many of Colorado’s top vacation destinations: three hours from Denver, four hours from Colorado Springs and 90 minutes from Grand Junction. Vail, Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Beaver Creek, Snowmass and Buttermilk are located within an hour of the park. Breckenridge, Winter Park, Powderhorn, Steamboat, Copper Mountain, Keystone, Ski Cooper and SolVista are within two hours.

Glenwood Springs features the world’s largest hot springs pool, hiking and biking trails, fishing, a vaudeville show, shopping, award-winning restaurants and affordable lodging options. The local Sunlight Mountain Resort offers downhill skiing and riding, trails for Nordic and snowshoeing, and snowmobile tours.

Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is currently open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Monday, but will extend its hours for spring. Beginning March 8, the park will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Follow us on Facebook for more information.

* More information about the benefits of travel is available from the U.S. Travel Association.

Learning from the Best

With shorter hours and smaller crowds during the late fall and early winter, the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park management team takes time each year for team building, professional development and celebrating! They traveled to California in November for a team-building trip and as a reward for another successful year.

The team met with executives at some of the world’s top theme parks: Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farms, Magic Mountain and Disney California Adventure — including the new Cars Land.

They spent two days with Disney executives, learning about guest services, safety, quality audits, hiring and training. Nancy Heard, mountain operations manager, was very impressed by Disney’s impeccably maintained facilities and guest services, but her biggest “wow” moment was learning that they not only wash the streets every night, they dry them! Special projects manager Shiela Kendall’s biggest surprise was seeing the crew washing and polishing the trash receptacles. As you can tell from the photo, business development manager Eric Brotherson really enjoyed the pancakes.

After taking rare behind-the-scenes tours, experiencing the rides and attractions, and having in-depth discussions about the parks’ operations and best practices, the team brought back lots of ideas to enhance the customer experience here in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. This is the sort of trip families around the country dream of going on. While definitely one worth doing, it can be a costly experience. If you’re considering applying for credit to get out to California, make sure you get a free credit report from Creditkarma before you put money on the table.

Visit Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park

Visit Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in historic Glenwood Springs, Colo., for a unique mountaintop adventure. Wholesome family fun, from kids’ activities and attractions to rides for die-hard thrill seekers, makes this the perfect vacation destination. Take a walking tour or an on-your-belly Wild Tour of Glenwood Caverns and Historic Fairy Caves, one of the country’s leading show caves. Ride the longest alpine coaster in Colorado, with individual cars on tracks that race down the mountainside. Enjoy the highest elevation roller coaster in America, a 4D motion theater, a giant swing over Glenwood Canyon,  a zip ride, breathtaking views from the Iron Mountain Tramway, a climbing wall, sluice box gemstone mining, geode cutting, a Ferris wheel ride, a giant maze and more. The Lookout Grille serves lunch on the deck or inside by the fire, with a great kids’ menu. Perfect for parties, groups and reunions.

Cliffhanger Roller Coaster at Glenwood Caverns

The Cliffhanger at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is the highest-elevation full-sized roller coaster in America! The highest part of the 50-foot-tall Cliffhanger Roller Coaster curves alongside the edge of Glenwood Canyon, more than 1,400 feet above the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys.

Located in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, the Adventure Park, which brought the first Alpine Coaster to the U.S. in 2005, also offers thrill seekers the Giant Canyon Swing, which swings riders out 1,300 feet above the Colorado River in a pneumatically powered, zero-Gs thrill ride; the Soaring Eagle Zip Ride; and a wild, on-your-belly tour of Glenwood Caverns and the Historic Fairy Caves.

Top 10 Things for Families to Do in Colorado this Summer

Photo op from Exclamation Point
Photo op from Exclamation Point

Go jump off a cliff! Trekaroo, a popular family travel planning website, just released its list of the Top 10 Things for Families to Do in Colorado…and Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is included! In the ever-popular Jump Off a Cliff category, written just for those thrill-seeking families out there, the Giant Canyon Swing is called out for “launching daring riders 1,300 feet out and over the Colorado River trailing below.”
The article also includes the Wild Tour, Alpine Coaster and Zip Ride, which when combined with the Bungee Jump and the new Cliffhanger Roller Coaster opening this spring, makes a pretty exciting day for adventurous families. Here’s how that day could play out this summer (many of these rides are seasonal, this is to help you plan your summer vacation) …

9 a.m. — Hop on board the Iron Mountain Tramway and enjoy a scenic ride to the Adventure Park, which is nestled in the mountains overlooking Glenwood Springs, Colorado, voted the Most Fun Town in America in the Rand McNally and USA Today Best of the Road program. Check out the park map during the ride so that you can hit the ground running when you get to the top.

9:30 — Ride the Alpine Coaster one or five times. It was the first in the U.S. and is still the longest Alpine Coaster in Colorado. You will love it. Kids at least eight years old and 56” tall can ride alone, kids three and older can ride with an adult.

10:15 — Ride the new Cliffhanger Roller Coaster! Located slightly above the rest of the park, sitting at 7,160 feet, you’ll get amazing views of the Roaring Fork Valley…if you can keep your eyes open as it whips you around the curve right along the edge of Glenwood Canyon.

11:00 — Head for the Giant Canyon Swing, which was featured on the Travel Channel and Good Morning America, and see what all the fuss is about. Watch it a time or two, then get strapped in for the ride of a lifetime. Make sure someone has the video camera going so you can prove that you rode it.

11:45 — Make your way to the Bungee Tower. You can try the Soaring Eagle Zip Ride first, which zips you down the mountain, over the Alpine Coaster, and then back up to the top again. If you’re really brave, it’s time to try the Bungee Jump. It’s 70 feet up; you can jump, free fall backwards, or dive head first. Again, make sure someone is taping it so you can share your screams with your friends later.

12:30 — Time for lunch. The Lookout Grille offers some of the best panoramic views in Colorado, and features burgers, salads, sandwiches, a great kids’ menu and more.

1:30 — While you’re in the building, head upstairs and try out the Laser Tag Arena. It was just repainted this year, and the kids will have a blast.

2:15 — Head back outside and take your pick: the new Mine Wheel or Wild West Express Coaster, perfect for the young ones in the group, or race through Fort WhereAmI, a giant Western-style human maze. Take your camera and snap some shots from the towers, the views are incredible.

3:00 — You might need a breather now, so grab a cold drink at the Snack Shack and try the gemstone sluice box mining, pick out a geode and have it cut, or see how good of a shot you are at the Mining Shaft Shootin’ Gallery. You can also get an old time photo taken at Silk’s Saloon.

4:00 — Take the guided 70-minute tour of Glenwood Caverns and Historic Fairy Caves. It’s suitable for almost everyone, but there are 127 steps down and back up again, so be prepared to carry the little ones if needed. (Sign up at the base when you arrive in the morning, the tours can fill up during the summer.)

5:15 — Pick your favorite rides and try them again!

6:30 — Time for another cold drink on the deck at the Lookout Grille, and maybe a slice of pizza at the Snack Shack. If you can stay for the sunset, you won’t be disappointed.

If your family is not quite adventurous enough for the Giant Canyon Swing, and Cliffhanger Roller Coaster and Bungee Jump, never fear. You’ll find plenty to do. The park also features a sand pit fossil dig, climbing wall, Giddy Up Western Ride, Wild West Wagon ride, new Mine Wheel and Wild West Express Coaster.

Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is located just off I-70, midway between Vail and Aspen. During the winter and spring, guests can enjoy the Iron Mountain Tramway, Alpine Coaster, Laser Tag, 4D Motion Theater and guided cave tours. The rest of the park’s attractions are scheduled to open by Memorial Weekend. For more information, visit glenwoodcaverns.com or call 800-530-1635, ext. 0.

Read the whole Trekaroo “Top 10 Things for Families to Do in Colorado” list.

Now, who’s ready for summer?

Looking Back at 2011 – What a Year!

While I’m not one to play favorites, 2011 is definitely on the short list of exciting years at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. Here’s a quick look back at the highlights…

January: We announced that a new species of pseudoscorpion unique to Glenwood Caverns and Historic Fairy Caves was named.

February: Bret Pfost, Disney’s Senior Manager for Worldwide Safety, Training and Compliance, spent a day sharing his process for building a safety culture with our management team.

March: Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park was named Editor’s Pick for “Best Emerging Attraction” by Colorado Meeting + Events magazine at its annual Best of Colorado awards ceremony in Denver.

March: We launched a mobile site to provide our guests with helpful information while they’re on the road.

April: Our friend Julian Vogt celebrated his 100th birthday with a ride on the Alpine Coaster.

May: This one is hard to beat…Bert “the Conqueror” Kreischer and Sam Champion, Good Morning America’s meteorologist, visited the park and screamed like little girls on the Giant Canyon Swing. The visit, which still makes me laugh out loud, was broadcast on Good Morning America.

May: We kicked off our third annual Music on the Mountain concert series on Memorial Day Weekend AND opened the only Bungee Jump in Colorado!

June: Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park was voted #1 in two categories in the annual Post Independent’s Locals’ Choice Awards: Top Locals Attraction and Best Place for a Kids’ Birthday Party!

July: The Bert the Conqueror episode featuring our owner Steve Beckley sharing his first-ever ride on the Giant Canyon Swing with host Bert Kreischer, aired on the Travel Channel. Steve and Jeanne’s sons Shane and Stenar, along with many of our employees, were stars on the show as well.

July:  More than 1,200 cavers from around the world visited Glenwood Springs as part of the National Speleological Society’s annual convention. The “Howdy Party” was officially the largest single private event in our history, and the convention itself was the largest ever held in Glenwood Springs.

July: Glenwood Springs was named the Most Fun Small Town in America during the USA Today – Rand McNally “Best of the Road Rally!”

August and September: Our Music on the Mountain concert series continued. All combined, the community donated more than 7,600 cans of food for the LIFT-UP food pantry during the series!

October: Since we’d set the lofty goal of reaching 10,000 cans during the 2011 Music on the Mountain series, our management team presented LIFT-UP executive director Mike Powell with a check for $1,200 to purchase the remaining 2,400 cans.

As the year winds down, we are all thankful for the support of our community, our guests, our fans, friends and followers, for a successful year. Here’s to even more fun in 2012!

Glenwood Caverns Tops Off 2011 Music on the Mountain Series with Donation to LIFT-UP.