Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park
From almost anywhere in Glenwood Springs you can look up on the mountain and see bright orange gondola cars heading up to Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, America’s only mountain-top theme park. Watch for a minute or two and you might see the Giant Canyon Swing as it curves up, up and up, then hangs suspended for a few seconds hundreds of feet over the river and Glenwood Canyon itself before it arcs down and back up again. That’s only one of over a dozen truly thrilling rides such as the Alpine Coaster, Defiance Coaster, and the Soaring Eagle Zip Ride.
Yet, situated 7,100 feet above sea level in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is America’s only mountain-top theme park. How exactly did Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park end up there?
A nagging curiosity to explore a little-known cave in Glenwood Springs more than two decades ago led to the re-opening of Glenwood Caverns and the Historic Fairy Caves in 1999. The popularity of the cave tours led to very long wait times, and owners Steve and Jeanne Beckley started adding attractions so that guests would have something to do while waiting for the tour. Now there are more than a dozen attractions atop Iron Mountain, and the Park has become a place where the thrills run deep and the sky’s the limit!
Hard work pays off. Check out a small sampling of accolades the Beckleys and Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park have received over the years!
- TripAdvisor named the Park one of the Top 25 Amusement Parks in the U.S
- Reader’s Digest named the Park the Top Amusement Park in Colorado
- The Alpine Coaster was named one of the 10 Best Roller-coaster Rides of Your Life by USA TODAY and Park World Magazine
- The State of Colorado awarded the Beckleys the 2001 Governor’s Award for Outstanding Community Tourism Initiative
- Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association named them Citizens of the Year for 2002
- The Giant Canyon Swing was named one of the 10 Most Extreme Theme Park Rides in the USA by USA TODAY
- Glenwood Caverns was named one of the 10 Best Caves in the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards
- Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park ranked in the top 4 for Best Family Fun in Sunset magazine Travel Awards
