Glenwood Canyon

Glenwood Canyon is the work of the Colorado River, which over millions of years has cut down through layer after layer of ancient rock, some of it more than a billion years old, to create the deep gorge visitors see today. The river is still doing the work, running fast and green through the bottom of the canyon, and the exposed walls read like a cross-section of deep geological time.

The result is a narrow, steep-sided canyon that leaves little room on its floor, which is exactly what made building through it such a challenge. For much of its length, the river, the old railroad grade, the recreation path, and the highway are stacked and squeezed into the same slim corridor between towering cliffs, a testament both to nature's carving and to human persistence.

The stretch of Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon is one of the most admired pieces of highway engineering in the United States. Completed in 1992 after years of work, it carries the interstate through the gorge largely on elevated viaducts and through tunnels, holding the road off the canyon floor and away from the river so the natural setting could be preserved as much as possible.

The project won awards for its design and its care for the environment, and it is often held up as an example of building a major road in harmony with a sensitive landscape rather than in spite of it. Driving it, you glide along cliff faces and over the river with the canyon walls rising all around, a rare case of a highway that is itself part of the scenery.

The best way to experience the canyon up close is the paved recreation path that runs along the river through much of the gorge, letting cyclists and walkers travel deep into the canyon at their own pace, right down beside the water and beneath the towering walls. It is one of the finest canyon bike paths anywhere, and it makes the scenery accessible in a way a car window cannot.

Partway up the canyon, a steep trail climbs to Hanging Lake, a small, otherworldly lake perched on a shelf, fed by waterfalls and colored an unearthly blue-green by dissolved minerals. It is one of Colorado's most treasured spots, and because it is fragile and popular, access is now managed with a reservation system to protect it. Reaching it takes a demanding hike, but the reward is unforgettable.

The canyon opens at its western end into Glenwood Springs, a resort town built around its famous hot springs, where mineral water bubbles up hot from the ground and fills large pools that have drawn visitors for well over a century. The town has long been a place to rest and soak, and it makes an ideal base for exploring the canyon.

Beyond the springs and the canyon, Glenwood Springs offers vapor caves, river rafting, a hilltop adventure park, and quick access to the Roaring Fork Valley toward Aspen. Between the hot springs, the river, the bike path, and the canyon itself, the area rewards more than a quick drive-through, which is exactly what most travelers on the interstate give it.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.