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| Glenwood Hot Springs Pool |
We've moved a little over two hours southwest from Steamboat Springs to Glenwood Springs. It was a nice and very scenic drive. Although the last 30 miles was on the interstate, most of the drive was on Colorado 131, a state road that took us through numerous small ranching communities, over several mountain passes and near the flattop mountains.
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| Yampa Flattop Mountains from Colorado 131 |
About 20 minutes out of Steamboat Springs we did a short detour to Stagecoach State Park. If you purchase a state park one day admission permit it is good until noon of the following day. Since we had one from our previous day's visit to Steamboat Lake and Pearl Lake State Parks, we couldn't pass up the opportunity.
Stagecoach State Park
Stagecoach is a 1,641 acre park that includes an 800 acre reservoir on the Yampa River. The reservoir was formed when the 145 foot high Stagecoach Dam was completed in 1989. While it's not a huge dam, we were amazed to learn that it was built in just 37 days. While I'm not expert in dam construction, I think it's safe to say, "Damn that's fast"! Nearby is an abandoned ski area that closed in the early 70's due to financial problems.
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| Hydroelectric Plant at the bottom of Stagecoach Dam |
The park itself has the typical offerings of a state park, including campsites, picnic areas, a boat ramp and marina. It also has some great hiking trails, including a 10 mile trail that goes around the shores of the reservoir. We got some suggestions from the park office and enjoyed a couple of miles of hiking below the dam along the banks of the Yampa River. We also hiked part of another trail that took us across the dam. Our intentions were to do a little more hiking but we ran into sections of the trail that were covered in ice so we cut it a little short and moved on to Glenwood Springs.
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| Riverside Trail below the Stagecoach Dam |
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| Riverside Trail |
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| The Stagecoach Dam is in the right center of the picture. |
Glenwood Springs is a resort town with a population of around 10,000. It's located in the Roaring Fork Valley of the Rocky Mountains, at the confluence of the Colorado and Roaring Fork Rivers. The town was incorporated in 1885, just a few years before the opening of the Glenwood Hot Springs. Since 1888 people have been coming to Glenwood Springs to soak in the soothing, 3.5 million gallons of warm mineral water that flow from underground daily.
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| Trail along the river in Glenwood Springs |
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| Beth gives the Glenwood Hot Springs two thumbs up! |
Glenwood Springs
Glenwood Hot Springs Pool
After checking into our hotel we had a quick lunch and set off on foot for the hot springs, which is just over a mile away from the hotel. For the next three hours we were immersed in the magical, mystical waters, alternating between the smaller (a relative term) 104 degree pool and the larger 94 degree pool. About that larger pool, it contains 1,078,000 gallons, making it the worlds largest hot springs pool. Giving us at least 1,078,000 reasons to love Glenwood Springs!
