We (me, my husband and two kids) recently returned from a four-day trip to Glenwood Springs. We are trying to visit a new place in Colorado every summer and this year's trip was a success! I would definitely suggest Glenwood Springs if you are interested in the outdoors, spectacular scenery, and adventures. There are better choices if you are interested in shopping, enjoying downtown, or restaurants.

We stayed at the Hampton Inn and it was a good choice. A good breakfast was included in the room rate, it had an indoor pool, a fridge, and was clean and spacious. Also, free parking and little treats like warm chocolate chip cookies and cold ice water in the lobby.

Adventures - We loved hiking Hanging Lake and the Grizzly Creek Trail. These were two spectacular, breathtaking hikes. I cannot say enough about them. We also did the hot springs and Adventure Park (cave tours). We walked Horseshoe Pass and saw Doc Holliday's Grave. Unbelievable scenery...we loved Glenwood Canyon!

Restaurants - We ate at Chomps Deli (right next to the hotel), Italian Underground, Glenwood Springs Brew Pub, Slope and Hatch, and got takeout from Zheng China Bistro. The food was decent, not exceptional. We would not go back to Chomps, and Zheng's was a pleasant surprise. We really enjoyed Slope and Hatch and kids eat free on Mondays and Tuesdays. The menu here is tacos and hot dogs, but not traditional tacos. My husband had gyro tacos, while I had jerk chicken with slaw and a pineapple/jalepeno salsa. Spicy, but fresh and innovative flavors. Italian Underground was pretty good with neat atmosphere and friendly staff. We thought everything was pretty pricey for what you got. Sweet Adventures was a good candy/ice cream shop.

We enjoyed Glenwood Springs, particularly the beauty of the area. As a whole, we enjoyed Steamboat Springs more for all that it had to offer for a family. However, the hiking and scenery makes Glenwood Springs a really nice destination!

Thanks for the info. We did a very similar trip a couple years ago.

I think the brew pub is technically "Glenwood Canyon" (unless there are two). We had such a good meal we went back the next day. Unfortunately, it wasn't as good the second time....

We too ate at Chomps. I don't remember it distinctly, except that it was adequate and maybe could have been cleaner?

Really enjoyed the adventure park.

We'll need to try the Grizzly Creek trail.

Out of curiosity, where are you located that you are trying a new Colorado place each summer. Worthy it is.

Thanks for your responses. Yes, highly recommend Grizzly Creek. We are located south of Denver, but we found ourselves gravitating toward Breckenridge, Vail, and Beaver Creek each summer instead of trying new places too. We did Steamboat last summer and Glenwood this summer. We want to continue this tradition!

Rockie, did you not get to the pool at Glenwood? That is a must for us. We also live south of Denver & make it to Glenwood every couple of years.

I hope you'll do Mesa Verde since it is such an easy trip for you.

We did do the hot springs pool and had fun. Gretchen, we did do Mesa Verde in our last trip before kids about 7 years ago. We definitely want to head back to that area soon. We loved it!