To be “on cloud nine” means to experience pure happiness. It’s that light, floating, elated feeling when everything seems to be going your way and the world feels a little more wonder-filled.
In Glenwood Springs, that feeling is more than a cute idiom. It’s something you can see, feel, and breathe in, especially in winter.
When temperatures dip, having your head in the clouds is just a natural part of the Glenwood Springs experience. Vapor in all its forms, is everywhere. View-obscuring steam cloaks the hot springs. Delicate tendrils of mist twist skyward from the surface river as the sun hits it. And at the ski area or Adventure Park, low lying clouds play a game of peek-a-boo with recreationists.
Even if you can’t literally float away on a cloud, you can certainly experience that “cloud nine” feeling in Glenwood Springs.
Soak in “The Clouds”
The most obvious and delightful way to get your head in the clouds arises from a visit to the town’s geothermal waters. Whether you choose to soak at Glenwood Hot Springs Pool or at Iron Mountain Hot Springs, both exude an almost otherworldly quality as steam shrouds the pools, creating an ambiance of dreaminess. The contrast of crisp cold air on your face and comforting warm water below is delightfully invigorating. It’s not hard to understand why soaking is a favorite wintertime activity in Glenwood Springs.
Steamy River Views
Even beyond the pools, steam is a constant presence in Glenwood’s winter landscape. Along the Colorado River, natural, in-river hot springs are easily spotted along the shoreline. With low flows this time of year, it’s easy to spy in-river hot springs often submerged during spring runoff season. The cotton ball clouds of steam along the riverbank are a dead giveaway. The best time to enjoy these wild springs however, is in summer, during rafting season, when guides conveniently paddle up to the hot spots to give rafters a warming dip before continuing the downriver journey.
Vapor Underground
Then there are Glenwood Springs’ famed Yampah Vapor Caves, where the heady experience of steam goes underground. Fed by geothermal heat that seeps in through cracks in the rock, these natural caves trap steam creating a unique healing environment. Hailed for their detoxifying properties, the mineral-rich steam has long been associated with relaxation and healing. Long before Glenwood Springs was a dot on the map, the native Ute tribe visited the steam-filled caves for therapeutic benefits. If clouds were hot on the inside, this is what they’d feel like: a warm gentle mist that teases out tension, quiets the noise of the outside world, and invites deep relaxation.
Weather Phenomenon
Winter also brings another atmospheric gift: temperature inversions. At times, low-lying clouds settle into the valley, wrapping the surrounding mountains in an ephemeral, gauzy blanket. Peaks disappear, reappear, then vanish again as the clouds shift and lift. Look for this phenomenon early in the day.
For a different perspective, head to higher ground. At Sunlight Mountain Resort, skiers and riders sometimes find themselves above the cloud layer, gliding through patches of sunshine and darting through filmy clouds. Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park offers similar moments, where mountaintop views reveal swaths of drifting fog beneath your feet.
Elevated Indoors
Of course, that cloud nine feeling doesn’t always require high altitude or bitter cold. Sometimes it’s found in a cozy corner table at a local restaurant, browsing the wares for sale in local shops, or simply strolling through town watching steam evaporate from the streets and rooftops while actual cumulus clouds float across blue skies overhead.
Find Your Cloud Nine in Glenwood Springs
In Glenwood Springs, clouds are a welcome sight, and they aren’t just in the sky. They rise from the water, settle into the valley, and encircle the mountaintops. Whether you’re soaking, skiing, breathing in vapor, or simply watching the world’s edges soften on a winter day, this is a place where being on cloud nine feels completely natural and no one will chide you for having your head in the clouds.
Learn more and make plans to visit Glenwood Springs this winter.
