Guest blog post by Alexa James, The ROAMies Podcast : podcast.TheROAMies.com @TheROAMies
Steam rising off the world’s largest hot springs pool. A gondola climbing toward snow-covered mountains. Historic hotels, hidden vapor caves, and the kind of mountain-town charm that makes you want to slow down and stay awhile. That was (and is) Glenwood Springs.
“I want to go to Glenwood Springs. I’ve heard great things about it,” my friend Heidi texted me earlier this year.
Dr. Heidi Petak and I have birthdays within a month of each other, and every year we try to celebrate with a girls’ trip. Heidi and I originally met in Nashville, but life has taken us in different directions. She’s in Colorado and I’m in Texas. So these trips have become our way of reconnecting. Neither of us had ever been to Glenwood Springs, but the more we looked into it, the more it sounded like exactly what we needed: a mountain town with hot springs, history, adventure, great food, and room to breathe.
We set out to see what might be possible, and Visit Glenwood Springs created the kind of itinerary every girls’ trip hopes for – one that checked every box a girls’ trip should have – and showed us just how much this mountain town has to offer, from iconic hot springs and historic hotels to spa experiences, shopping, restaurants, and even mountaintop adventure.
From the moment we arrived, it felt like the perfect mix: enough activity to make memories, enough downtime to really talk, and enough surprises to leave us both saying, “I never would have expected that.”
Our home base was Hotel 1888, tucked inside Glenwood Hot Springs Resort. Walking into my King Balcony Suite made me feel like a princess, while Heidi’s room had a warm, inviting fireplace that felt magical. One morning, I stepped out onto the balcony just as the sun came up over the mountains and steam rose from the world’s largest hot springs pool below. The whole town seemed wrapped in quiet. It was a moment of peaceful awe.
That became the rhythm of our trip: moments of awe, followed by moments of connection.
We started with what felt like the signature girls’ trip experience: a spa day at Yampah Spa, beginning with therapeutic massages that were not only great for the body but also the soul. Then came the mineral bath, the body wrap, and those rare, unique vapor caves that called to us between treatments. Descending into the naturally occurring steam caves felt like stepping into another world. The warm mineral vapor, rich in sulfur and magnesium, wrapped around us in a way that was both calming and grounding, leaving us lighter -not just physically, but emotionally too.
We also experienced the different styles of soaking that make Glenwood Springs so unique. At Glenwood Hot Springs Resort, the geothermal water naturally rises from the Yampah Spring at 122 degrees before being cooled for the pools. We floated in the world’s largest hot springs pool and moved between the surrounding smaller pools, enjoying the soothing warmth and the perfect opportunity for deep conversation. Later, at Iron Mountain Hot Springs, we hopped from one pool to the next, each inspired by the mineral blends of famous hot springs around the world: one mimicking Japan, another Iceland, another the Dead Sea. Learning what each mineral blend was known for, and feeling the differences from pool to pool, made the experience both fascinating and relaxing.
There is something about sitting in a hot spring with a friend and no distractions that invites deeper conversations. We talked about our families, our work, our dreams, and even the things we hadn’t realized we had carried into the new year.
We also made time to explore the historic Hotel Colorado, browse downtown shops, sample our way through Glenwood’s ice cream scene, and balance out all our relaxing with group fitness classes at the athletic club at Hotel 1888. It was just one more example of how Glenwood Springs makes it easy to combine wellness, fun, and a little bit of everything in one trip.
But what made this trip special wasn’t just the soaking. It was how many completely different experiences Glenwood Springs fit into one trip. In the span of a few days, we moved from giant mineral pools to cozy cafés, from historic streets to underground caves, from spa robes to mountain coasters – and somehow it all felt like it belonged together.
One afternoon, we wandered through downtown, shopping and exploring the historic streets. Another night, we laughed our way through dinner on 7th Street’s “Restaurant Row,” where every restaurant seemed to have its own personality and mountain-town charm. We loved that after a day of soaking and exploring, we could walk to great food, browse boutiques, stop for ice cream, and still be back at the hotel in time for one more evening dip in the hot springs. Glenwood somehow balances old history and fresh energy at the same time. Grand old hotels sit alongside fun shops and colorful cafés, and everywhere you turn there is another story, view, or hidden corner waiting to be discovered.
A girls’ trip doesn’t have to only contain spas and slow mornings. One of the most unexpected happy highlights of the trip proved to be Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park.
We rode the gondola up the mountain, looked out over the curving river valley below and across to other mountain peaks, and spent the afternoon enjoying the alpine coaster. This coaster ride twists and turns down the mountain, offering exhilarating fun and breathtaking scenic views at every turn – an experience that’s as thrilling as it is memorable.
Later, we went underground to explore Colorado’s most decorated cave, filled with stunning stalactites and stalagmites. Matthew, our tour guide, brought the formations to life, making the journey both fascinating and fun.
That is what made Glenwood Springs so memorable. It wasn’t simply a getaway. It became part of my “From Roam to Home” story.
I didn’t leave the experience behind in Colorado.
I brought pieces of it home with me: little wellness rituals inspired by the trip, a deeper appreciation for slowing down, and even simple reminders like the colors of Glenwood: the mineral aqua of the pools, the deep rust of the canyon walls, and the blue of the Colorado sky. Glenwood Springs has a way of staying with you, not just because of what you do there, but because of how it makes you feel while you are there.
Yes, we went on a girls’ getaway. But what became so clear while we were there is that Glenwood Springs has something for everyone. Whether you want a solo reset, a family vacation, a romantic couples’ trip, or your own version of a girls’ weekend, this is the kind of place that meets you where you are.
And we visited in winter without even scratching the surface of all the seasonal adventures: skiing, snow sports, and beyond. Come back in summer, and you’ll find an entirely different side of Glenwood Springs waiting for you.
This is a town that unfolds slowly, revealing new joy, new memories, and new ways to connect with the people you love, and maybe even with yourself.
We share our Glenwood Springs journeys and experiences and interviews across 3 podcast episodes. Sit back, relax and hit play below!! Or, if like me you can’t sit still… on desktop: hit play while doing some pilates or tidying up. On mobile? Listen while taking a long walk or hike. Enjoy!
C is for Color+ado – Episode 280
