Glenwood Springs, Aspen, Vail

We spent a long weekend visiting these three places so I am putting them in one blog.

Sept. 10-12, 2010

Glenwood Springs is a unique little town.  I would say the center of this town is the huge natural hot springs pool.  Once you get past the smell of sulpher you can relax and enjoy the hot springs year around.  They have two pools.  One is warm and one is the largest hot tub I've ever seen. 

I would imagine that in the winter time Glenwood Springs stays pretty busy.  It would probably be a very neat experience to be in the hot springs pool while snow is falling.  If you stay at the Glenwood Springs Lodge with the pool you get free access to the pools, but the cost is only $13 per person if you stay off site.

If you stay in Glenwood Springs there are a couple places you must eat.  Chocolate Moose Ice Cream Parlor has delicious ice cream and if you're looking for a hearty breakfast the 19th Street Diner has fast friendly service and the food is absolutely filling and wonderful!

I like Glenwood Springs because it's in between Aspen and Vail, 2 towns that Colorado is known for.  So if you're interested in seeing both Glenwood is a great place to stay.

This is Maroon Bells.  It's the most beautiful place in Colorado I have seen to this day.  Maroon Bells is just outside of Aspen.  A shuttle takes visitors to the top and along the way we had a very informative and pretty funny tour guide.  When you get to the top there is a short walk and all of a sudden around this corner is this view.  It's breathtaking!

While there you can hike, you can fish, or you can just relax and take it all in.  Here's a tip that I will only share with my readers, though I know there aren't many of you.  There are trout in the lake there, and we caught many with fly rods.  We used a fly that looked like a bumble bee and the fish were biting like crazy!  Here's where I have to brag and say that I, the only female fishing there, caught the first trout.  We had a great time!

After fishing we took the short hike to the small waterfall and over the stream.  It's a very easy and very short hike, but it's beautiful.  I could have spent the whole day at Maroon Bells.



Aspen, CO

After leaving Maroon Bells we stopped in Aspen for lunch.  The Hickory House in Aspen has the most tender pork ribs I've ever had.  They are delicious!  The rest of Aspen was so-so.  It's probably more appealing in the winter during ski season.  It seemed that in the off season Aspen is just over priced shops.  Too rich for my blood.



 

Vail, CO

 
Vail is a town I love!  It's looks like a German town and we were lucky enough to be there for Oktoberfest.  There was dancing, farmer's markets, and of course beer.  I couldn't get over how quaint it all seemed. 

If you get the chance to go, no matter the season, take the gondola ride to the top of the mountain.  The cost is $20 per person, but I think summer is their off season so it could be more during ski months.  From the top though you have the most beautiful view. 

A helpful tip about Vail is the shuttle service is free.  You can pick up maps of the bus routes and they run pretty often.  It's a great way to see as much of Vail as possible while you're there.  Also, the farmer's market was amazing.  I think we walked and sampled delicious food all day.  Definitely a town I will be going back to!