Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park - October 13, 2022

We made the 6 hour drive out to Glenwood Springs, Colorado this past weekend, and one of the places we went was Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. This park is strange as it is on top of a mountain, so you take a gondola to the top of Iron Mountain. The park opened at 10 and closed at 5, which was fine because it only has about 10 rides. However, the park was operating on an alternating schedule, resulting in groups of three rides operating for 45 minutes. What should have been a not too crowded day quickly became line-filled. In order, we rode:

Giant Canyon Swing x1, facing canyon: Best ride in the park by far. My first S&S Screamin' Swing, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The views of the canyon were amazing. This was a 15 minute wait right at opening, and it only holds four people so get this one early.

Defiance x1, row 1: What should have been the best ride in the park, and my first Gerstlauer Eurofighter, was a disappointment. This ride only opened in July, and yet it as already quite rough. I blame mostly the restraints. What should have been a top 10 coaster barely cracked my top 20. We waited about 20 minutes for this one. Credit #63, ranked #20 out of 66.

Wild West Express x1, row 1: A standard Zierer Tivoli. It was my first one, but it's a kiddie coaster. It was fine for what it was. No wait, which was a plus. Credit # 64, ranked #62 out of 66.

Cliffhanger Coaster x1, row 4: One of only two in the world, this is an S&MC Hurricane. This ride was a 45 minute wait, due to one train ops and only seating 10 people, as one row was out of commission. It was not as janky as I expected it to be, and actually had a decent airtime moment. Credit #65, ranked #17 out of 66.

Glenwood Canyon Flyer x1: This ride is your standard chair swing, but its setting over a cliff makes it a much more exciting ride experience. This ride was no wait, as we hit it right at ride opening, and it was a great flat ride for this park.

Soaring Eagle Zip Ride x1: This ride was decent, but has 3 minute dispatches and seats two people. We waited 50 minutes for it, which was not worth it at all. Fun if it has a short line, though.

Alpine Coaster x1: This was the best coaster in the park for me. I have never done one of these before, and I had a great time. We waited about 20 minutes for this, and it was all worth it. This is what we closed out our day with, as the park was closing Credit #66, ranked #12 out of 66.

Haunted Mine Drop was still closed after its unfortunate accident, but we also took the Kings Row cave tour. I highly recommend this to anyone. Arrive early, as our tour filled completely 25 minutes before starting. The tour is about 40 minutes, and the guides are great and the caves are beautiful.

Final Thoughts: This park was great, even if it had a fairly small ride collection. Haunted Mine Drop would have made it an even better experience, and more worth the $67 cost of admission, but it was fine as is. However, I do recommend going in the summer when it is not an alternating ride schedule. This should allow you to get repeats on anything you want to go on. I probably won't visit again until a new coaster is added, but it was a great experience once.

This is a must-visit for me.

Haunted Mine Drop I believe is set to re-open eventually with a change of theming. No more "the souls of the dead at the bottom of the ride" or whatever it was.

Gerstlauers are rough from day one. Defiance does look amazing however and I'd love to ride it!

Cliffhanger: Rode this at Celebration City and remember liking it. I didn't realize these were rare and assumed it was just another Hurricane, ala SFOT and the like.

Alpine Coaster: Is this included in admission or an upcharge?

Great TR and I hope to visit myself someday.

The Alpine Coaster is included in the cost of admission, and I am looking forward to the Mine Drop retheme. They are getting rid of the skeletons at the bottom of the ride, but one of my favorite attractions ever was DCA's Tower of Terror, so I'm hoping they maintain the ride system.

Do they still require all visitors to sign a waiver?

Yes, they do.