Fine Luxury Aspen Real Estate - Glenwood Springs Colorado Real Estate

Glenwood Springs is not only a wonderful place to visit - it's a great place to live.

The Best Small Towns of America has named Glenwood Springs real estate number four sought after in the country.

The Great Towns of America has featured many extraordinary Glenwood Springs homes while doing a special on our community.

The Travel Channel also named Glenwood Springs The Hottest Place to Cool Off, and Glenwood real estate is mentioned in the Roaring 2008 as the place to head to.

Glenwood Springs Colorado sits in the center of the United States largest National Forest, the White River National Forest.

It has hundreds of miles of biking trails, hiking trails, horseback trails, Gold Medal Fishing, 9 ski areas, 20 golf courses, multiple caverns, and one huge hot springs pool all within an hours drive.

Glenwood has multiple hotels, lots of dining options, unlimited camping opportunities and should truly be considered your BASECAMP for all of your Colorado activities.

Also within 90 miles are the bike trails of Fruita, the ski areas of Summit County and Crested Butte in the summer.

Glenwood's growth is evident in ongoing development, in both commercial and residential activity.

While other economies in Colorado and around the nation may have slowed, Glenwood Springs continues to be a popular place for businesses and homeowners.

What keeps Glenwood's economy strong and healthy is both tourism and commercial enterprise.

Glenwood Springs attracts vacationers from around the state and the country to soak up the hot water, play in the mountains, schuss down the slopes, run the rivers, relax and have fun.

The small town is a one-and-one-half hour drive east of Grand Junction and halfway between famous neighbors Vail and Aspen.

Voted by the Travel Channel as the “hottest place to cool off,” Glenwood is a year-round resort destination.

Depending on the season, Glenwood offers hiking, biking, rock climbing, rafting, kayaking, horseback riding, golf and flyfishing in the warm months.

Winter activities include alpine and Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, sleigh riding, ice skating and ice climbing.

Soaking in the large, brick-lined hot springs pool (it's 615' by 75'), gazing up at pine-covered mountain peaks, you'll understand why first the Ute Indians and then wealthy miners and European aristocrats treasured Glenwood Springs.

When the Utes were relocated in 1882, the town sprang up, catering to the rich from around the world.

Doc Holliday, who was wanted in Arizona for killings at the OK Corral shoot-out, is buried here.

The Hotel Colorado opened in the early 1890s and was the summer White House for Teddy Roosevelt.

Today, people come for the history and hot springs as much as the rugged and beautiful surroundings.

Glenwood Canyon has a 9-mile bike path and rafters enjoy the white waters of the Colorado River flowing through the canyon.

This area is also popular with spelunkers (cave explorers) because of the number of caves and one of the largest underground rivers in the country.

The White River and Gunnison National Forests as well as four wilderness areas can be easily reached for day hikes or cross-country skiing.

Other outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy downhill skiing at the Sunlight Mountain Resort, only 10 miles southwest of Glenwood Springs.

Located in the heart of Colorado's Rocky Mountains along the Crystal River. Across the river a lush valley opens up where Avalanche Creek flows into Crystal, surrounded by forest and wilderness.

Mt. Sopris towers above at 12,953' offering a spectacular picture postcard setting! This expansive view from your cabin will frame an image to cherish for a lifetime. Avalanche Ranch is truly a timeless place offering beauty and peace of an earlier era.

You have access to private riverfront with some of the best Colorado fishing and miles of hiking and biking. The historic towns of Redstone, Marble, Glenwood Springs and Aspen are nearby offering fine restaurants, cultural events and activities.

In summer, a small pond offers swimming, premier views, solitude, a canoe to float in the moonlight, and paddle boats for your first boating or fishing experience with the kids.

You might happen upon an occasional bonfire with hot drinks, or a snowman in progress!

Summer Activities: extensive hiking, road and mountain biking, 4 wheelin', rock climbing, horseback riding, river rafting, fish our half mile of private Crystal River access.

Winter Activities: snowshoeing, XC skiing (2 free areas with set track, 20 minutes), downhill skiing (40 miles to Aspen's 4 areas and Sunlight Mountain), snowmobiling, ice climbing, sledding, sleigh rides, dog sled tours, snowcat ski tours, fishing and natural hot springs in the river.

Sunlight Mountain Resort (www.sunlightmtn.com), located just 10 miles outside of Glenwood Springs is a small, filming-friendly ski area, having already been featured the 1980 film "A Change of Seasons" with Shirley MacLaine, Anthony Hopkins and Bo Derek.

The scenic, full-service ski resort with a bed base of 166 within walking distance of the resort promotes the following filming inventory:

In Winter: four lifts, scenic location with views of majestic Mount Sopris, access to White River National Forest, snowboard park with rails and jumps, ski and snowboard race facilities, cafeteria and catering opportunities, meeting facilities, school busses and people movers, snowmobile rentals and backcountry guides, snowcats and snowgroomers, scenic cross country and snowshoe trails, a scenic and rustic backcountry cabin that sleeps 10, bar, outdoor sun deck, and ski and snowboard equipment rentals.

Glenwood Springs boasts the world’s largest Hot Springs Pool as well as natural vapor caves at the Yampah Spa and Vapor Caves -- both open year-round for everyone’s indulgence.

The pool or the caves is the perfect way to unwind after a grueling day of shooting.

The caverns recently were rated as one of the top 10 underground places in the country in an article in USA Today.

Nestled among the Rocky Mountains between Aspen and Vail, Glenwood Springs Colorado is a quiet community full of history and charm.

Named "America's Hottest Place to Cool Off" in 2001 by the Travel Channel, Glenwood Springs offers all of the amenities of the beautiful Colorado outdoors - in every season!

Summer brings river rafting, mountain biking, hiking, Gold Medal fishing, and golfing.

Winter has it's own wonderland full of downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, and snowshoeing.

Year-round enjoyment can be found at the world's largest outdoor hot springs pool and the Yampa Vapor Caves.

There is also the Fairy Caves, which has been referred to as the 8th Wonder of the World.

Not only is Glenwood Springs Colorado the "Hottest Place to Cool Off", it has also been named as one of the top 10 places to live in the United States.

It is a charming community with a small-town historic atmosphere, yet it has modern-day city amenities such as a valley-wide transit system, a renowned hospital, great educational facilities, and an active art and cultural scene.

We have real estate professionals to serve you with all of your Glenwood Springs Real Estate needs.

Located in the heart of the Rockies at the confluence of the Roaring Fork and Crystal Rivers, we serve areas from Aspen, Basalt, El Jebel to Carbondale.

We also list property west from Glenwood Springs to New Castle, Silt, Rifle, Parachute, Battlement Mesa and Meeker.

Our Glenwwod Springs realtors will help you find the perfect Glenwood Springs Co. real estate.

Our associates and sales staff are ready to help you find that mountain property, be it Residential, Vacant Land, Farm and Ranch, Commercial, or even that vacation property you have always wanted.

While crews this summer widen ``Killer 82,'' the most congested rural highway in Colorado, plans for a rail line are underway.

Talk of a 40-mile rail route through the Roaring Fork Valley between Glenwood Springs and Aspen is evidence the mega-wealthy resort area is trying to park its cars to an extent unique in the wide open spaces of the American West.

``The encouragement to use public transit grows, the closer one gets to Aspen,'' said Mayor John Bennett.

``We are following, in many regards, the Swiss model that mass transit always has priority in new transportation planning.''

If it's successful, the railway could serve as a model in valleys between other resorts and the working class towns that service them, such as the corridors between Vail and Eagle, and Crested Butte and Gunnison.

Other than rail service, plans include park-n-rides and separate lanes for high-occupancy vehicles and buses - all transit features common in urban America, but uncommon in rapidly growing mountain areas.

So we call it `urbal,' '' said Ralph Trapani, program engineer with the Colorado Department of Transportation for the Colorado 82 project.

``For you in Denver, park-n-rides may not seem like a big deal, but they're unprecedented in what is supposed to be a rural, remote valley,'' Trapani said.

While the rail line is under discusion, the only winter route to and from Aspen for vacationers and resort workers, who have long since been priced out of town, is Colorado 82.

Compare that to the state's next most heavily used rural two-lane highway - U.S. 285 near Conifer, which carries about 20,000 vehicles.

The Basalt-to-Aspen section of 82 counted three fatalities in 1993, one in 1994, two in 1995 and two last year.

Accidents with injuries totaled 59 in 1993, 64 in 1994, 72 in 1995 and 46 last year.

``It's averaging about the same number of accidents as other two-lanes highways in the state,'' said Dan Hopkins, spokesman for the Colorado Department of Transportation, adding that the road's nickname ``Killer 82'' is mostly a misnomer.

Beyond Basalt to the edge of Aspen, this summer is the busiest yet for widening Colorado 82. Work is to be completed by 2003.

At the entrance to Aspen, the four-lane highway will funnel down to one lane in each direction, with a parkway dividing them, plus wider shoulders and turn lanes.

By 2002 or shortly thereafter, a light rail line similar to Denver's is projected to carry about one-third of Aspen's visitors from a parking lot at the edge of town into downtown.

``If we were to have a four-lane highway into Aspen, the engineers, who have analyzed this to death, tell us we could expect another 9,000 cars a day in Aspen,'' the mayor said.

``It would be frankly unimaginable. Aspen really can't accommodate the cars we have now.''

Bennett envisions a charming train that will become as much a tourist attraction in Aspen as mountain trains in Switzerland.

But Aspen's light rail line has a bigger role. It also could connect with another rail service for the 35-mile run to Glenwood Springs, bringing back an updated version of long-gone passenger service.

A coalition of eight governments purchased the old right of way between Woody Creek and Glenwood Springs from the Union Pacific Railroad in June for $8.5 million.

The rail plan is beset with questions and doubts, even though the Colorado Department of Transportation has labeled the valley line a core route for reintroducing train service statewide.

``There will be controversy from these neighborhoods over introducing rail service again,'' Trapani said.

Two lawsuits questioning title and a third seeking access across the right of way for another luxurious real estate development already have been filed, said Tom Newland, assistant manager for Pitkin County.

Some valley residents question whether a rail line will ever again connect Glenwood Springs and Aspen.

Others contend there is a real need for it to maintain the celebrated quality of life that drew them there in the first place.

``Part of the reason we live in this valley is for the cultural activities up in Aspen, but we don't go to them anymore,'' said Bob Schultz, a Forest Service consultant who lives in Carbondale.

James Hughes, manager of Catherine's Store, a landmark country store near Carbondale, is bluntly skeptical: ``I fully believe they will never develop a light rail system around here.

Cost of the rail line from the edge of Aspen to Glenwood Springs is estimated at $95 million.

An additional $135 million has been budgeted for highway work between Basalt and the edge of Aspen, while the road- and rail-link into downtown Aspen could range from $100 million to $160 million.

Garfield County Commissioner John Martin raises other doubts about a rail line down valley from Aspen.

We have not done so. Is this train to transport workers or is it to transport vacationers?

One for workers, and the other if you make $1 million or $2 million a year, and you come to Aspen to ski?''

Glenwood Springs, CO
Elevation 5,758 feet.
Population 2,073 (c1920).
Denver 360 miles.

The largest of the two pools is 405 by 100 feet, and holds over a million gallons of water.

For centuries, the Utes, Comanche, Cheyenne and Arapahoe tribes utilized the healing powers of the pools.

Today, skiers sit in the same waters, soothing tired muscles after a hard say on the slopes.

Some of the best known ski resorts in Colorado are accessed through Glenwood Springs.

It is the last large town on I-70 heading east, before reaching the heart of the Rocky Mountains, where Vail (45 miles east) is located.

Glenwood Springs is also at the junction with US 82, the only route to Aspen (40 miles south) during the winter months.

The close distance of Glenwood Springs to Aspen and other ski areas, makes it an attractive place for skiers to stay.

The lodging is much cheaper than that in Aspen, and the hot springs offer a place for skiers to soak their sore muscles after a day on the slopes.

Three and a half million gallons of water flows from the springs each day, entirely refilling the pools about every 8-10 hours.

The Vapor Caves are three caves that maintain a temperature of about 115 degrees ferinheight and 100% humidity.

Sitting in the caves causes one to sweat out impurities, while they indulge in a massage or a facial.

Aside from skiing and basking in the amenities the hot springs and Vapor Caves offer, there are hundreds of miles of hiking and backpacking trails in the Glenwood Springs area.

For the fisherman, rainbow and brown trout are plentiful in the Colorado River just west of town, and the small lakes in the mountains.