| Location: | On top of Iron Mountain, just north of Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Tour starts at Glenwood Caverns Gift Shop & Museum, 508 Pine Street, Glenwood Springs. |
| Open: |
Park:
Winter Thu-Sun 10-17.
10-MAR to 18-MAY daily 10-18.
Cave Tour: Winter Thu-Sun 10:30-15:30. 10-MAR to 18-MAY daily 10:30-16:30. Wild Tour: Winter Sat 10:30. 10-MAR to 18-MAY Wed, Sat, Sun 10:30, 14:30. By reservation only. Adventure Tour: Winter Sat 10:30, 14:30. 10-MAR to 18-MAY Wed, Sat, Sun 10:30, 14:30. By reservation only. [2007] |
| Fee: |
Cave Tour:
Adults USD 18, Seniors (65+) USD 16, Children (3-12) USD 13. Wild Tour: Per Person USD 50. Adventure Tour: Per Person USD 30. Priced include cable car ride. [2007] |
| Classification: |
 Karst cave,
Leadville limestone, (325Ma)
|
| Light: | electric |
| Dimension: | A=2,164m a.s.l., L=4,828m, T=11°C |
| Guided tours: |
Family Tour: D=120min, L=800m. Wild Tour: D=4h, undeveloped cave parts. |
| Bibliography: | |
| Address: |
Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, 51000 Two Rivers Plaza Road, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601, Free: +1-800-530-1635.
E-mail: |
| Last update: | $Date: 2008/07/01 20:32:27 $ |
| 16-SEP-1895 | the Fairy Cave Company was formed, which constructed pathways, installed electric light and built an artificial tunnel into the cave. | |
| 1886 | Fairy Caves opened for the public. | |
| 1896 | electric light installed. | |
| 1910 | closed because of World War I. | |
| 1951 | additional parts were discovered by Colorado cavers. | |
| APR-1998 | the Glenwood Caverns Company was formed. | |
| MAY-1999 | reopened after 82 years, together with newly discovered and developed parts, and named Glenwood Caverns. |
Todays Glenwood Caverns, named after the nearby town, has a long history as a show cave. At the end of the 19th century a part of todays show cave was already opened to the public. At this time the cave had the, somewhat pathetic, name Cave of the Fairies, which was later shortened to Fairy Cave. At the beginning of the 1th century the cave was closed, and it stayed closed for decades. The current owners state it was closed in 1917 because of World War I, but there are also indications that the cave probably closed for regular tours around 1910. At that time the entrance building and the cave were badly vandalized, with grafitti covering the walls of the building.
The cave was rediscovered by the new founded Colorado Grotto of the NSS in 1951. During the 1950s and 1960s the cave was explored and major discoveries made, like the extensive lower level of the cave with its huge chambers.
The cave shows many nice formations like stalactites, stalagmites and soda straws. Most impressing is The Barn, a huge chamber which is the one of the largest known in Colorado.
The new owners try to earn a living on the cave and invest in various sights around the cave. 20,000 visitor per month give a good basis for further development and so an adventure park grows around the cave. Although this is rather annoying to cavers and cave lovers, it seems to meet a demand of the visitors.
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