It’s hard to find anything more peaceful than fly fishing on area rivers or casting a line into an alpine lake and letting skill or pure luck take over. In Glenwood Springs, Colorado, follow up a day on the water with soaking in hot springs and sharing stories about the beautiful trout you managed to land (or the ones that got away) for the ultimate “catch then release” combination.
Check out these ideas for getting the most out of fly-fishing and hot springs vacations in Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Take to the Water
Fishing and soaking are great pastimes to share, whether it’s a parent with a child, a friend getaway, or a couple looking to get outdoors. Glenwood Hot Springs Resort offers an easy way to make it happen with a Fly-Fishing Package offered nearly any time of year.
The package includes overnight accommodations in the resort’s lodge, unlimited access to the world’s largest natural hot springs pool located just steps away, breakfast at the poolside Grill, and a six-hour guided fishing trip with Hookers Fly Shop. Anglers of all abilities are invited to book the vacation, and kids ages five and up are welcome to take part in the action when accompanied by an adult. Package pricing is for one or two anglers and includes rods, flies and shuttle service. A Colorado fishing licenses is required for anyone over age 16.
After spending a day on area waterways, enjoy the benefits of soaking in hot springs. Casting away for big rainbows and browns is thrilling and rewarding, but also hard work. Allow the soothing heat and ample minerals of the hot springs work their magic. The newly renovated Therapy Pool is a muscle-soothing 104°F. The main pool, though cooler at 93°F, is the length of a football field and is ideal for leisurely walking, floating and swimming.
Fly-Fishing Paradise
Glenwood Springs is a trout fisher’s paradise, providing easy access to the Roaring Fork, Colorado, Fryingpan, Crystal and Eagle rivers. More remote small streams and high alpine lakes are scattered across the Flat Tops in the White River National Forest.
Spring through fall are the most popular times to fish the region’s world-class waters, but many are fans of winter when there are fewer people casting a line. The area’s rivers are home to brook, brown, cutthroat and rainbow trout.
Currently 11 rivers (including the Roaring Fork and Fryingpan) and three lakes account for nearly 325 miles of Gold Medal waters in Colorado, which has 9,000 miles of trout streams. Colorado Parks & Wildlife awards the designation when a fishery is defined as being able to produce 60 pounds of trout per acre and at least twelve 14-inch or larger trout per acre.
About 14 miles of the Fryingpan, from Ruedi Reservoir Dam downstream to the confluence with the Roaring Fork River, are designated Gold Medal. The tailwater just below the dam is especially renowned for large trout.
Gold Medal water continues for another 22 miles below the confluence with the Fryingpan until the Roaring Fork joins the Colorado River in Glenwood Springs. The local Ferdinand Hayden Chapter 008 of Trout Unlimited notes that swift currents make float fishing preferable for many anglers on this stretch, but there is wade fishing access surrounding the boat ramps at Bob Terrell State Wildlife Area near Carbondale and Sam Caudill/West Bank SWA upstream of Glenwood Springs and small pockets within the town itself.
But there is no need to focus only on these waterways! Experienced, local fly-fishing outfitters and guide services like Glenwood Hot Springs Resort’s partner Hookers Fly Shop can provide guidance, book trips, and sell gear and everything needed for a successful outing.
The pros at Hookers describe the Glenwood Springs section of the 1,400-mile-long Colorado River as an unparalleled fly-fishing experience. “Hook rainbow and brown trout near canyon walls that climb more than 1,000 feet into the sky. At times quick and in other instances slow, the Colorado River offers plenty of ledges swarming with trophy-sized trout to cast into.”
Several walk-and-wade sections of the Colorado River can be accessed by the Glenwood Canyon Recreation Path that runs 16.3 miles one way from Glenwood Springs or consider putting in at the Grizzly Creek boat launch and floating to Two Rivers Park in Glenwood Springs. Side streams, including Grizzly Creek and No Name Creek, feed into the Colorado, also provide accessible streamside fishing.
Meanwhile, the Crystal River starts above the town of Marble before making its way through Carbondale and into the Roaring Fork River. “A local treasure, the Crystal provides great fishing as the water takes on less pressure,” notes the Hookers Fly Shop team.
For getaways that reel in outdoor fun and relaxation, enjoy fly-fishing and hot springs vacations in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.