Defiance Coaster Rolling into Glenwood Springs

Hotel Colorado has long been a partner with Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, America’s only mountaintop theme park, located just minutes from the historic hotel. Along with hot springs and rafting, the adventure park is one of the town’s top attractions. Cave tours that showcase an underground world filled with stunning rock and mineral formations is what drew visitors when the park first opened in 1999. To entertain visitors waiting for tours, the park introduced the Alpine Coaster, the first thrill ride on the mountaintop. It was a huge success. Since then, they’ve added more rides to ramp up the fun. The next to launch is the Defiance roller coaster.

Defying Gravity

Sure to be scream-sational when it opens in July, Defiance not only takes advantage of top-of-the-world views, it also promises to be an adrenaline junkie’s dream come true. You only need to look at the profile of this ride to know it’s not for the faint of heart. For several months, two cranes have been erecting the sky-high thriller; the main feature is a doozy of a drop. After the coaster cars reach the pinnacle, riders take the plunge with a 102.3-degree freefall making Defiance the owner of the steepest coaster drop in the United States! But that’s not all, the ride also boasts experiences known in the biz as a twisted top hat switch that tilts riders past 90 degrees, a banana roll inversion that hangs them upside-down and a zero-G heartline roll for the final breathtaking inversion. How long does this exhilarating experience take? Less than one minute, 56 seconds to be exact. 

Sky’s the Limit 

While Defiance will no doubt be number one on everyone’s bucket list this summer, the adventure park’s other thrill rides also provide heart-pounding excitement. The Alpine Coaster was the first ride and is still its most popular. Visitors can control the speed of the cart and race down the mountain or take it easy if they choose. The ride most likely to challenge Defiance in the fear-factor category is the Giant Canyon Swing. The enormous hydraulic pendulum is perched on the side of a cliff and swings riders out over Glenwood Canyon some 1,400 feet below. For added edginess, Cliffhanger Roller Coaster flails passengers through a series of tight curves and steep drops. Other notable rides include Soaring Eagle Zip Ride and Glenwood Canyon Flyer. 

The Thrill of A Great Value

To get in on the high-flying action in Glenwood Springs, Hotel Colorado’s Adventure Park Package is just the ticket. It features 10 percent off lodging as well as Glenwood Caverns’ Funday Passes for access to the Glenwood Gondola, cave tours to both King’s Row and the Historic Fairy Caves, and unlimited turns on family attractions and thrill rides including the new Defiance coaster.

Take your summer to the limit with Hotel Colorado and Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. Make your Hotel Colorado reservations to stay today!

Photos courtesy of Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park