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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1.01 Vicinity map) Vicinity Map Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park A Fairy Caves History The Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is centered around what are considered some of the most intriguing caves of their kind in the State of Colorado which have historically been referred to as the "Fairy Caves". The Darrow family originally homesteaded the property in the late 1800s. IN 1886 C.W. Darrow opened the Fairy Caves for public tours. In 1895 the cave tour was further refine to include pathways and electric lighting. In 1897 a tunnel was blasted into the Cliff face providing a breathtaking view of the City of Glenwood Springs and the Colorado River valley nearly 1,200 feet below. Access to the cave was via Transfer Trail by horse or carriage. The cave remained open until 1917 when it was closed due to World War I. In 1960 a small opening, later called, Jam Crack, was found in the back part of the cave. This discovery led to the exploration of the lower section of the cave system, which quadrupled the length of the cave. In 1961, POW, Inc. purchased the cave and 78.83 acres in hopes of reopening the property as a commercial tourism opportunity. Suring the following thirty-eight years several additional rooms and passageways were discovered which brought the total surveyed length of the cave to nearly three (3) rniles .. The cave and property have rernained idle since POW, Inc purchased the property, with very few people obtaining access to the cave system. In April of 1998, POW Inc. obtained a 15 year lease for the property. In the Fall of 1998 Garfield County approved a Zone Text Amendment and a Special Use Permit and POW Inc. began offering cave tours with guests bussed from their office in the Hotel Colorado to the cave site via Transfer Trail and a private road. The popularity of the cave tours grew and lead to the installation of a passenger tramway which begins in the Roaring Fork Plaza Subdivisions at the intersection of Devereux Road and Hwy 6 in Glenwood Springs and extends over 4,000 feet nearly to the top of Iron Mountain to the upper Tramway Station near the cave entrance. This involved amendments to the County's Special Use Permit and the issuance of a Major Development Permit by the City of Glenwood Springs for a parking lot, ticket sales building and the lower Tramway Station. The City Permit is based on joint use of parking and access drives by the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park and the adjacent Hotel Glenwood Springs. At the on-mountain Park site, this phase of development also involved the construction of a Visitor Center with a full service restaurant, gift shop, restrooms, space for group gatherings and administrative offices_ In the immediately surrounding site, a variety of activities, attractions and educational features were added to provide entertainment while guests waited for their opportunity to tour the caverns_ The attractions include kid oriented sluicing for mineral nuggets, the fun for all ages ride on the Canyon Coaster and, for the brave-at-heart, a swing out over the canyon wall to list just a few_ In addition to the caverns popularity, the new activities and attractions rapidly gained favor amongst Park visitors and the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park began to take on a "theme parkn atmosphere_ Here visitors of all ages find joy and awe in the wonder and beauty of the caverns, relished in the fun and excitement of the Parks attractions and relax with friends and good food in a spectacular Rocky Mountain setting_ In just over ten years the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park has become a powerful tourism stimulator, yielding significant economic benefits to Glenwood Springs and all of Garfield County_ The popularity of the Park amongst tourists and Garfield County locals has had much to do with Rand McNally's designation of Glenwood Springs as the "Most Fun Town in American! ) Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park 2011 The Caverns' Experience: The Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park (Park) is located on an 81.8-acre parcel approximately 1/2 mile North and 1300 feet above the City of Glenwood Springs. Glenwood Caverns is a tourist attraction that allows visitors to be guided through 4 million years of geological history. Currently, the project encompasses a lower site located at 51000 Two Rivers Plaza Road in Glenwood Springs and an upper Park located on top of Iron Mountain. The lower site includes a parking lot and small building used to sell tickets and the loading/unloading of passengers at the lower Tramway Station. All visitor access the upper site via the Tramway. Busses and vans are used to shuttle visitors off t~ mountain during the rare closures of the Tram due to high winds or lighting . ~,u.,.""""'b~ Occasionally vans are also used to transport guest who are "fearful' of riding ttle Tram. The Park site on Iron Mountain includes the upper Tramway Station for loading/unloading of visitors and a Visitor's Center that includes a gift shop, full service restaurant, public restrooms, Laser Tag Arena, 4D theatre and administrative offices. The restaurant facility is approximately 1800 square feet with a 2400 square foot deck that can be used for weddings, holiday parties, and other events. The lead attraction at the Park is the tour of the natural caverns (historically called the "Fairy Caves"). Along with the Tramway ride, additional activities include a covered picnic area, Gemstone Sluice Mining, Geode Cutting, Fossil Dig, Canyon Coaster, Giant Swing, Climbing Wall, Snack Shack, Giant Maze, Zip Line, Bungee Jump, Shooting Gallery (laser light), and "olde tyme" Photo Shop. These activities and attractions help occupy visitors while waiting for their caverns tour and to provide family entertainment for all ages. On a few select Saturday evenings the Park hosts a very popular program that features local musical talent on the covered stage in the Park Plaza. The cost of the Tram ride for the Saturday evening event is a can of food that is then donated to a local charity. The physical location of the caves is less than two (2) roadway miles from the Glenwood Springs downtown and only .8 of a mile by the Tramway. Glenwood Springs is the concentration point and the most significant bed-base in Garfield County. The caverns themselves provide the central focus for visitors but the activities and attractions add significantly to the total fascination with the Park. Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park has become an important contributor to the diverse experiences that characterize the "Most Fun Town in America"! Behind the Scenes: Of course much is involved in the operation of the Park. Following is a brief overview the Parks supportive infrastructure. Greater detail regarding these subjects in provided in later sections of this application. Preservation of the Caves: Great care is taken to protect the magnificent natural resource of the caverns. All access portal to the caves are fitted with airtight doors to maintain natural humidity levels within the caverns. There are five computer tethered monitoring devices located throughout the caverns that track the caverns climatic conditions. There are even lint collecting mechanisms under the wooden walkways within the caverns to provide protection for the delicate minera~f rmations. /AVC> -1-1S :.JcM Access: The Tramway transports guest §It the rate O;/2ri per' our. W' d conditions can slow the Tram capacity to 101 guests·per hour in windy conditions. In 2010 the Glenwood Caverns had over 13~iSitors . During peak periods, the wait at the lower Tramway Station can tJe-come quite lengthy. High winds or lighting require the Tram to be shut down on rare occasions. In this event, two buses and three vans transport guest back down to the lower site parking lot. Buses, vans and an occasional service vehicle access the upper Park via Traver Trail, a City of Glenwood Springs public road; Transfer Trail, a Federally owned road; and a private roadway. Tab 9 of this application includes a copy of the right-of-way grant from the Bureau of Land Management for Glenwood Caverns use of the Transfer Trail. In the winter, snow is plowed to the inside half of Transfer Trail where it helps maintain snowmobile access on half of the roadway. ) At the lower Tramway Station site, parking and ticket sales facilities are approved under a Major Development Permit issued by the City of Glenwood §prings. ({ 1'vt I" /) & 7 7-0(} ,.,. Water: Domestic, irrigation and fire protection watevis provided by the Ci of Glenwood Springs. Water is pumped to the upper Park site/l a fiberglass line suspended on the Tram towers. The water is stored in four 16,800 gallon tanks on the ridge above the Park thereby providing gravity pressurized flow to the Visitor Center and to a fire hydrant in the Park Plaza. Recently, waterless urinals were installed in the restrooms resulting in a noticeable reduction in water consumption. Sewer: Wastewater is pretreated on the mountain to remove solids and then pumped to the lower Tramway Station site in a pipeline suspended from the Tram towers and discharged into the City's wastewater collection system. During winter months, when freezing could occur in the wastewater pipeline, all effluent is treated on the mountain with a septic tank and leach field . Wastewater solid are periodically pumped from the septic tank and trucked from the mountain for disposal. Water supply and wastewater treatment are provided per the terms of a Pre-annexation Agreement a copy of which is included in Tab 9 of this application. Emergency Plans: Wildfire is the most significant source of a potential on-mountain emergency. A fire mitigation plan jointly created with the Colorado State Forest Service and the Glenwood Springs Fire Department has been implemented including creation of down slope Defensible Space, fire resistant construction measures on the Visitor Center ) and use of internal fire suppression sprinklers and fire alarms. Emergency evacuation of guests from the mountain will first utilize the Tram if there is no eminent fire danger. Finally, if a wildfire danger prevents use of either of these evacuation methods, the entire on-mountain guest population can be moved into the caverns where, behind airtight doors, they will be safe until the wildfire passes. In case of an event requiring immediate medical assistance, the access road is available to emergency vehicles year round, although the 7 minute Tram ride is likely first-responders route of choice to the upper Park. Management personnel at the Park receive annual first aid and CPR training. The Visitor Center is stocked with emergency medical supplies and equipment such as oxygen tanks and masks and two AEDs (defibrillator). The Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board (CPTSB) strictly enforces the provision of emergency tramway evacuation plans and require back-up power sources for the Tram itself. The Tram evacuation plan approved by the CPTSB is on file with the Glenwood Springs Fire Department.