The Grottos Loop

The Grottos day use area, just a stone's throw from Highway 82 on the west side of Independence Pass, is one of the valley's most fascinating geologic zones. This is an area where the crystal clear Roaring Fork River drops steeply through a boulder field and heavily eroded rock, forming green pools among the aspens. There is a network of trails, formal and social, that allows easy exploration of the small area. The official loop trail is about 0.6 miles, but most people will do more than that.

Thousands of years of glacial carving and erosion caused by the cascading water of the Roaring Fork River has sculpted the caves and formations found there today. The Grottos Trail meanders through the metamorphosed hard rock, offering access into one of the wildest places you'll ever explore.