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Hermit, who called himself Paul McCartney, who
used to live near the cave (see below). Although
Cave of the Clouds is not one of the bigger
caves in Colorado, we believe it is worth the
visit... especially if you plan to visit the
hotsprings in Glenwood Springs afterwards. Please
be safe as parts of the hike can be
very steep and treacherous. Also... please watch
for falling rocks and drop offs inside the cave.
There are no fees for using
this cave. For more information, please download
the "Area Information" pdf (below).
Park Affiliation:
Not Available
Trail
Description:
The trail starts out as a paved road that follows
the Colorado River as it wraps around a small
mountain. The trail then turns into a bike path
as you cross the I-70 pedestrian bridge. On
the other side of that bridge, you follow an
old road up to a pair of tanks. From there you
follow some old broken work trails until you
come to an aqueduct bridge. Cross via the aqueduct
bridge and follow the aqueduct until the aqueduct
disappears into the mountain side. From there,
hike straight up using the old work trails until
you come to the cave. It will likely be concealed
behind bushes and shrubbery. Please
note... this cave is hard to
find so please download the "Area
Information" pdf and the "Waypoints
& Tracks" GPS file (below).
Ratings
(up to 5.5):
*Please Note these
are overall park averages
Hiking
= Physical Rating/Technical
Rating...
3.0/3.8
Mountain Biking
= Physical
Rating/Technical Rating... NV
Trail Running = Physical Rating/Technical
Rating... NV
Wildlife:
Bears,
Mountain Lions, Bobcats, etc.
Potential
Hazards:
Falling
Rock, Flood, Falls, and Wild Animals. For an
up-to-date report on avalanche conditions...
visit the Colorado Avalanche Information Center
(link
below).
Navigation:
Because this cave is hard to find,
we recommend downloading all
Maps, Area Information, Driving Directions,
Elevation Profiles, and GPS Downloads (below).
Please Note... GPS units do not work in caves
or underground.
Facts and History:
First named "Alexander's Cave", Cave
of the Clouds was discovered in the summer of
1885 when a railroad engineer spotted a rock
formation (from the Colorado River) that spurred
his curiosity. He ventured up to see the rock
formation and determined that it was caused
by a cave. He looked for the entrance but could
not find one. He gave up and started to return
when his foot slipped thru a moss covered crack.
He began to remove the rocks and discovered
the opening into the cave.
The engineer returned to camp,
grabbed a few friends, and gathered some tools.
Together, the men opened the entrance large
enough to allow them to enter. Once inside the
cave, they discovered a fairy land of intricate
stalagmites and stalagtites.
The first known commercialization
of the cave began in the summer of 1887. In
1893, the ownership of the cave changed from
M.S. Yarwood to Frank Mason. With the change
in ownership came a change in the name to "Cave
of the Clouds". The commercialization of
the cave did not last as the journey to the
cave was cumbersome and the competition from
another commercial cave (Fairy Cave) was fierce.
In February of 1909, a group
of highschool kids reported an encounter with
a bobcat inside Cave of the Clouds. Rattled
but un-harmed, the boys made a rapid retreat
from the cave to tell the tale.
In the 1970s, a man named Gary
Petkus moved from the outskirts of Chicago to
Glenwood Springs. The locals knew him as "Paul
McCartney" and they knew he lived, as a
hermit, in the cliffy area that surrounded Cave
of the Clouds. As the years passed, the accounts
and stories of the Hermit grew and were passed
down. Many cave visitors and hikers reported
encounters with a quiet man with white hair,
a white beard, and blue eyes. In March of 2008,
a father and son found a makeshift wooden structure
built into a small cave (called Big Entrance
Cave). It had a small window and small hinged
door. When they peered inside they found Gary's
body. It was later determined that he died of
natural causes after 30 years of living on the
cliffs and in the caves. He was 57. Remnants
of his structure and living area can still be
found at Big Entrance Cave which is very close
to Cave of the Clouds. For more about Gary Petkus,
click here click
here.
Like many other caves in Colorado,
Cave of the Clouds has been the victim of vandals
since its discovery. There are many accounts
of visitors taking formations, as souvenirs,
only to throw them away later. Today the combination
of vandalism and dry air has left the cave without
many of its most intricate features... but its
still a diverting adventure on the high walls
of Glenwood Canyon.
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