Downtown Glenwood Springs is compact and entirely walkable — the hot springs pool, hotel district, main shopping street, and river access are all within a few minutes on foot. Most visitors have no need of a car once they arrive, at least for the town itself.
For Hanging Lake, you must use the shuttle system: private vehicles cannot park at the trailhead, and shuttles run from the Glenwood Springs Transit Center in town. Book your permit and shuttle together on Recreation.gov well in advance, especially in summer. The shuttle takes about 10 minutes to reach the trailhead.
The RFTA (Roaring Fork Transportation Authority) bus service connects Glenwood Springs with Carbondale, Basalt, El Jebel, Aspen, and Snowmass. Buses run frequently and are a practical way to reach Aspen without driving the sometimes-congested Highway 82. The main transit hub is on 6th Street.
Car hire is available locally and at the airports in Aspen and Grand Junction. A car is useful if you want to explore Glenwood Canyon by road, drive up to the Flat Tops Wilderness, or make day trips to Grand Mesa or the wine country around Palisade.