city in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 78% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in spring (90th percentile) and lowest in fall (22nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: cherries (nearest 1.2 mi N); alfalfa (nearest 0.6 mi SW, grown 1 of the last 5 years); apples (nearest 0.5 mi NE).
When is the honey flow in Glenwood Springs?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, spring-flowering shrubs)
- Main flow: May 1 to Jul 31, peaking late Jun (summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Fall flow: Aug 16 to Aug 31 (summer-flowering shrubs, alfalfa, dandelion)
- Season ends: Oct 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Glenwood Springs, from what grows within flight range (about 3.7 miles) and when it blooms here. Dates are the model's estimate for a typical year; the spring index for this spot falls on May 13.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, alfalfa, snowberry; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, garden flowers, summer-flowering shrubs; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering shrubs, dandelion, spring-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Cherries: about 5 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.2 mi N, blooms late Apr – early May
- Alfalfa: about 11 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.1 mi N, blooms early Jul – late Aug (grown 4 of the last 5 years)
- Apples: about 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi NE, blooms early May – late May
From USDA's crop maps for 2021–2025; fields rotate, so a crop counts by how often it was grown. Listing a field says nothing about its owner.
The land and water around Glenwood Springs
Mostly: Rocky Mountain Gambel Oak-Mixed Montane Shrubland; Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland; Rocky Mountain Aspen Forest and Woodland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.06 mi W; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.26 mi SE.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cherries, sweet: insecticides used on about 84% of surveyed US acres (2025); Cherries, tart: insecticides used on about 45% of surveyed US acres (2025); Apples: insecticides used on about 77% of surveyed US acres (2025). Figures are from USDA's Agricultural Chemical Use Survey, matched by crop type from the crop map. The survey counts any insecticide use in the crop year (not seed treatments) and doesn't say when; ask nearby growers about spray timing.
How Glenwood Springs ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 52nd | 53rd | 71st | 55th |
| Colorado | 78th | 90th | 69th | 22nd |
| Southern Rockies | 81st | 99th | 62nd | 25th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 67% of the land here is scored with national averages for its vegetation type rather than measured plant cover, so the wild-plant part of this estimate is rougher than the crop part.
The national forage map around Glenwood Springs: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
No Name 3 mi · Chacra 6 mi · Cattle Creek 7 mi · New Castle 10 mi · Carbondale 12 mi · Mulford 14 mi
All towns in Colorado · National map · How the scoring works
An estimate from public maps (USDA crop maps 2021–2025 averaged, LANDFIRE vegetation), not a survey of the ground. Maps can't see garden plantings, understory density, other beekeepers' hives, or this year's weather. The point is the Census Bureau's published center of Glenwood Springs (39.5471, -107.3426); a yard a mile or two away can differ, so check your own spot. The FEMA flood map was not checked for this page. Benchmark 2026.5, built 2026-10-19. How this works · All sources.