Hanging Lake Trail
Author’s Note: As of October 2021 the Hanging Lake Trail is closed due to major mudslide damage that occurred over the summer. Repairs are underway and you can visit here to make a donation to trail restoration. Let’s hope this beautiful trail is restored soon.
If you’re looking for an exceptionally unique hike with stunning waterfalls a mere 2 and a half hours outside of Denver, Hanging Lake is an absolute must.
Stuff you need to know!
If you’re one hiking boot out the door and here for the facts and nothing but the facts, I’ve put together a few need-to-know bullets to help plan your adventure.
First things first, reservations are required and you can make them here. This helps keep the crowds under control and makes the trail way more enjoyable for us all. Be sure to print or take a screenshot of your ticket — cell service is a bit sketch and the ranger will want to see your reservation number.
It ain’t free! Given that this trail requires special maintenance and oversight, there’s a $12/per person fee to reserve your hike. Plenty of options are available between 6:30am—5:30pm. Definitely reserve this in advance! When I was looking into this, all of the slots booked up pretty quickly weeks in advance.
Yes, it’s steep. You will gain 1,000 feet in elevation for 1.6 miles of steady uphill climbing past waterfalls, little rock scrambles and other beautiful features, but plenty of benches and waypoints to step aside and have a snack or take a breather. And I will be honest, it’s not 100% vertical the whole way up, so don’t let this deter you.
Be prepared! Don’t wear sneakers with no grip or sandals. There are lots of rocks on the way up, conditions in early spring could be muddy or icy, so you want to wear proper shoes. My current favorite hiking shoes are the Salomon Women's Authentic LTR GTX Boot, if you’re wondering, but anything with decent grip will do.
Dogs are not allowed. The trail is fairly narrow, and I could see it being absolute mayhem with the amount of people and dogs that would frequent it. I also appreciate not seeing those little bags filled with poop along the trail that some people are too lazy to carry with them.
Nope, you can’t fly drones here. But bring your camera because you’ll definitely want to capture some long exposure shots of the waterfalls and other great features!
What was it really like to hike the Hanging Lake Trail?!
I found out about this trail while scouting locations on the ‘gram for a surprise trip outside of town for my fiancé, Tim. We had just moved to Colorado about 3 weeks prior and Tim had been crazy busy catching up on school work and prepping for an internship — so I was like, lemme plan this whole adventure! I also ~love~ planning trips and was excited to check out new hikes in Colorado.
We did this hike in early May (mud season!) and chose the 3:30pm entry to make sure we had enough time to do the hike, pick up our dog, Nigel, from his sitter, and be in bed at a reasonable hour given that it was a Sunday and we were driving in from out of town.
Given that we had spent the afternoon in Glenwood Springs (also cute), we were driving Eastbound on I-70. Simply exit into the Hanging Lake Rest Area (EXIT 125) and you’ll find the parking lot. A super friendly park ranger welcomed us and pointed out a supremely well kept rest area with bathrooms and water fountains. “Make sure you don’t miss Spouting Rock,” the park ranger emphasized. Apparently, this was another sight to see after you reach Hanging Lake itself. And oowee, was I pumped for that.
Upon starting the trail and looking around at Glenwood Canyon, it was apparent that the Grizzly Creek Fire did a number on the place. Charred trees, some toppled over and some standing upright, could be seen along the trail and on the mountain sides. If you hadn’t heard, the fires in Colorado that took place in the fall of 2020 were absolutely brutal. Consider making a donation to the Glenwood Canyon Restoration Alliance, who are working to repair the damage by planting new trees, restoring habitats and rebuilding facilities.
We walked along a paved pathway before getting to the trailhead. The trail immediately began a steady, gradual climb upwards, but as we hiked, more and more tiny waterfalls and streams began to emerge. I felt the excitement one feels when realizing that the higher you climb, the more rewarding the views at the top. We passed by other hikers on their way down, and I took note of the sheer variety of people hiking this trail. Young kids hiking with their parents and multi-generational families steadily climbed along with looks of accomplishment on their faces. It was Mother’s Day, and a lot of people chose this little excursion as a fun family activity.
The higher we got, the more dramatic the various waterfalls became until we reached THIS beauty. It reminded me of something straight out of Lord of the Rings, just add Merry and Pip prancing around and looking for mushrooms. I had to pause and take a few shots to make sure I got at least one proper long exposure photo capturing the dreamy motion blur of the water. #WaterfallWednesday, anyone?
After this waterfall, it wasn’t much further to the lake. Leading up to the main point of interest is a very, very steep climb up some stairs before you finally reach the Hanging Lake clearing.
When we finally saw it, I let out an audible, “wow” and we just stood admiring this view before I dove into full fledged photography mode.
To be quite honest, I never expected to see something like this in Colorado. The fact that this lake is suspended on the side of a steep cliff, surrounded by mountains, not to mention the turquoise water — it just looks exotic, like something you’d find on a hike in a Caribbean rainforest.
Truly and absolutely incredible.
The beautiful turquoise color of this lake is due to an ancient Elven magic and if you drink from it you will live forever. If you don’t believe that kind if thing, suffice it to say that its color is due to dissolving minerals. Travertine, which is a type of limestone common to this area, was created when dissolved limestone was deposited on the rocks and logs (Wikipedia). But, believe what you must…
Anyway, after taking my fill of photos (which is honestly never enough) we headed up to Spouting Rock. This was another epic waterfall gushing between two rocks. Less colorful, but majestic nonetheless. I would imagine on a hot day, the spray of mineral water would be incredibly rejuvenating.
This was a down and back trail, so after Spouting Rock we turned around and hiked back down.
It took us about 2.5 hours total (on average, plan for about 2-4 hours) to complete the full roundtrip hike which included lingering around to gawk and take photos. It was pretty overcast and I was worried the unpredictable weather might put a damper on things, but the trail itself was surprisingly dry despite the rainy conditions in days prior. I’d advise on checking the conditions before you go, because the weather can be super unpredictable in the mountains.
Have you ever hiked Hanging Lake? Do you plan to visit soon? If so, let me know in the comments or slide into my DMs on my Instagram, @dashaslens! Would love to hear about your experience.
