We Hiked Hanging Lake in Glenwood Springs

North America » United States » Colorado » Glenwood Springs
August 3rd 2013

Published: August 4th 2013

Edit Blog Post

WhirledPeas

Beetle Kill Pines on I-70

Last time we tried to hike to Hanging Lake, we had the kids. We turned back because the trail was too difficult to hike with them. We have the weekend to ourselves this weekend to celebrate our sixth anniversary (early), so we decided to head to Hanging Lake.

Parts of the drive on I-70 were so sad. Either the beetle kill in the forests are getting much worse, or it's just easier to see in contrast to the green pines in July. To me, it looked like one dry lightning strike would just send the whole area north of I-70 past Silver Plume in flames. It's just so bad.

As we neared Glenwood Springs, the views were breathtaking. The canyon's beauty is just beyond words. The rocks that jut from the river below, the green pines that contrast brilliantly against the red soil--it's absolutely stunning.

Now, you can't access Hanging lake from I-70 westbound. In order to get there, follow the signs that have drivers exit Grizzly Creek (exit 121). It's the first exit past Hanging Lake that has access to both I-70 westbound and I-70 eastbound. From Grizzly Creek, you hop onto I-70 east and take the

Setting Out for Hanging Lake!

Hanging Lake exit. Andrew and I stopped at Grizzly Creek first to use the restrooms and check for vending machines to get a couple of water bottles. The machine wouldn't take his money. He put a dollar into the snack machine, hoping it would give him quarters when he hit the coin return. It wouldn't give him money back in any form. One pack of Sour Patch Kids later, we were digging through the car looking for any kind of bottle to fill. We found an empty water bottle, and I filled it from the bathroom sink tap (no water fountains available, either). It was 20 ounces, and I hoped it was enough.

As we walked back to the car at Grizzly Creek, I noticed some shuttles advertising that they take people to Hanging Lake. Andrew and I have been to this exit a number of times, and we've never seen that before! We should have asked but didn't. We drove back east to Hanging Lake. A sign announced the parking lot was full! A ranger walked up to our car and directed us back to Grizzly Creek. He said we could take the shuttle from there for "$4

The Hanging Lake Trail Head

1.2 miles and 1,000 feet in elevation to go!

a person, if the shuttle is full." I guess that means it would cost more if there weren't enough passengers. He was really nice and helpful, but the last thing we wanted to do was drive back to Grizzly Creek to pay money to drive back east... so, I asked him if we could just check out the lot there at Hanging Lake. He agreed, and we drove on. As luck would have it, there was a spot! There were two, actually. We parked and grabbed our things. Only then did I realize I'd forgotten a hat and sunglasses. Oh, well!

We grabbed our picnic basket bag and set out to the trail. The path to the trail is paved and flat. We've walked it with the kids before. It's beautiful, but there is pretty much no shade. It was hot! We got to the trail head, and I read that the Hanging Lake Trail is 1.2 miles long and gains an elevation of 1,000 ft. Signs warned that the hike is difficult and for hikers to make sure they have enough water. I worried about our 20 ounces (10 ounces a piece...), but I really didn't want to

Taking a Breather

Andrew didn't need to rest on our hike up, but I did! It was so beautiful; he couldn't complain.

turn back. We pressed on!

The hike up to Hanging Lake is beautiful. Thankfully, it's also pretty well shaded! I can tell you that I wouldn't have made it if there wasn't shade. It vaguely reminded me of Uncle Tom's Trail in Yellowstone National Park: you know, the one with a million (OK, 300) steps? It was like that, only the "steps" were rocks and tree roots. Many of the steps were very tall, almost to my knees. This made the hike especially difficult for me (5'1"), as I'd have to put my hands on the ground to get up a number of the steps. It was much easier for Andrew (6'3").

As I mentioned above, I wouldn't have made the hike if it wasn't mostly shaded. I overheat easily, and I got very hot from all the work. I needed water. We stopped just before the quarter mile sign, and I guzzled half of our bottle of water. Ten ounces down; ten to go. Andrew took a couple of sips, and we continued on. The people we hiked with and hiked past were all very friendly. We made a number of two-minute friends each time we stopped.

Wild Raspberries

We spotted a couple wild raspberry bushes along the trail.

Everywhere we looked, there was something to see. A few wild raspberries dotted the path. A stream ran next to the path and trickled over miniature rapids. It was so pretty that I never felt bad stopping to rest. I think we stopped every quarter mile for at least a minute. When we stopped at the 3/4 mile mark, Andrew had a great idea to help us with water. We had some sparkling water for our picnic. We didn't want to use it for hydration because we'd thought the carbonation would dehydrate us. I read later that it's not true: sparkling water doesn't dehydrate people. Not knowing this at the time, we wouldn't drink it on the hike. That is, until Andrew poured about 4 ounces at a time into our empty water bottle and shook it to get the gas out. We more than doubled our available water that way, and we made it to the top!

A nice boardwalk boarded the lake. A bench ran along it, and dozens and dozens of people sat on the benches, enjoying the view and taking photos. The lake was beautiful: blue but crystal clear. We could see trout swimming

Looking up Glenwood Canyon

below us in the water. Water fell from a ledge above and crashed into the lake in a beautiful water fall. With the canyons surrounded us, it was incredible!

To be honest, it reminded me a lot of Hamilton Pool in Dripping Springs, Texas. Hamilton Pool might have been a little more spectacular with more waterfalls (as well as the ability to walk underneath some of the falls), but that doesn't mean Hanging Lake wasn't a beautiful destination. It was absolutely worth the grueling hike!

I didn't think Hanging Lake would be quite so public. I mean, we should have known by the number of people climbing up and down the trail. Somehow, I thought there would be more open space, at least enough for us to have our picnic! We climbed up onto some rocks and ate our lunch with picturesque views but not much privacy. In fact, a child sat about 3 feet from me and watched me eat. I thought about offering him a strawberry, but I worried his parents would be angry at me or just distrust food from me. So, I just let him awkwardly watch us eat.

Andrew laughed and whispered to me that we were

Some of the Scenery Along Hanging Lake Trail

getting lots of jealous stares. He also told me a good business idea would be selling little snacks up at this place. While almost certainly profitable, I figured the last thing such a beautiful, natural place like this needed was someone hocking food and drink. It would take away from the charm a little bit!

We had a delicious picnic! Oliver and I had made chocolate covered strawberries the night before. They were sweating a bit by this point, but they were still good. Let me tell you, after climbing that much elevation, there is nothing quite like a juicy berry! I also packed bell pepper slices, a couple deviled eggs, some bread, some cheese, and some Tofurky (vegetarian turkey) slices. Our picnic with the people watching us was almost perfect!

Clouds had rolled in at that point. It kept us in a comfortable shade, but we also weren't sure if or when they'd open up. I didn't want to be up on a mountain with a lightning storm, so we decided to head back down. Some parts of the descent were a little treacherous. It's not easy climbing down some 3 foot tall stone steps, and loose

Feeling Pretty Good!

At this point, we're about 3/4 of our way up to Hanging Lake. The hike was difficult but fun--and definitely worth it.

dirt caused some people to lose footing. We made it without any problems, and I felt so accomplished and happy for making the hike up and down. It was a lovely, fun way to celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary!

(As always, there are more photos below this entry)

Additional photos below

Photos: 18, Displayed: 18