I lead the way, and hubby reluctantly followed. This was either a good sign as in, “Yaay! Read more. The fact is, without the handrail, we never would have made it up this part. The steam poured off the surface of the water, illuminated by the lights around the pool, and the hair at the top of my head crackled when I touched it, from having frozen so quickly. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Permits will be required year-round, visitors can reserve a permit at VisitGlenwood.com.During the peak season, from May 1st through October 31st, no parking is allowed in the Hanging Lake Rest Area off I-70. Hanging Lake White River National Forest Moderate (difficult in winter) 2.4-mile out-and-back This alpine-lake hike should make every Coloradan’s bucket list. Great photo opportunity. I am always counting the days until the next time we get to board a plane to somewhere! Please remember that, in all season, swimming in the lake and walking on the log is forbidden in an attempt to protect the lake’s fragile mineral layer that is easily disrupted. I noticed there was another trail from the top of Hanging Lake leading to Spouting Rock Falls. It was a beautiful January morning in the Colorado Rockies, a few scattered clouds, patches of blue sky, and a little sunshine. The thought of taking a dip in hot mineral water with our fatigued muscles sounded heavenly! It is not hard to see why, as the lake is a beautiful turquoise with a moss-covered waterfall feeding it. After we rested at a nearby log, we knew it was time to start our journey back down. At that point, we decided it was time to leave the bliss of the hot springs pools, and find a place to get dinner. Highlights. Hanging lake trail in Colorado is a spectacular hike in winter and summer. January 7, 2020. 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The scenery; Photo Credit: Kady Kellogg. The walls of Glenwood Canyon seen from the trail. August 24, 2020 at 12:08 p.m. There's a 10 minute paved walk from the parking lot to the actual trail, which runs along the Colorado River (pretty!) Glenwood Springs, CO – Hard – 1.2 Miles – Snowshoe – Snow. Hiking to the lake during winter months requires preparation. The Hanging Lake Trail leads to two Waterfalls, one that you can walk behind, and to crystal blue waters of Hanging Lake. The trail is beautiful and kept up and it takes only about an hour to get to the top. At least, we thought we missed it! The trail up is SUPER short (10 minutes?) If you can, also go up around the falls to where the lake is, it only takes an extra 5 minutes or so. Get there early and bring the water and camera. Bring water, snacks, sunscreen and … Update: The canyon has recently had a major forest fire that started in August of 2020 in Grizzly Creek. Bring water, snacks, sunscreen and … The way is steep and rocky; allow 2 to 3 hours for the trip. A comfort station with restrooms and water fountains is usually visitors’ first stop. We continued slipping and sliding up the trail pretty much the same way as before. The historic Civilian Conservation Corps log shelter that is situated along the trail also still stood. With no reservations, large crowds or worries about catching a shuttle back to your car, a winter hike at Hanging Lake is an opportunity to take it all in at a more leisurely pace. Hubby and I in from of Hanging Lake in Colorado. We parked near the Glenwood Springs Lodge, which is adjacent to the hot springs pool. On the rocks at the far end of the lake, there was a partially frozen waterfall, where icicles of various shapes and sizes were sparkling in the afternoon sun. One footbridge coming up on the Hanging Lake trail, Dead Horse Creek, covered by icicles and snow. At that point, there was a long handrail attached to one side of the path. After having skied hard for a couple of days, everyone that morning was a bit low on energy, and dealing with various sore muscles. A little icy in spots. No one knows exactly how we got through this rail section, but we did, and then we saw the final challenge. I highly recommend it. The entrance to the Underground Italian Restaurant. It's usually very busy during the summer but in the winter we only encountered a couple of groups. As it was, the steps were mostly covered in hard-packed snow, creating a steep incline, rather than actual steps. It took us a while to get to the other side of this pool as it was truly enormous, at 405 feet long and 100 feet wide. It was a little unnerving, but we were determined to find a way and get past that final obstacle. I was definitely panting, sweaty and had to stop & rest several times. Hanging Lake, which is designated as a National Natural Landmark, is located about 1,000 feet up a side canyon of Glenwood Canyon. However it's short, incredible and the scenery up top is rewarding. The trail continued to climb up until it got even steeper. Admittedly, we had hoped we were closer than halfway, but regardless, there was no turning back now. Although there was a scary moment when hubby almost slid off the trail down a steep incline, luckily, we didn’t break any bones, and only got our butts a little bruised from sliding over the rocks along the way! It is a lake in the middle of a mountain. Our bodies had collected so much heat from the pool that it actually felt really nice to get some fresh cool air. Follow-up ground inspections along the Hanging Lake Trail on Aug. 16 and 21 revealed that there had been little damage to the trail infrastructure, including several wooden bridges and the boardwalk along the south end of the lake. I felt one really neat feature of the trail was all of the small bridges we had to cross over the creek. We took a few steps, and saw another sign sticking out of the snow that stated: CAUTION: Trail is difficult! Pretty trail in the winter. Cub Lake. I've done this hike multiple times during the summer, but my family and I did the hike on Xmas day! It is wonderful! The paved path follows the Colorado River to the trailhead and offers picture-perfect red-rock canyon views. Hiking so completely unprepared was definitely a struggle, but the stunning winter scenery all around kept us going. In fact, the city leather boots we were wearing came with soles as perfectly smooth as soles get, without even one shred of tread! We did have spikes for our hiking shoes, b/c it did get icy towards the end of the hike. After we sat around chewing on snow for a bit longer, it was time to resume the hike. It was very icy and slick. Somewhere along Hanging Lake trail on the way down. It is a lake in the middle of a mountain. The hike to Hanging Lake is a moderate to difficult hike up into a narrow drainage for 1.2 miles with over 1,000 feet of elevation gain. My hubby and I were staying in Frisco, one of my favorite Colorado towns. We could see some water still dripping down the icicles, creating ripples in the perfectly smooth surface of the lake. Again, it looked fantastic in the winter!!! Fresh new snow was sparkling on the nearby hills, reminding us to pack our skis and hit the slopes. Date of experience: February 2020. We felt enriched by the experience, but we knew one thing for sure: We are never taking Hanging Lake Trail again without being properly prepared! Planned this hike and glad we did. I couldn't believe there were children and dogs going up the trail with us! From that point, there is an ADDITIONAL trail that goes up, called Spouting Rock. Not particularly in shape either... My husband is though, and this was his idea. 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