Hanging Lake Trailhead — Attraction in Glenwood Springs

One of Colorado's gems, Hanging Lake is nestled in the beautiful Glenwood Springs.

First things first - reservations are required and it is for each person, not just per vehicle. The fee when we went last weekend (Sept 2023), was $12/person. Me and my teenage son went. The 8:00 a.m. slot only had 1 slot remaining and everything else is full except for a few slots at 3:00 p.m. We did leave home early for the 3-hour drive and arrived at 12:30 to see if perhaps it wasn't too busy that we may be allowed to come in early. We got lucky! And thankfully so, because in hindsight, we wouldn't have wanted to be doing our hike back down just before 7:00 p.m.

The journey starts from the parking lot. It is about a quarter mile of concrete bike trail from the parking lot to the trailhead. When you get to the trailhead, its a 2.4 mile hike roundtrip. We took just a little under 4 hours to get back to the car, and this was with stops to get a breather. But on average, it takes 3 hours to complete it. Although a short trail, the difficulty comes from the elevation gain of 1000 feet. However, I would venture to say that it's a family-friendly trail with the defined path, even though it is rocky. There are 7 footbridges to get to the fruit of your labor and it is worth it! Closer to the top, there is a railing you can hold on to, which is really handy if your glutes and hamstrings are already jello at that point! Lol

I have to say however, it wasn't exactly what I had hoped it would be. Don't gete wrong, it was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. But, being that it is a very popular spot, there were a lot of people. And the boardwalk, although definitely thoughtful and offers people a way to walk around the lake, it somewhat took away from its natural beauty. People are not allowed to touch the water; its a $5,000 fine! My son however, got creative. He picked up a twig, dipped it in the water, then poked my arm with it. And just like that -I touched the water.

One thing immensely disappointed me though. Someone wrote "renob" on one of the metal railings. Gosh, what they were trying to spell backwards, I will never know. Leave it to humans to desecrate nature. This is why we can't have nice things.

Anyway, rant over. The journey back to the parking lot was a breeze. I've been wanting to see Hanging Lake since last year and I'm so glad I finally got to go. I definitely want to go back and when I do come back, the whole family...

Hanging is lake is 5/5, but I am giving 2 stars to make this review more visible and hopefully educate a few people on the seriousness of this hike. If you are a a new or inexperienced hiker interested in doing hanging lake, please read this review.

This is a strenuous, dangerous hike. It is mostly uneven stairs with some steep drop offs, and potential for flash flooding during the rain. Unfortunately I saw a lot of people on the hike with no water or pack. Even more distressing is the number of families I saw with small children who were not prepared. Please understand there is no cell service for most of the hike. If you or one of your trail mates are hurt it will take a very long time for anyone to rescue you.

Unfortunately I saw several injured individuals on the trail and my trail mate was injured saving a small kid who slipped and almost fell off the trail. I also saw many people very unprepared for the hike, who were wondering if they were close to the top when they hadn't even made it to 25 percent. I cannot stress this enough, if you are new to hiking/don't hike much, do not take this hike lightly. At a minimum, you should bring a walking stick or trekking poles, plenty of water, and a first aid kit. You need shoes with good grip and possibly ankle support if you are prone to rolling your ankle. If you are bringing your kids they should be wearing the same type of gear. Lastly, please educate yourself on trail etiquette. Its not just manners, it is literally for the safety of yourself and others.

As much as I love hiking this trail, it's distressing to see so many people injured or unprepared on the way. Hanging Lake is gorgeous but it's not worth it if you're going to put you or your loved ones at serious risk of injury by...

I'm writing this in case it helps someone else who is tired most of or all the time like me. I feel that the beauty, once you get to the top, is worth 5 stars but I only gave it 4 stars because of the intensity to get to the top. I'm not old but have low energy and I recommended that people with low energy or have chronic fatigue consider a less exhausting hike. And for those with fatigue but who love beautiful nature like we do, and are willing to endure a trail like this in order to view it at the top, to prepare for this hike and make the most of it. Preparing meaning know ahead of time how hard it will be, try to get rested the night before, dress appropriately & bring sunscreen for the part of the trail that does have sun exposure & water. Also, arriving at the top when the sun is directly overhead so that you can see the shine & clarity of the water. We went in early Oct, started at 2pm and made it to the top (giving it everything I have) at 3:53 pm and it was very pretty but the sun was not overhead much anymore and it would have been even prettier had we come earlier in the day. To give some perspective, it is a 1000 ft hike going up and the incline is very steep. I have read some reviews that it was hard going down. As long as you don't struggle with balance then the going down, at least for us, was a thousand times easier than going up. Also, the leaves on the trees in the parking lot are the most beautiful colored leaves we've ever seen. Now is a good time to go it seems. I don't want to scare anyone off from going, just to know what you are in for and take your time going up. It took about 3.5 - 4 hrs for...