Colorado’s iconic Hanging Lake Trail fully reopens after nearly five years and a $4.9 million rebuild
Jun 24, 2026, 3:31 PM
One of the most iconic hikes in Colorado is back — and better than before. Hanging Lake Trail in Glenwood Canyon officially reopened last week following a nearly $4.9 million reconstruction project that rebuilt the route from the ground up after the 2020 Grizzly Creek Fire and subsequent flooding destroyed large portions of the trail.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 18 capped a nearly five-year effort that involved the construction of 1,289 stone steps — all built by hand by stonemason Dave Lewis using roughly 325 tons of stone carried up the trail without machinery — seven new bridges replacing those knocked downstream by mudslides, new railings on the steepest sections, a redesigned trailhead with a pergola and picnic area, and a new boardwalk at Spouting Rock that lets hikers walk behind the waterfall feeding Hanging Lake. The 1.5-mile trail climbs more than 1,000 feet in elevation.
Before its closure, Hanging Lake drew more than 72,000 visitors annually and generated roughly $4.6 million for the local economy. The Grizzly Creek Fire in August 2020 burned through Glenwood Canyon, and while the lake itself was miraculously spared, the trail was devastated. Flooding and mudslides in 2021 caused additional damage, washing out sections of the path and destroying every bridge along the route. Major reconstruction began in 2024.
The project brought together the U.S. Forest Service, the National Forest Foundation, the City of Glenwood Springs, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Great Outdoors Colorado and the Colorado Lottery. CPW contributed a $250,000 grant, and more than 6,000 visitors who had reserved hikes during the closure donated their reservation fees to the restoration rather than requesting refunds. “An extraordinary coalition came together not just to restore the damaged Hanging Lake Trail, but to rebuild it for the next century,” said Dieter Fenkart-Froeschl, president and CEO of the National Forest Foundation.
Hanging Lake requires reservations to hike, a permit system that has been in place since 2019 to protect the fragile travertine formations. Reservations can be made at visitglenwood.com.
