Reconstruction and trail improvement on the iconic Hanging Lake trail in Glenwood Canyon and the nearby Grizzly Creek trail will begin in May, resulting in frequent closures through the summer hiking season.
Those projects, which have been planned to repair damage from the Grizzly Creek wildfire in 2020 and resulting debris flows in 2021, were previously announced. Details regarding trail availability were revealed on Friday by the White River National Forest and Visit Glenwood Springs.
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The Hanging Lake trail will be closed on weekdays and some weekends, according to a news release from the White River National Forest. Construction is expected to continue into the fall. Limited reservations will be available through visitglenwood.com with available dates and times released every Tuesday at 8 a.m., beginning April 30.
The trail’s seven bridges will be replaced to provide more clearance over the creek, and a boardwalk will be built from Hanging Lake to Spouting Rock, which is a short walk above the lake. Most of the Grizzly Creek trail, which is located four miles west of the Hanging Lake trail, will be closed indefinitely once trail work begins there.
The Grizzly Creek fire was ignited on Aug. 10, 2020, resulting in a 13-day closure of Interstate 70 through the canyon. It burned more than 32,000 acres and left hillsides susceptible to debris flows and mudslides, some of which caused extensive damage to the Hanging Lake trail and the interstate a year later.
Bridge No. 1, the first of seven bridges on the Hanging Lake trail, was knocked off its abutments in 2021 by a mudslide. Restoration crews were able to reposition it in 2021, and the trail reopened after an 11-month closure. The trail will undergo reconstruction and modernization this summer, resulting in frequent closures. (John Meyer/Denver Post file)