Hanging Lake Trail Reconstruction Project
A Trail Rebuilt for the Next 100 Years
The Hanging Lake Trail is back.
One of Colorado’s most beloved hikes, the 1.2-mile trail climbs through steep terrain in Glenwood Canyon to a remarkable landscape of turquoise waters, dramatic canyon walls, and cascading waterfalls. After years of damage, recovery, and reconstruction, the trail has been fully rebuilt, creating a more durable, resilient path to one of the White River National Forest’s most iconic destinations.
Completed in June 2026, the $4.9 million project represents years of collaboration, problem-solving, and investment from partners across Colorado. Together, they rebuilt a trail designed to better withstand heavy use, future flooding, and the challenges of a changing landscape for generations to come.
A Landscape Tested by Fire and Flood
In 2020, the Grizzly Creek Fire burned through Glenwood Canyon, dramatically altering the landscape surrounding Hanging Lake. While the lake itself was spared, the fire left the steep slopes above the trail vulnerable to the powerful effects of rain, flooding, and debris flows.
Less than a year later, severe flooding sent mud, rocks, and debris through the canyon. Large sections of the trail were washed out or buried, and bridges were damaged and swept from their foundations.
For a place that welcomes visitors from around the world and holds deep significance for the Glenwood Springs community, the damage was devastating. But the question was never whether Hanging Lake should be abandoned. The challenge was finding a way to rebuild a trail capable of protecting access to this extraordinary place for the future.
Bringing People Together
Rebuilding Hanging Lake required far more than repairing a trail.
The National Forest Foundation convened partners locally and across Colorado to develop a long-term solution and help bring together the funding, expertise, and coordination needed to make it happen. NFF also managed the overall project budget and construction contracts in close partnership with the U.S. Forest Service.
The project was made possible through a broad coalition of partners and supporters, including the U.S. Forest Service, Colorado Lottery, Great Outdoors Colorado, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the City of Glenwood Springs, private donors, volunteers, and local community partners.
While plans for the permanent trail were developed, temporary repairs restored limited public access in 2022. The permanent reconstruction began in April 2024, launching a nearly two-year effort to build a trail designed not simply to recover from past disasters, but to meet the challenges ahead.
Built by Hand. Designed to Last.
The completed Hanging Lake Trail was shaped by the landscape around it.
Building beside a creek that floods regularly required the project team to carefully balance visitor access, durability, and resource protection. Designs evolved in response to real-world flooding during the reconstruction, helping ensure the finished trail could better withstand the forces that had devastated the previous route.
Crews reconstructed the entire 1.2-mile trail with more than 1,000 hand-built stone steps, creating a durable surface better equipped to handle both heavy visitation and the demands of the canyon environment. Seven new bridges were installed to improve resilience against future flooding and debris flows.
The canyon’s steep, narrow terrain created another challenge: many materials could not be brought to the worksite using traditional heavy equipment. Bridge components were flown into the canyon by helicopter, while skilled crews and stone masons built much of the trail by hand.
Protecting the Experience and the Place
The reconstruction created more than a new route to Hanging Lake.
A new boardwalk at Spouting Rock improves access to one of the trail’s most dramatic features while helping protect the surrounding landscape. The project also included an expanded and reimagined trailhead designed to improve the visitor experience, along with protections for sensitive natural and cultural resources.
Every element of the reconstruction was considered with the long term in mind: how visitors move through the canyon, how the trail responds to water and erosion, and how this fragile landscape can continue to be experienced without compromising the resources that make it so special.
The result is a trail built to better balance access with stewardship, welcoming people to experience Hanging Lake while helping protect it for the future.
A New Chapter for Hanging Lake
In June 2026, project partners gathered at the Hanging Lake Trailhead to celebrate the completion of the reconstruction and the trail’s reopening.
The moment marked the end of a long recovery effort, but it also marked the beginning of a new chapter.
Before the closure, Hanging Lake drew more than 72,000 visitors each year and generated an estimated $4.6 million in annual economic impact for the Glenwood Springs area. Its importance, however, extends far beyond those numbers. For generations, Hanging Lake has been a place of wonder, connection, and adventure, but most importantly, a treasured part of Colorado’s landscape and the identity of the community that surrounds it.
The completed project is a powerful example of what can happen when people come together around a shared commitment to a place. Federal and state agencies, nonprofit partners, local government, funders, contractors, volunteers, and community members each played a role in bringing the trail back.
Today, visitors can once again make the journey through Glenwood Canyon to Hanging Lake on a trail designed with the next century in mind.
Hanging Lake survived the fire. Together, we rebuilt the path to it and helped ensure this extraordinary place can continue to inspire and connect people for generations to come.
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