Hanging Lake Trail

Dogs No Dogs

Features Fall Colors · Lake · River/Creek · Views · Waterfall · Wildlife

This steep, scenic trail travels from the bottom of Glenwood Canyon up through Deadhorse Creek Canyon to Hanging Lake. Switchbacks wind their way up the canyon, accommodating the rise in elevation. Shortcutting these bends promotes erosion, please stay on the trail. In addition to the multiple switches, there are several rest stops along the way.

Some parts of the trail are rocky, especially in the beginning and at the end where it has steep stairs carved into the canyon cliff rock. The trail ends on a boardwalk around the lake.

This travertine lake is extremely sensitive, so special regulations apply. Please do not step off the boardwalk. There is a short offshoot from the trail before the boardwalk that leads to Spouting Rock where, for centuries, water has dissolved a passage through the limestone that exits out of a sheer cliff wall as a spectacular waterfall.