A couple days ago I decided to do this hike. I passed many different types of people on my way up. Parents with children, young adults, and even older aged individuals (most of them had poles). Something some people may not realize if they aren’t from the area, is that you cannot just drive to the trailhead for this hike – you must purchase a $12 ticket (per person) to catch a bus, which picks you up at the Hanging Lake Welcome Center. The address is 110 Wulfsohn Road, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601, and located next to the Glenwood Springs Rec Center. Now, you can certainly purchase a bus ticket upon arrival, but the chances of it being fully booked for that time slow may be higher. It’s best just to reserve the time slot you wish to go by visiting this site: https://visitglenwood.com/hanginglake/shuttle/. You have the option of renting poles when you make your reservation online or if you buy your ticket in person you can purchase them there too. I opted out of this option.
On the all trails website/ app https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/hanging-lake this hike is rated Moderate. Personally, I would rate this hike a combination of moderate AND hard. The Trail is mostly an incline with rare few spots where it’s a straight walk. The trail is basically made up of rocks – so make sure you wear good tennis shoes or hiking shoes (although I did pass a couple people who were wearing sandals and they obviously made it up and back just fine). I would be cautious coming down just because some of the rocks are flat and have sand on them, so you may slip a bit but nothing too serious – just keep your eye out with each step you take and go slow.. especially since the hike down is at a decline the entire way.
Some recommendations/tips/advice I’d give to someone doing this hike for the first time: take your time, bring enough water (I packed 2 water bottles and could have used more at times), wear comfortable shoes as you’ll be walking on rocks majority of the time, and book a reservation time for the morning. I only say this because I booked a hike for 2pm and since it was the middle of the day the sun was out which, I felt, made the hike much more difficult due to the sun beaming on me. There were plenty of spots with shade where we obviously felt much better so if you can do this hike before the heat of the day comes – you’ll thank yourself! Beautiful views along the way.
I did this hike the first week in September and the water at Hanging Lake was so clear and turquoise blue color! If you decide to, there is another “waterfall” that is very near, but very steep… it’s called “Spouting Rock” which you can walk behind. The lake itself is gorgeous and it feels rewarding to take in the views while resting at the top. The entire hike took about 1 hour and 45 minutes (1 hour up, 45 minutes down) so I were able to catch an early bus back. Overall, highly recommend doing this hike! You won’t regret it.
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