The hike to Hanging Lake near Glenwood Springs, CO, is one of the most popular hikes in all of Colorado. A 1.2 mile hike up the mountain will lead you to beautiful waterfalls and serene pools of water.
GETTING THERE:
The trail head is located directly off of I-70. Getting here is not very easy if you are coming from Denver or anywhere east of the trailhead. There is no off ramp and you have to drive past the parking lot, exit, and then get back on I-70 eastbound then exit at Exit 125. Several of the exits afterwards were closed for various reasons. After our hike we had to drive all the way to Glenwood Springs to get back on I-70 east.
If you are coming from Glenwood Springs, exit 125 is the exit for Hanging Lake. It is the only thing at this exit.
PARKING:
Parking also is not very easy. There are a limited number of parking spaces and there are several employees of the US Forest Service who will sit and monitor these spots and not allow you to park until someone vacates a spot. We arrived at 8:45 AM on a Sunday morning and the parking lot was full, but luckily we were the first in line for the next spot. We only had to wait about 5 minutes.
The line to get in as we were leaving
There are several light up signs on I-70 that say that the Hanging Lake Parking Lot is Full. This will probably be true but get off at Exit 125 anyway so that you can get in line.
FACILITIES:
There are bathrooms at the base as well as several picnic tables near the parking lot.
HIKING WITH KIDS:
Picture credit: Best Hikes with Kids Colorado
**IMPORTANT: BEFORE you hike check the Forest Service Page to make sure that the trail is open. While the trail is open year round, sometimes they close the trail for maintenance. For the most up to date information, check here. I would hate for someone to drive all the way up there only to find out that the trail is closed!
This hike probably contained some of the most inconsistent information about whether or not that this hike was kid-friendly or not. I will do my best to give you the facts and then share our opinion at the end, hopefully letting you decide on your own if this hike is truly kid-friendly for your family or not.
The trail itself is 1.2 miles long. The elevation gain is 1,000 feet. Starting elevation is 6.387′, ends at 7323′.
There are seven different bridges that criss cross Dead Horse Creek. The bridges definitely reminded me of Seven Bridges Trail that we did earlier this year. After the 4th bridge look up about 200′ to see if you can spot the bear cave!
Almost there!
After the 7th bridge the terrain is more steep and handrails have been added for extra stabilization.
Once you complete the stair steps your hard work will be rewarded with Bridal Veil Falls falling into Hanging Lake! There are several benches where you can sit and soak in the scenery.
There is also another waterfall just above Hanging Lake. Sprouting Rock Falls is clearly marked just before you come upon the Bridal Veil Falls. This is a small trail that leads to a large waterfall. You can walk behind this waterfall.
Sprouting Rock Falls
Since we went towards the end of August, there were so many butterflies near the waterfalls! My boys loved this!
There is no swimming in the water, and there are US Forest Service guides that walk the trail to make sure that everyone is following the rules.
OUR EXPERIENCE:
We live at almost 7,000 feet and go hiking several times a month, and this definitely was the most challenging hike that we have done as a family.
This hike is not impossible by any means, but it is steep and as you can see from the pictures there are almost no flat areas the entire 1.2 miles up. I think it took us approximately 2 hours to get to the top and an hour to get down.
Descending down
We were in no hurry and just took the hike one step at a time. My 2 older boys (ages 6 and 4) hiked the entire way up and down. The 2 yo was in the Ergo the entire time as there was no safe place for him to get out and walk around (except at the very top).
What worked extremely well to keep my kids excited and motivated was COOKIES! I mean who doesn’t love a soft chocolate chip cookie. Before the trip we stopped at the Wal Mart in Rifle and bought a box of chocolate chip cookies. Every time we got to a bridge we stopped to give them a cookie. They were so excited to see the next bridge as this meant another cookie!
WHAT TO BRING:
- Snacks, snacks, snacks! Look at what you are packing and double that! Everyone will need the burst of energy from those snacks. Chips Ahoy Chewy and Nutter Butter bite sized saved the day.
- Water! We had 3 different Camelbak’s filled with water and we went through every single one- extra large, large, and kid size
- Hiking Poles for the way down
- Sun protection- my kids burn easily and it was very hot on the trail
- Ergo or other baby carrier for toddlers, babies
- Sturdy shoes. Three of the five of us were wearing Keen sandals and those worked out well. Women’s/Boy/Toddler found here {even though the 2 yo didn’t hike he looked the part!}
It looks like that starting in 2018 you will be required to have a permit to hike up to Hanging Lake, plus they will be starting a shuttle service. This has not gone into effect yet. More information can be found here.
Boys’ ages at time of hike: 6, 4, and 2. Not stroller friendly. Toddler was in the Ergo the entire hike
Price: FREE {as of 2017}
Location: CDOT Rest Area/Hanging Lake Trailhead
Website: US Forest Service
Book reference: Best Hikes with Kids Colorado
Other attractions nearby: Glenwood Springs Hot Springs, Palisade Peach Festival {annual event only}
Everything that we write about is our own opinion and experience. PLEASE always check with the original source as exhibits, prices, location, terrain, hours, availability, etc., may have changed from when we went to current day 🙂
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