GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. — A primitive trail to Hanging Lake is expected to open later this summer after the main trail was significantly damaged last year after multiple mudslides related to the 2020 Grizzly Creek Fire, a spokesperson for the White River National Forest said.
Located in Glenwood Canyon, Hanging Lake is one of Colorado's most popular tourist destinations. It's been closed due to damage sustained after multiple mudslides in the Grizzly Creek Fire burn scar last summer that also closed Interstate 70.
Officials said last August that the main trail up to Hanging Lake had "extreme damage" and would require complete reconstruction.
>>>The video above is from last August. It shows the trails damage.
The cost to reconstruct the trail to Hanging Lake will be significant, officials said. The hiking trail will need to be redesigned to meet the "new landscape" created by the mudslides.
On Thursday, David Boyd with the White River National Forest said they would begin work on a primitive trail later this spring or early summer. He said exact details are still being worked out, but the current plan calls for that primitive trail to open later in the summer.
There is "a lot of interest" in the trail, according to Boyd, who said they would make an announcement once they have a concrete timeline.
2021 Hanging Lake Trail damage
The Grizzly Creek Fire started burning on Aug. 10, 2020, in the canyon east of Glenwood Springs and more than 30,000 acres. The lake itself was spared, and the areas around it in the White River National Forest were burned.
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