GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. — Access to one of Colorado's most popular hiking trails will be limited for several months while crews complete reconstruction work, bridge replacements and other improvements.
The U.S. Forest Service announced in a release Friday that beginning on May 1, the Hanging Lake Trail will be closed Monday through Friday, as well as some weekends once bridge replacement work begins later in the summer.
The work will repair damage from the debris flows of 2021 and make the 1.2-mile trail better able to handle high water and debris, according to the Forest Service. It will also make the trail more sustainable, safe and resilient.
The project will include replacing the trail's seven bridges and building a boardwalk at Spouting Rock to reduce erosion and other impacts, the release said.
Construction is expected to continue into the fall. Reservations will be available weekly from www.visitglenwood.com, with available hiking dates and times released every Tuesday beginning at 8 a.m. on April 30.
“This work would not be possible without the significant support of our partners,” said Acting White River National Forest Supervisor Heather Noel in the release. “We appreciate the public’s patience as we complete these improvements that will ensure world-class visitor experiences on our Glenwood Canyon trails for decades to come.”
Reconstruction work on the Grizzly Creek and Jessie Weaver trails in Glenwood Canyon is also expected to begin in May, according to the release. Once it begins, the existing trail closure two miles up the Grizzly Creek trail will be extended down to the picnic tables, which are about 0.3 miles from the trailhead. The existing closure of the Jessie Weaver trail will be slightly extended to the first bridge, about three miles from the trailhead. Construction updates for those trails will be posted here.
Bridge replacements on the Grizzly Creek and Jessie Weaver trails, along with trail reconstruction, will allow hikers to hike from one trailhead to the other, even during high water, the release said.
“This work will restore a trail connection that has been extremely popular with local hikers,” Noel said.
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