I may be off the dating apps (for now 😅), but I’m part of several hiking groups and have met some really amazing people through them. Big shout out to the Colorado Chapter of Women Who Hike on this, specifically. A few weeks I did a group hike at Staunton State Park that we organized through the WWH Facebook page. It ended up being an amazing time with some great ladies (for info on this hike peep Hike 4 on my posts). So when one of the girls (hey, Sarah, heyyyyy!) reached out asking if I wanted to do a girls hiking trip with her and some of the girls of the group, I was down. I am terrible at planning and initiating group trips but love the opportunity to do mini adventures like this...so big ups to all you organizers and planners out there!
Girls trip to Glenwood Springs was officially a go! Five of us ended up going and an AirBnB was secured by the lovely Sarah ahead of time. Hanging Lake is located in Glenwood Canyon in the White River National Forest approximately 7 miles from Glenwood Springs. If you’re coming from the Denver metro area the drive is a little under three hours making this the perfect weekend getaway with plenty of places to stop along the way.
This was my second time doing the Hanging Lake hike. I completed it last summer with little man (he is seriously amazing for doing this one) and knew in the winter it would have a completely different vibe.
When we arrived, the parking lot still had plenty of room and although there was a steady stream of people throughout the hike it was significantly less crowded then hiking it in the summer. There are restrooms at the trailhead, which i’d highly advise making use of (peeing in waste deep snow wasn’t something I was ultimately trying to do that day 😂. I mean, I would have. But it’s not the best time on a trail as narrow as this). Also, don’t forget to layer and bring sunscreen! Even though it was winter, we were down to tank tops at certain points due to the heat and overall lady hike glisten we all get.
If you are planning on hiking Hanging Lake just be aware that a permit is required. There seem to be an abundance of permits available in the winter; making a same day permit likely But these can book up well ahead of time in the summer. You can do what we did and purchase permits (and check out availability) online at https://visitglenwood.com/hanginglake/. Make sure to remember to print out your permit to have with you as there are typically (very friendly and helpful) rangers present.
If you’re planning your hike from May through October, also be aware that parking at the trail head is no longer allowed. The U.S. Forest Service an Glenwood Springs implemented a bus system last year. The shuttle disembarks from the Hanging Lake Welcome Center at 110 Wulfsohn Road, Glenwood Springs CO 81601 and takes people to the trail during those months. This service IS included in your permit purchase and permits during these months are $12, while “offseason” permits are $10.
Why the permits, you ask? Well, Hanging Lake is so golly gosh darn awesome and unique that everyone likes to come check it out- to the tune of over 1000 people a day at certain points over the years. This is a LOT of people on a short trail and. if you’ve hiked at all, you know some people choose to not respect nature. Trail erosion, litter, and threats to the fragile ecosystem caused the newly implemented limit of 615 hikers a day in 2019 which is helping preserve Hanging Lake for future generations ❤️.
The hike itself is approximately 3 miles round-trip but don’t let the short distance fool you into thinking this is an easy. It’s a somewhat intense hike for as short as it is with 1135 feet of elevation gain. I will say though, that my 5 year old did it with me in the summer, so it is family friendly for those with kiddos who can hang (shout out again to how badass my five year old is again!) I didn’t find the hike to be much more challenging than it was in the summer, but the terrain was completely different.
If you plan to hike in the winter, be aware that spikes are necessary for a majority of the trek. And when I say necessary, I mean it. We saw quite a few people hiking in sneakers and they did not look particularly pleased to be slipping and sliding as much as they were. I would have been in panic mode without mine, particularly near the top. Once you begin to ascend the stairs, which aren’t really stairs in the winter, things get steep and icy quickly. There was quite a bit of ice throughout and the rocky, steep terrain I tackled during my summer hike was nearly completely covered with snow. Because I’m a huge nature nerd, seeing the contrast in seasons was really neat. That’s what’s so great about hiking. You can hit the same trail in different conditions and it’s a completely new experience.
There are mile markers along the way so you don’t have to ask the obligatory, “How much further?” if you’re that guy 😉. I love water and you do follow a stream for most of the hike, although visibility is minimal given the snow cover. I will say, the views and rock formations are spectacular and taking pictures along the way MAY be a great excuse to stop to catch your breathe a few times 🙂.
When you near the top, you can either go straight to the lake or check out Sprouting Rock- I’m going to highly recommend either order, but make sure to do both! Everyone comes for the lake, but I promise you that Sprouting Rock is equally (if not more, fight me 🙃) beautiful. I’m a HUGE sucker for waterfalls, and I’ll have to admit the first time I went to Hanging Lake, Sprouting Rock stole the show.
We ended up venturing to Hanging Lake first after tackling the stairs of doom (again, spikes please). I can show you pictures here and talk about how great it is, but you honestly need to go see this one for yourself. The color of the lake is amazing and it’s such a delicate waterfall compared to most we have in Colorado. Also, fun fact: The turquoise colors of the lake are produced by carbonate minerals that have dissolved in the water, neat!
We hit Sprouting Rock second and it once again, did not disappoint. There is only one active waterfall in the winter, but along with that there’s a really cool ice feature inside the cave area. If you’re a water person like me, this location will give you all the warm, hiking fuzzy feels 🥰.
Hanging Lake, ✔️. So what do a group of girls desperately want (need? 🤔) immediately after hiking and taking in some bomb dignity nature? Tacos, obviously. We trekked back to Glenwood Springs and parked our cars on a nearby block. The area is super walkable and after some light googling we went to Slope & Hatch, but there were unfortunately no tables. Due to this unfortunate event, we chose to walk around downtown Glenwood Springs for a bit and find something else.
After a loop or two we actually stopped back in and, as luck would have it, a table opened up! This place serves some FAT tacos and the palomas were absolutely on point. After stuffing our faces, we headed to our AirBnB and then set out for the evening (I was to busy shoveling food into my mouth to take a picture, but you can check out their website at http://www.slopeandhatch.net/. Highly recommend!
We headed back out for some more Glenwood Springs action and were lucky enough to stumble upon a wine tasting at a liquor store, a really cool gem shop, some random clothing stores, and naturally a chocolate and wine shop.
Glenwood Springs is like most mountain towns. Everyone is friendly and you’ll enjoy yourself exploring with no set plan in place. After our downtown adventure, we naturally decided it was time for one more drink before we headed back and prepared for the hot springs.
We hit the Colorado Ranch House...I could say it was for their amazing cocktails, but you get a group of hikers together and quite naturally we want to sit outside by a fire and chat. So basic, I know 🥰 I ended up ordering the blackberry whiskey smash. This drink was tasty, but STRONG so i was definitly in a nice, toasty place between the drink and the fire. Will definitly be checking this place out next time i come for their food as well, the full menu and more info can be found at: https://coranchhouse.com/.
One more stop at the AirBnB for some light snacking...and maybe more wine and it was time to hit the hot springs. If you’ve never been, trust me, you need some hot springs in your life! Glenwood Springs just happens to be the home of the worlds largest hot spring mineral pool, so we were in luck. Fun fact: there are apparently fifteen different minerals found in the water of the Glenwood Hot Springs Pools, and each of the pools has a different temperature. Based on the website the price seems to rise as you get closer to summer but there’s always a discount of you opt to go at 9:00 PM, which is an hour before closing. We pay $10.25 each which was well worth the nice, heated soak.
After the hot springs, we went back to the Airbnb and indulged in a little more wine (surprise!) and some Princess Bride. The perfect ending to an amazing girls day trip. Everyone else was heading home or in the opposite direction the next morning, but I decided to stay and check out rifle falls, which *spoiler alert* is my next post. Oops! Until next time, happy hiking, everyone ❤️✌🏼🥾.
Sidebar (hi, attorney speak): This trip took place last weekend, pre-pandemic. Things have obviously changed a lot in a week and I’m so happy I got to squeeze this trip in right before the madness ensued. Although I plan to continue hiking and trying to live as normally as possible, I will be taking extra safety measures as best I can to protect myself given my AI disease. Be safe out there, everybody. On and off the trails ❤️ Kristin.
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