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Hanging Lake LbNA #9253 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:DrewFamily Supporter Verified
Plant date:Apr 27, 2003
Location: Glenwood Canyon
City:Carbondale
County:Garfield
State:Colorado
Boxes:2
Found by: Mookie
Last found:Jul 7, 2006
Status:FFFFFFr
Last edited:Apr 27, 2003
Colorado has some of the most magnificent hiking in the world! And, for us sea-level folk, some of the hardest. A few tips:

Allow a day or two to adjust to the altitude before hiking.

Bring sunscreen, dark glasses, lip balm, and water.

Remember that hydration best begins the day before your hike.

Lightning is a real threat in the Rockies: leave the mountains by noon.

These are all summer-fall hikes.

We learned a lot about Colorado hiking from:

Hiking Colorado (1991, Caryn & Peter Boddie)
100 Hikes in Colorado

A gem of crystal clear alpine freshwater hanging on cliff's edge, with lovely waterfalls. The hiking is steep and rocky, straight up the vertical sides of famous Glenwood Canyon, but the trail is well maintained and has numerous benches if you need to rest. There are two letterboxes on this terrific hike.

Directions: On I-70's famous stretch through Glenwood Canyon east of Carbondale, take the Hanging Lake rest stop area (exit 125). Since you can only enter Hanging Lake from the eastbound lanes and exit onto the westbound highway, you'll need to turn around either coming or going at the Grizzly Creek rest stop (exit 121). It sounds a bit more complicated than it seems when you're there, driving through the canyon.

The Climb: Park at the visitor's center and warm up with a short level eastwards walk up the Colorado River on the recreational path. Turn in at the Hanging Lake Trail and climb. Climb! The trail is steep and rocky, following the music of falling water the whole way. About 1/3 of the way up, skip the Dead Horse Creek Trail, staying with the main Hanging Lake Trail. Close to the one mile marker lives a bench which once sheltered the Hanging Lake Letterbox, now missing. Make your final surge steeply uphill using the steps and handrails to discover jewel-like Hanging Lake. Please stay on the board walk to preserve this amazing place.

After breathing deep of this incredibly beautiful spot, continue uphill on the Spouting Rock Trail. It is only a hundred yards or so to this wonderful second waterfall: watch for a crossing on a level causeway of stepping stones on the way up. After visiting Spouting Rock return down the trail, and just at the northern end of that rocky bridge make a right hand U-turn back towards Spouting Rock onto an unmarked path with the vertical wall on your left. At the first level spot in this side trail, turn a couple steps right and look in the east face of a low tree for your second letterbox of the day.

Now return as you came, letting gravity help or hinder, depending on your legs.

Dedicated with love and great esteem to Mark and his gals.