Since we were coming from Florida I gave ourselves a few days to acclimate to the altitude before choosing this hike. Perhaps because I was at the beginning of the season I had no problem being able to easily pick date and time. We were hiking the middle of May and the reservations opened up the 1st of May. However if you are doing your research you will be well informed about this fact. White River Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams, City of Glenwood Springs Manager Debra Figueroa, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Deputy Chief Engineer Keith Stefanik, Ken Murphy from H2O and Colleen Coleman from the National Forest Foundation spoke during Wednesday's press conference.Like so many beautiful spots that got overwhelmed and spoiled by too many people, the hike to Hanging Lake is by reservation only. The bike trail is 'gone' in several places and still underwater in other areas. CDOT will accept bids from contractors with the aim of opening two lanes in each direction by Thanksgiving.ĬDOT also said the bike trail in Glenwood Canyon suffered extreme damage. Maroon Bells is open for reservations into the fall and Glenwood Springs has other hiking options as well.Ĭolorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) said repairs on Interstate 70 are ongoing and one traffic lane is open in each direction. Glenwood Springs officials are encouraging visitors to still visit the area even with Hanging Lake remaining closed. Officials said the fish in Hanging Lake are still alive and the water quality is improving. Proceeds from the reservations go to support Hanging Lake and the trail, so the mudslide's financial impact will be felt greatly.Īs for Hanging Lake itself, officials said the lake is in great shape and the boardwalk around the lake is a good condition as well. Hanging Lake officials expected an additional 20,000 reservations to be made this year. Customers can access their confirmation email and cancel their reservations for an immediate refund. Officials said the 15,000 reservations that have been made to hike Hanging Lake this year will be refunded. The hiking trail will need to be redesigned to meet the 'new landscape' created by the mudslides. The cost to reconstruct the trail to Hanging Lake will be significant, officials said. 'The Hanging Lake Trail is not safe and impassable in some areas,' added Fitzwilliams. 'The debris flows we saw in July are probably not the last we will see, so there could be additional damage in the weeks and months ahead,' said White River National Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams. The site is also difficult to access with no road access, so getting equipment to the trail will call for planning and analysis, forest officials said. Large, loose debris flows will make repairs difficult and dangerous for workers. In many places the trail has been completely washed away.įorest officials emphasized the repairs will not be a minor re-route, but a complete rebuild with complete reconstruction needed. While the trail had seven bridges, many were washed out from mudslide debris flows from high above the trail. Officials said Wednesday the hiking trail up to Hanging Lake has extreme damage and will need to be rebuilt. Hanging Lake was closed following multiple mudslides that also closed Interstate 70 for two weeks. Located in Glenwood Canyon at the site of last summer's Grizzly Creek Fire, Hanging Lake is one of Colorado's most popular tourist destinations. Officials announced on Wednesday that Hanging Lake will remain closed for the foreseeable future and at least into 2022.

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