The best part about traveling in between the popular seasons is that you have a lot of attractions and trails to yourself! We stayed in Glenwood Springs, Colorado on our way from Boulder to Moab and heard that the Hanging Lakes Trail was a great gem. It is considered a National Natural Landmark. The trail is only 1.2 miles each way, but it is 1000 ft straight up through a canyon, so it is extremely steep and rocky! It is estimated to take about 2-4 hours depending on your hiking abilities and the weather. The parking at the trailhead is extremely limited so in the high season, they usually have shuttles from a bigger parking area. Since we were there in November, we were lucky to have practically the whole trail to ourselves! You must pay a trail fee of $10 per person – luckily there is wifi at the trailhead because the cell phone service was extremely poor. We logged onto their website and paid our trail fees and were on our way! P.S. – it’s also a good idea to stop in the bathroom before heading on your hike because you will be hiking for some time! 

We were hiking on a day that was chilly, but not terribly cold. Since there had been snowfall recently, the trail was pretty icy in some places. The hike gained a lot of elevation at some points and we didn’t have spikes or anything on our shoes, so we slipped around a lot. I’d say we only saw about 10 people on the whole trail. Some parts of the trail were covered with snow and ice, while other parts were bare. It was a moderate trail, but mostly because it was a lot of climbing up stair-like rocks. The whole trail was up, up, up for the most part which is why most people find it difficult. Technically, it was easy – as long as you don’t have a problem with a lot of stairs! We took some breaks to take in the views because there were parts where we walked along small streams which were very picturesque. There were lots of small bridges and benches throughout the hike too.

The beginning of the trail started off paved for just a few minutes. We were there at the perfect time because there were beautiful reflections in the lake right near the trailhead. After the paved portion next to the lake, it was mostly rocks and trees. As we got higher on the trail, we looked over the canyon and got to look out into the distance. We aren’t used to looking out and seeing a mix of canyon and forest, so it was a welcome view!

Once we got to Hanging Lake, it was a beautiful scene! They built railings around the edges of the lake which takes away from nature, but of course safety is the most important because it is a family friendly trail. The water was crystal clear and the water flowing down over the rocks was beautiful. We spent some time here just taking in the views (and eating a snack, a-duh)! It was perfect because we were the only ones there at the time.

After stopping at Hanging Lake for a while, we headed back down the trail. Right before you reach Hanging Lake, there is a split in the trail. The other side of the split goes to Sprouting Rock. We decided to go check it out and we were so grateful that we did! The trail to get there literally was two minutes further. Sprouting Rock is a giant waterfall that you can get right up close and personal with. We weren’t expecting it at all, which added to our excitement! We took in the views and then headed back down the trail. 

While we were heading down, we passed a Park Ranger who was hiking up to ensure everyone had their Trail Passes. We showed him ours and he told us it took him 30 minutes to hike up (it took us a lot longer than that!), but then we remembered that he does this multiple times a day and had spikes on his shoes, so we felt a little better, hahah. 

We had gravity on our side on the hike down, but we also still had a lot of ice! We headed carefully down, staying on our feet the whole time (okay, maybe I slipped a few times but never went down, haha). We enjoyed the views descending the trail just as much as we did ascending it.

Once we got back to the trailhead, there was a family with a baby and toddler ready to hike up – I give them a lot of credit! Overall we really enjoyed the hike and it had a great reward at the top. If it wasn’t as icy, it would have been a lot easier, but for someone who is active, I would say this trail isn’t a problem at all! Even for someone who is less active – just remember that slow and steady wins the race! In total, it took us a little less than three hours since it was so slippery. We enjoyed the hike, and it was a perfect hike to take on the way to Moab, Utah!