When in Colorado, hike to Spouting Rock & Hanging Lake waterfalls then relax in natural hot springs all in one day!
While on a vacation with girlfriends in Vail, we decided to expand our exploring one day by heading to Glenwood Springs to hike to beautiful waterfalls and recover in hot springs! Glenwood Springs is only about an hour east of Vail and worth the roadtrip! One of my friends researched and found amazing reviews of Hanging Lake and discovered starting in 2019, a permit was now required to hike it and they instituted a shuttle bus to get to the start of the hike from May-October. Luckily, we were able to secure a permit ($12/person) for the hike the next day (I’ve heard this isn’t common to be that lucky to secure one for the next day so easily!). Tickets can be purchased here. Permits are now required to protect the ecosystem and control the amount of visitors.
It was June, so the temperatures were warm for the hike so we geared up appropriately, drove to where we would get on the shuttle and were taken to the start of the Hanging Lake trail! Below are photos from the very bottom on a paved path leading up to the trail.
The hike is only 1.2 miles to Hanging Lake and about 3 miles round trip if you take a little detour to Spouting Rock at the top (a MUST). In total, it is about a 1,000 foot elevation gain so you definitely get out of breath at times but I wouldn’t call it a ‘hard’ hike by any means. The views on the way up keep you entertained and there are many opportunities to stop for a break to enjoy the many mini waterfalls on the hike up! The terrain changed often on the hike up from dirt, rocks, wood bridges, etc! It was all so beautiful though.
To get to the top, it took us about 45 minutes total and that is with several breaks to stop and soak in the views…and of course, for pictures because it’s what I do (not sorry!). There are many little bridges that we crossed on the way up and as we ascended, we could see the top nearing making us excited for the falls we were about to see!
We FINALLY made it to the top, at a lookout point, and had to stop and enjoy the view for a few minutes, soaking in what we had just hiked to earn the view! This point of the trail was a one-way area so we had to wait for some hikers coming back down to get by until we could continue up.
Just when we were about to turn (right) to Hanging Lake, a passerby hiker told us to stay left and first head up to ‘Spouting Rock’ for an amazing site. We had no idea what this meant and couldn’t believe we almost missed doing so if not for that awesome hiker telling us this!! We met with several hikers later who were at Hanging Lake who had no clue about Spouting Rock and would have missed it if not for us passing the good word forward! Spouting Rock was just a quarter mile up from Hanging Lake and was a GIANT waterfall just spewing from the rocks above! Because we were there in June, the snow melt from the mountains was causing the water to gush powerfully! We spent almost 20 minutes at this waterfall before turning and heading the quarter mile back to Hanging Lake.
The photos below (and photos in general of Hanging Lake) just do not do it justice! The water is so incredibly clear and there are a series of waterfalls coming into the lake…as if it were…”hanging” (the name says it all). Nobody is allowed in the water as the oils and pollutants would harm the ecosystem. The water is a beautiful turquoise because of its minerals and there is a log that extends across most of the lake that has been there for years! There is a sign that says to ‘keep off it’ and PLEASE DO! Respect the lake, the ecosystem, and remember to leave no trace. At the waterfalls, we enjoyed snacks we brought on the hike and soaked in the views before beginning our descent down. (I couldn’t narrow my favorite photos down so you get the joy of seeing several!).
The hike back down took about a half hour to forty minutes as we had to move to the side as we crossed paths with hikers just on their way up for the day. As mentioned, round trip was 3 miles and with our breaks at the top, took us 2 hours and 20 minutes total,. At the bottom, we then waited for the shuttle back to our car where it started raining. We decided there was no better place to go than to sit in natural hot springs to relax after our hike and enjoy the rain before heading back to Vail. We went to Iron Mountain Hot Springs which had 16 small mineral hot springs that all had varying temperatures (99 degrees up to 108). The backdrop of the mountains wasn’t terrible either! It was a perfect way to recover after a long day!
We ate dinner at a cute little family-owned restaurant in Glenwood Springs before we leaving town. We drove back to our condo in Vail while reminiscing the beautiful views of Hanging Lake and all the adventures of the day!! I highly recommend this breathtaking hike when in Colorado!
Go explore, friends!
Miles to Go: Adventure Awaits 