Clear turquoise water fills the foreground, reflecting a mossy travertine rim and a small waterfall spilling over the ledge into the lake. Steep canyon walls and dense evergreens rise behind the shore under a bright morning sky.

Hanging Lake

Glenwood Springs, CO

A travertine-rimmed lake of impossibly clear turquoise water perched on a cliff ledge in Glenwood Canyon, fed by waterfalls that spill over moss and fallen logs. A short but steep trail climbs 1,000 feet from the canyon floor to a boardwalk along the shore. Spouting Rock, a waterfall bursting straight from the cliff face, sits a few minutes above the lake.

Photography Guide

Best Time: morning
Crowds: Busy
Shot Types: widelong exposuredetail
Best Seasons: springsummerfall

Practical Tips

A timed-entry permit is required year-round and sells out weeks ahead in summer. Morning light filters through the trees onto the water before the cliff shades the lake in the afternoon. Stay on the boardwalk; wading, swimming, and stepping on the fallen log are prohibited to protect the travertine.

Is it a good day to go?

7-day outlook

Mild, dry days with light winds are the most comfortable for a visit.

Forecast by Open-Meteo. Verdicts weigh the forecast against the conditions that suit this spot.

Author's Comments

The permit system changed this place, and I think for the better. When I first climbed to Hanging Lake years ago, the trail was a scrum and the boardwalk was a queue. Now you book your window weeks in advance, and the crowd at the top is a manageable thing, and the lake has a chance to be what it is again. What it is, is difficult to describe without sounding like I am exaggerating. A shelf of turquoise water clinging to the side of a canyon a thousand feet above the Colorado River, fed by waterfalls that spill over moss and logs into a basin so clear you can count the branches on the drowned trees below the surface. The travertine rim holds the whole thing in place like something engineered, though of course it is only water and mineral and time. Morning is the only answer. The lake sits in a fold of the cliff that goes into shadow by early afternoon, and the magic hour here is the window when filtered light comes through the trees on the far side and lands on the water without hitting it directly. That soft illumination is what makes the turquoise read as turquoise and not as gray-green. A polarizer helps. A tripod helps more, because the boardwalk is the only place you are allowed to stand and the compositions from that fixed vantage want a long exposure to smooth the falls. Then walk the extra few minutes up to Spouting Rock, where a waterfall shoots straight out of the cliff face like the mountain has sprung a leak. It is a stranger, wilder image than the lake below, and almost everyone photographs it as an afterthought. Give it its own time.

Gallery

Clear turquoise water fills a travertine-edged pool below a mossy waterfall, with bright green algae and reeds in the foreground. Steep canyon walls and tall conifers frame the lake under soft morning light, with a few people visible near the far shore. Photo: Sayamindu Dasgupta from Cambridge, MA, United States / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0

Snow blankets the travertine ledges and evergreen forest around Hanging Lake, where a small waterfall hangs in icy curtains into the partially frozen, mirrorlike pool. Bright winter sunlight and a deep blue sky reflect in the open water below the cliff face. Photo: Kenhara / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

A clear turquoise lake sits below mossy travertine ledges, where thin waterfalls spill into the water beneath a steep canyon wall lined with evergreen trees. In the foreground, bright green marsh grasses and floating algae frame the still surface and its soft reflections. Photo: Sayamindu Dasgupta from Cambridge, MA, United States / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0

Clear turquoise water fills a travertine-lined pool, with bright green algae and submerged stones visible in the shallow foreground. Small waterfalls drip over mossy ledges at the far side, backed by steep canyon walls and dense evergreen trees. Photo: Sayamindu Dasgupta from Cambridge, MA, United States / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0

Two waterfalls spill over a mossy rock ledge into a vivid turquoise pool, with their white curtains reflected in the still water. Evergreen trees and pale limestone frame the scene, and a fallen log crosses the foreground. Photo: Joshuahicks (talk · contribs) / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

An orange hanging bridge stretches diagonally across calm green-blue lake water, with people walking along the span and clustered at both ends. Forested hills frame the scene, while several small boats and larger tour boats sit moored near the shoreline in bright daylight. Photo: Shakhawat Hossen Shafat / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

A small turquoise lake sits far below in a steep canyon, framed by tan cliffs and dense dark evergreens. The morning light washes the rock walls pale, while the water’s bright color and the narrow trail-like ledge emphasize the lake’s tucked-away perch. Photo: White River National Forest U.S. Forest Service / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Snow blankets the travertine ledge and frozen waterfall curtains at Hanging Lake, with dark turquoise water open in the center of the frame. Bare trees and evergreens line the snowy shoreline, creating a cold winter scene in the canyon. Photo: Annie Guo / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

A hazy morning view looks down into Hanging Lake, where a small turquoise pool sits in a steep canyon, ringed by pale travertine and dense evergreen forest. The boardwalk traces the shore in a sharp zigzag, and the soft light gives the cliffs and water a muted, misty glow. Photo: White River National Forest U.S. Forest Service / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Nearby Places

The weathered wooden Crystal Mill sits perched on a steep rock outcrop above the Crystal River, with water rushing past the base and under a cool, green pool. Bare aspens and evergreens frame the scene, with hints of late-fall color on the hillsides behind it.

Hidden Gems

Marble, CO

Crystal Mill

An 1893 wooden powerhouse balanced on a rock outcrop above the Crystal River, one of the most photographed historic structures in Colorado. The mill sits at the end of a rough four-wheel-drive road from the marble-quarry town of Marble, with aspen slopes rising behind it. In late September the surrounding hillsides turn gold and the river runs low and clear.

morningsummer · fall

Two jagged Maroon Bells peaks rise above a dense foreground of dark evergreen trees, with streaks of lingering snow tucked into the rocky faces. Soft blue sky and a few clouds give the scene a clear, high-alpine feel.

Alpine Lakes

Aspen, CO

Maroon Bells

Twin 14,000-foot peaks reflected in Maroon Lake, widely considered the most photographed location in Colorado. The distinctive maroon-colored Elk Range peaks create a striking composition against alpine meadows and aspen forests. The area is a designated wilderness within White River National Forest.

golden hoursummer · fall

Snow-covered ski runs spread across Aspen Mountain, with dark evergreen trees tracing the ridgelines beneath a clear blue sky. The broad slope fills the frame in strong daylight, and a small building peeks in at the lower left edge.

Overlooks

Aspen, CO

Wheeler Trail to Aspen Mountain Summit

The Silver Queen Gondola provides access to the 11,212-foot summit of Aspen Mountain, where the Sundeck restaurant and panoramic viewing areas offer 360-degree views of the Elk Mountains, Maroon Bells, and the town of Aspen below. The summit can also be reached via the steep 3.5-mile Wheeler Trail from downtown Aspen. In summer, wildflower meadows line the upper mountain.

golden hoursummer · fall