This Turquoise Alpine Lake Appears to Defy Gravity on the Edge of a Colorado Cliff

Hanging Lake, Colorado

Hanging Lake looks like someone dropped a piece of the Caribbean into Colorado’s mountains. Just 10 miles from Glenwood Springs, this crystal-clear pool sits at the end of a steep mile-long hike, perched on the edge of a cliff where waterfalls spill over travertine beds.

You can look but you can’t touch, and even Hollywood can’t get past the strict rules that protect Hanging Lake.

The Log That Has Stayed Put for Half a Century

That log you see stretching across the water has stayed put for over 50 years, making it through floods and debris flows that should have washed it away. Ute legends say mountain spirits protect it.

Back in the 1970s, park rangers tried to remove it because they worried it would rot away, but they stopped when they found out it was partly turned to stone and stuck in the lake bottom.

The Caribbean-Level Waters

The striking blue-green color comes from tiny calcium carbonate particles floating in really clear water. It works kind of like how the sky gets its blue color.

The shade changes a bit with the seasons, looking more green in summer and more blue in winter. The water stays about 10 degrees colder than nearby lakes and streams no matter what time of year it is.

How Firefighters Saved Hanging Lake From a Wildfire

The Grizzly Creek Fire in 2020 burned right up to about 100 feet from the lake. A team of over 150 firefighters worked through the night to create a protective barrier that saved this special place.

While the lake made it through untouched, you can see areas just a short distance away that were completely burned.

The Hidden Cave Network Under the Surface

Under the lake, there’s a network of small caves and channels that scientists have only partly mapped out. These passages keep the water level steady and help filter it naturally.

Researchers recently found unusual bacteria in these caves that don’t exist anywhere else in Colorado. These tiny organisms thrive in the mineral-rich water where there’s very little oxygen.

The Mystery of Trout That Should Not Exist Here

The lake has a small group of native cutthroat trout that have been separated from other fish populations for more than 100 years. No one knows how they got there since they couldn’t have swum up the waterfall.

DNA tests show these fish are different from others in the region, suggesting they’ve been isolated even longer than written records show. Some scientists think early settlers might have put them there.

The Rainbow Light Show Only a Few People Ever See

On certain winter mornings when everything lines up just right, sunlight shines through ice crystals on Bridal Veil Falls and creates rainbow colors. Locals call this the “Hanging Lake Lights.”

It usually happens between 8:30 and 9:15 in the morning from late January to early February. Some photographers wait for weeks hoping to catch this rare display.

Pieces of History Hidden Along Your Hike

As you walk the trail, you’re passing bits of the original path from 1893, including hand-carved steps and old iron railings. People have found century-old pennies pushed into tree trunks along the way, left by visitors from long ago.

In 2018, researchers discovered a small collection of items from 1911, including a visitor journal, buried near one of the original rest spots on the trail.

Hollywood Gets Turned Away From Filming Here

The Forest Service keeps turning down requests from big movie studios that want to film at Hanging Lake. At least three major films have tried to recreate the lake on movie sets because they couldn’t shoot at the real thing.

A documentary team finally got limited permission in 2015, but only after agreeing to follow strict rules to protect the environment.

The Blue Dragonfly Tradition From Ute Tribes

There’s an old story that if you spot one of the rare blue dragonflies skimming across the water and make a wish without telling anyone, it will come true within a year. This tradition goes back to the early Ute people who lived in the area.

Park rangers say blue-spotted dragonflies do live there but only show up during certain weeks in mid-summer. Many visitors write down their wishes and leave them in special boxes at the start of the trail.

The Day Each Year When the Lake Changes Color

Once a year, usually in late May, the lake goes through about 24 hours where the water looks much darker before returning to its normal blue-green.

Scientists think this happens because of a specific type of algae bloom that only occurs in this ecosystem. This has been happening since at least the 1940s and lines up with when the snow melts in the area.

The Entire Lake Is Slowly Sliding Downhill

The whole lake formation is gradually sliding downhill at about one inch every 75 years. This happens because of ongoing mineral deposits and small shifts in the rock underneath.

Over centuries, this movement will change how the lake looks. Since 2019, scientists have installed laser equipment that can track these tiny changes down to the millimeter.

Winter Makes the Waterfall Disappear

During very cold winters, parts of Bridal Veil Falls that feed the lake can freeze so completely that the water stops flowing. This creates an illusion where the waterfall seems to vanish behind a curtain of ice. The longest time the falls “vanished” was for 11 days during the record cold of February 2011.

What You Need to Know Before Visiting in 2025

After years of repairs and improvements, Hanging Lake Trail reopens on July 1, 2025. The extensive reconstruction includes new bridges, stone steps, and a rebuilt trailhead area.

• Reservations cost $12 per person and give you three hours to enjoy the trail
• Book hourly slots from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Show up within 30 minutes of your reservation time or you might lose your spot

To get there, take Exit 125 on I-70. If you’re heading west, you’ll need to go to Exit 116 (Glenwood Springs) first and then turn around to go east.

Remember there are no bathrooms or water fountains on the trail, so go before you start and bring your own water. Pets aren’t allowed, and to protect this delicate environment, you can’t swim, touch the water, or stand on the logs.