GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. Summer reservations will become available soon for visitors to hike to Hanging Lake after the trail to the lake was improved last year. Reservations to visit Hanging Lake which was designated as a Natio nal Natural Landmark in 2011 will open on March 17 at 8 a.m., the City of Glenwood Springs said in a press release. Hanging Lake Trail is expected to reopen on July 1 after remaining closed all winter and spring. The 1.2-mile trail, which climbs about 1,200 feet to the lake, was made more sustainable and durable to water last year. That work began in May 2024 and resulted in the trail opening intermittently through the summer, with a full closure in the fall once the old bridges were removed, the city said. The work to complete reconstruction of the trail and its seven bridges will wrap up before the trail reopens to the public. However, construction at the main trailhead and Spouting Rock area will continue into the fall of 2025. To purchase a reservation permit, which is $12 per person, visit the City of Glenwood Springs' website here. These fees, per the city, cover "the reservation service, visitor information, trail supervisors, sanitization of touch-areas and restrooms, conservation and interpretation services" as well as "maintenance, additional staffing and communications."Learn more about the work that went into restoring the Hanging Lake Trail in our May 2024 report below. $4.5 million Hanging Lake project aims to preserve trail for the next 100 yearsThe crew behind this $4.5 million reconstruction project told Denver7 last May that they hope the work will protect the trail for the next 100 years. It's truly a one-of-a-kind gem that is treasured throughout the state, the nation, and internationally, as well," Leann Veldhuis, Eagle-Holy Cross District ranger, told us in May 2024. We have been on a journey with Hanging Lake over the past few years. Today marks what is hopefully the homestretch of our journey and highlights our story of conquering challenges through close partnerships.Explore photos from the project in the slideshow below.Some of the issues encountered at Hanging Lake that led to this project started with an exploding number of visitors, which was addressed through a reservation system in 2019.However, 2020 brought a whole new challenge. In August of that year, the Grizzly Creek Fire sparked near Hanging Lake, somehow sparing the lake but forcing a closure of the hiking trail. Watch Denver7's breaking news report on the Grizzly Creek Fire as it neared Hanging Lake in 2020. Grizzly Creek Fire grows to 14,663 acres as of Friday morningIt ended up burning more than 32,000 acres in Glenwood Canyon, and was likely caused by a chain dragging on the highway or a tossed cigarette butt, the City of Glenwood Springs said. The fire was fully contained on Dec. 18, 2020. The trail briefly reopened for a few months the following May.But it didn't last long. As a result of the fire, debris flows tore through the trail and its bridges in July 2021. It also temporarily turned the crystal clear water of Hanging Lake a murky brown. The trail was closed to the public. A temporary trail was completed and opened to the public in June 2022, but high runoff forced closures throughout the spring of 2023, which resulted in more flooding and debris flows. Crews knew they had to build a strong, permanent trail that could withstand the elements, which led to the $4.5 million project. During the construction in 2024, Colleen Pennington, Glenwood Canyon manager for the White River National Forest, asked visitors to stay patient.When they're able to come back and see the trail fully finished the way that we've imagined it with our partners, I think it's going to be worth the wait for them," Pennington said last May. Hear more from Colleen Pennington and other officials about the Hanging Lake Trail construction project during a press conference in May 2024. The latest on the Hanging Lake Trail constructionThe Hanging Lake Reconstruction Project is funded through Great Outdoors Colorado, Colorado Lottery, Colorado Parks and Wildlife State Trails Program, the National Forest Foundation, City of Glenwood Springs, and the USDA Forest Service. ...read more read less