Iconic Hanging Lake area may be burning in Colorado wildfire

The most recent mapping of the Grizzly Creek fire shows that the Hanging Lake area is threatened by the blaze and may already be burning.

Though it's difficult to tell from mapping alone, the active area of the blaze appears to overlap with Hanging Lake and part of the Hanging Lake trail. See an image of the wildfire's spread below, along with another image of where the trail is located.

There has been no official indication that Hanging Lake or the trail has been damaged. This is a developing story.

The Grizzly Creek fire that's burning in the area of Glenwood Springs continues to shut down a long stretch of I-70. The fire doubled in size on Thursday, increasing to 13,441 acres. with spread expected to continue. Read more here.

The Pine Gulch Fire has also grown significantly in the past 24 hours, becoming the 5th largest wildfire in Colorado history at more than 70,000 acres. Read more here.

Hanging Lake is one of Colorado's most well-known destinations, found off of an exit along I-70. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions were made on how many people can visit the fragile destination after more than 1,000 people were visiting daily during peak months.