Grizzly Creek Trail

Grizzly Creek is the Glenwood Canyon side canyon that needs no permit: a shaded trail up a creek through box elder and Douglas fir to beaver ponds and waterfalls, 3.5 miles each way, two exits east of Hanging Lake and a fraction as busy. Closed as of September 2026: the 2020 Grizzly Creek Fire started near the trailhead, the 2021 floods tore up the lower trail, and a Forest Service closure order issued in 2026 keeps the trail shut beyond the picnic tables 0.3 mile above the trailhead while bridges and tread are rebuilt. The description below is the trail as it was; check the White River National Forest alerts page before planning on it.

From the Grizzly Creek rest area, the trail follows the creek north into the side canyon, on a wide, rocky tread that stays close to the water. The canyon walls close in within the first mile, the fire scar is visible on the slopes above, and the creek runs over ledges and through beaver ponds.

The trail climbs gently and steadily, with a few short steeper pitches where it crosses side drainages and a couple of creek crossings on rocks. The grade steepens in the last mile as the canyon narrows toward the Grizzly Creek falls area, about 3.5 miles in at roughly 7,600 feet, the turnaround for the 7-mile day. The trail continues up the drainage toward the Flat Tops for a much longer trip. Return the same way. Until the closure order is lifted the walk ends at the picnic tables, 0.3 mile in; the neighboring Jess Weaver (No Name) trail is closed between its mileposts 2.8 and 3.5 under the same order.

Grizzly Creek is I-70 exit 121 in Glenwood Canyon, 5 miles east of Glenwood Springs, with a rest area on both sides of the interstate. Park at the rest area, which has toilets and water in season; the trail starts on the north side. There is no fee or permit. The rest area lot fills on summer weekends with rafters and Hanging Lake overflow, but it is large. I-70 through the canyon closes for rockfall and mudslides after heavy rain; check the state road site before a canyon trip in monsoon season.

Dogs are allowed on leash. The trail is gentle enough for kids on the lower 2 miles; the creek crossings and the distance are why the full 7 miles is listed as a trail for older ones. Poison ivy grows along the lower trail. Carry water; the creek is silty. The trail is shared with nobody on wheels. Glenwood Springs, 10 minutes west, has hot springs and every service, and the Glenwood hikes page has Hanging Lake and the Boy Scout Trail above town.