Hanging Lake Trail and Pedestrian Bridge Redesign
Location: Glenwood Springs, CO
Budget: $4.9M
Size: 1.2 MI
Project Description
JVA provided civil and structural engineering services for the redesign of the Hanging Lake Trail in the White River National Forest. The 1.2-mile trail climbs approximately 1,000 feet from the Colorado River through the Deadhorse Creek drainage. Debris flows from the Grizzly Creek Fire burn scar damaged the trail, washed out bridges, downed trees, and deposited mud, boulders, and logs throughout the recreation area. JVA’s work focused on geohazard avoidance, trail realignments, stream crossings, and resilience to future floods and debris flows. Civil and structural design included realigned trail sections and replacement of six timber bridges along the trail. Because all materials had to be carried in by hand, the bridge design incorporated 2x members that could be field assembled. The design also worked around existing historic abutments, with new abutments constructed of local stacked stone.





