PHOTOS: First look at Hanging Lake trail after severe mudslide damage

The Hanging Lake trail suffered significant damage from last year’s Grizzly Creek fire with blackened trees and fallen timber in many places, but it was open for hiking this summer until the torrential rains came in July. Those rains caused massive mudslides in Grizzly Creek wildfire burn scars. Now there are huge rock piles along the narrow canyon from debris flows that have diverted the creek in places. Forest Service officials conducted a media tour on Wednesday to inspect the damage.