High-alpine summit accessible by the highest paved road in North America, featuring panoramic mountain views, alpine tundra, and opportunities for wildlife viewing.
General Information
Welcome station hours: 8:00am – 6:00pm
Road access available 24 hours with reservation once inside
Timed-entry reservation required (approx. $2 reservation fee)
Evergreen (25 mi)
Denver (60 mi)
How to Get There
From Idaho Springs (14 mi): Take CO-103 south from Exit 240 off I-70, continue to Echo Lake, then turn onto CO-5 and follow the road to the summit parking area.
Overview
Mount Blue Sky (formerly Mount Evans) is the highest peak in the Mount Evans Wilderness in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The prominent 14,271-foot (4,350 m) fourteener is located 13.4 miles (21.6 km) southwest by south (bearing 214°) of Idaho Springs in Clear Creek County, Colorado, on the drainage divide between Arapaho National Forest and Pike National Forest.
The peak is one of the characteristic Front Range peaks, dominating the western skyline of the Great Plains along with Pikes Peak, Longs Peak, and nearby Mount Bierstadt. Mount Blue Sky can be seen from over 100 miles (160 km) to the east, and many miles in other directions. Mount Blue Sky dominates the Denver metropolitan area skyline, rising over 9,000 feet (2,700 m) above the area. Mount Blue Sky can be seen from points south of Castle Rock, up to (65 miles (105 km) south) and as far north as Fort Collins (95 miles (153 km) north), and from areas near Limon (105 miles (169 km) east).
On September 15, 2023, the United States Board on Geographic Names officially changed the mountain's name to Mount Blue Sky.
Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway
The Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway consists of State Highway 103 from Idaho Springs, Colorado on I-70 about 13 miles (21 km) to Echo Lake, and Colorado 5 from Echo Lake 15 miles (24 km), ending at a parking area and turnaround just below the summit. The latter has long been the highest paved road in North America (5th highest in the world) and is only open in the summer.
The Guanella Pass Scenic Byway passes within 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Mount Blue Sky, linking Georgetown and I-70 with Grant and US 285, 22 miles (35 km) to the south.
A marked hiking trail roughly parallels the highway from Echo Lake to the summit, and a second marked trail links Guanella Pass to Mount Bierstadt. A difficult side route of the latter climbs to the northeastern peak of The Sawtooth, from which an easy ridge leads to the summit of Mount Blue Sky.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mount Blue Sky", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
Featured Trail
Jeff P from Berkeley, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
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North Mount Elbert Trail
10.4 miles roundtrip, 4,468 feet elevation gain
