CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — The state of Colorado boasts more than 50 "14ers" — mountain peaks that tower 14,000 feet or more above sea level. Accessing most 14ers requires a lengthy and strenuous hike, but one — Mount Evans — has a paved road to within just over 100 feet of its lofty summit.
The Mount Evans Scenic Byway (Colorado Highways 103/5) is the highest paved passenger route in North America — including Alaska, Hawaii and California. It ends at 14,130 feet above sea level, or 20 feet higher than the much more famous and popular Pikes Peak Highway — still a gravel road in its upper reaches.
The Mount Evans road is suitable for passenger cars and climbs more than 7,000 feet in 28 miles. It offers easy access to Mount Evans, 14,264 feet above sea level and Colorado's 14th highest peak, about 30 air miles southwest of Denver.
The road ends at a parking lot, and from there it's a quarter-mile hike that climbs 134 feet to the rocky summit.
"At the summit you'll enjoy the big picture — the entire Front Range sprawls at your feet — but don't overlook the details," states the official Web site of Colorado's scenic and historic byways.
"This highest of Rocky Mountain Highs brings you to the rarefied world above timberline, a singular amalgam of hardy wildflowers, lichens and grasses, furry mammals, like pikas and marmots, rock-jumping mountain goats and alpine lakes. This is perhaps the best place in Colorado to catch a glimpse of the stately bighorn sheep," the byways site says.
Heather Lopez of the Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau of Clear Creek County said that many of the people who visit Mount Evans each year are Europeans.
"It's beautiful up there," she said.
Even if you travel just to the paved parking lot, you'll be treated to endless vistas of Colorado's high country — complete with markers to show you what you're seeing.
The state's highest restrooms are also here, as well as the ruins of the old Crest House gift shop/restaurant and the off-limits observatory. Its 11,000-pound telescope is the world's highest. It was built by the University of Denver in 1972 and has a 24-inch mirror.
The Crest House was opened in 1941 after two years of construction. It was gutted in 1979 by a propane fire and was not rebuilt.
If you do gulp in the thin air and reach the actual summit, you'll have a complete panorama, since the northern view won't be blocked by the peak. Summit Lake and many other northern sights will be visible. Even downtown Denver can be spotted on clear days.
An average of 473 vehicles a day have used the Mount Evans road so far this summer. That's up from the 418 vehicle average daily count during the summer of 2005. There is a $10 vehicle entrance fee charged to travel the upper 14 miles of the Mount Evans road above the Echo Lake junction.
However, there is another price for some — the steep, narrow road, though paved, has no guardrails. It may tax even the mildly acrophobic drivers and passengers. Some people have been known to park and walk the final four miles to the summit to avoid tense driving situations.
(Indeed, when I told a forest ranger in the Mount Evans parking lot that the $10 fee wasn't high enough, given the amusement park ride thrill of the cliffy drive up to the summit, he told me I ought to try driving the road in a snowstorm for an even greater fear factor.)
"The Mount Evans Road has many steep drop-offs, which add a sense of excitement to the trip," the Mount Evans Journal, a tourist publication, states.
"It's part of the thrill," Lopez said of driving the steep, hairpin turns without guardrails.
She said trailers, motor homes, buses and large vehicles are not recommended on the upper part of this road.
Dave Schuessler, a supervisor with the Colorado Department of Transportation, said there have been approximately a half dozen accidents on the Evans road in the past few years.
"There's relatively few accidents," he said. "But you can't afford to make a mistake on this road," because of its narrow width and no guardrails. Most of the accidents there are caused by people driving too fast or fooling around, he said.
Still, the white-knuckle driving is well worth the ordeal. Unlike touristy and crowded Pikes Peak, there's solitude and quiet to be found on Mount Evans.
The Mount Evans road begins south of the middle exit to Idaho Springs, off I-70. The road is forested for just over half its length, passing West Chicago campground and Echo Lake. After the ranger station, the road travels another several miles before it passes timberline at just below 12,000 feet in elevation.
From here the road is a wide open, highway in the sky — as spectacular as Glacier National Park's "Going-to-the-Sun" road, minus the glaciers. Summit Lake, at an elevation of 12,830 feet, sits below Mount Evans. From here it's up and around the bend in five more miles to the summit.
Summit Lake is where the road is gated and closed after Labor Day each year. The road is not snow-free until July 4th most years. This is also an area where the road's pavement suffers frequent frost damage, Schuessler said. The road was last paved two years ago and is in great shape now, except for that short segment near Summit Lake, he said.
The road near Summit Lake is where you'll have the best chance to spot bighorn sheep and the flora and fauna life zones are the same as you would find in the Arctic Circle.
About 1.5 miles by road below the Mount Evans summit, you'll pass a spot that has special meaning to Utahns. The road's elevation is 13,528 feet, the height of Utah's tallest point — Kings Peak — accessible by no less than a 30-mile round-trip hike.
Jackets are a welcome accessory on Mount Evans year-round and summer afternoon thunderstorms and clouds mean reaching the road's top by or before noon is also wisest. Temperatures of 50 degrees below zero and wind speeds approaching 200 mph have been recorded on its summit.
Visitors should be wary of the weather and seek shelter, avoiding open areas in lightning storms. The thin air may also produce mild altitude sickness in some visitors. Drinking liquids, avoiding alcohol and caffeine, and sometimes descending to a lower elevation are the best remedies.
Construction on a road to Mount Evans began in 1922 and was completed in 1930. The road was first paved in the early 1930s. The peak is named for John Evans, Colorado's second territorial governor.
A foot race and a separate bicycle race on the Mount Evans road to the summit are held each summer.
Lopez said people who try to climb all of Colorado's 14ers usually have to hike from at least Summit Lake to satisfy the spirit of such an outdoor endeavor.
The upper Mount Evans road is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. In 2006, the road opened a few days before Memorial Day, Schuessler said. One year it didn't open until June 23, because of heavy snowfall.
Plan about half a day for an unhurried trip to Mount Evans. Traffic is also lighter here on weekdays than on weekends or holidays.
— Colorado is truly a "Rocky Mountain High," with 14 paved roads that are higher in elevation than Utah's Bald Mountain Pass, an elevation of 10,715 feet along the U-150, Mirror Lake highway.
Even Colorado's I-70 tunnels are high — at more than 11,000 feet in elevation.
Colorado has at least 53 14,000-foot or higher summits (56 by some counts). California has 15 14ers and Washington State has the continental state's only other one — Mount Rainier.
The Mount Evans Highway begins about 475 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. To access the highway, take I-70 to Exit 240 in Idaho Springs (elevation 7,600 feet). Travel south and follow Highway 103 to Echo Lake. At Echo Lake is the Forest Service's check-in/fee station, which allows you access to the summit for $10 per vehicle.
Campgrounds and picnic areas are located at West Chicago and at Echo Lake. There is also a historic lodge at Echo Lake, now a tourist shop and restaurant. Summit Lake has a small picnic area.
Lodging is available in Idaho Springs or nearby Georgetown.
Other area attractions include seasonal skiing, a historical railroad in Georgetown, seven mine tours and historic districts, plus lots of river-rafting opportunities.
For more information, go online to www.coloradobyways.org or www.co.clear-creek.co.us or call the Clear Creek County Tourism Board at 303-567-4660.
Also, Tim Munyon offers a great photo essay of Mount Evans on his site at www.munyon.net/mtevans/index.html
Sources: Mount Evans Journal; Colorado Scenic Byways home page; Clear Creek County Tourism Board; "A Day on Mount Evans" booklet; the Colorado Department of Transportation
E-mail: lynn@desnews.com