9. Mount Evans is the highest peak in a massif. Evans SWA is closed from January 1 through June 14. The closure is at the intersection with Naylor Lake Road. Turn right onto CO-5 S at Echo Lake. Great fairly easy 14Er, for a 14er. The hike up Bierstadt is fairly easy however the crossing of The Sawtooth will take you on a very intense class 3 scramble. Go on 14ers.com for better route description! The Tanglewood Trail begins in the southeast corner of the Wilderness and climbs north to a saddle on the boundary between the Pike and Arapaho National Forests. We weren't even able to get up to Summit Lake. I did my first 14er (Quandary) about three weeks ago, and then did my second (Bierstadt) about two weeks ago, so this was my third. The road is in bad repair.. full of deep crater pot holes and very very hilly.. BEWARE bikers there are NO GUARD RAILS to your left going up and your Right when you descend. There were a couple other areas that seemed a little dicey, more so that anything I saw on the other mountains. Track (10/10/20, 9:16:27AM) The Abyss Lake Trail is a popular hiking trail that ends at Abyss Lake. Make sure to take a water bottle as my CamelBak line froze so I had no water the whole way, and have a face shield and gloves for wind. Parked at Echo Lake campground and hiked the road up about 2.5 miles. Hikers must take Guanella Pass Road to reach this trailhead. A fee of $5 in cash or check is charged for day use to park at Summit Lake. Rosalie - East Ridge. Mount Evans is the highest peak in the Front Range Rocky Mountains of Colorado. “The road to the top of the 14,260-foot (4,346 km) peak of Mount Evans is the highest paved road in North America and is maintained and operated by Denver City Parks Department. That put my high point at around 11,264 feet. From an unnamed lake at timberline, the trail continues through the willows, then westerly across the tundra to the lake. Favorite 14er so far. We went up to summit lake and then hiked evans. May, 2002: Evans' north face seen from Summit Lake. Theres not many that come any easier than this one. Trail" This is a great beginners summit hike. Towering over the Denver skyline, Mt Evans is a very popular mountain for hikers and climbers due to being the closest 14er to Denver. The road to evans is closed. The elevation gain, together with the round trip distance of almost 17 miles makes this a strenuous day hike. Top is a bit of a scramble, but nothing too sketchy. Bierstadt and Mt. Restrooms at Summit Lake trailhead and at the peak of Mt. I started around 7 and am glad I did because I lost the trail a number of times in the daylight. By Kevin Hamm | khamm@denverpost.com | The Denver Post PUBLISHED: June 17, 2017 at 8:27 a.m. | UPDATED: July 11, 2019 at 5:22 p.m. Expect to encounter many other hikers on summer weekends. Being located just 60 miles from Denver, the mountain is a popular day-trip for visitors. Located near Idaho Springs within the Mount Evans Wilderness, the Chicago Lakes are considered to be some of the clearest and most beautiful in all of Colorado. As of today, 10/15, Mount Evan's road was closed at the turn after Echo Lake. super fun trail though! The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. DIFFICULT 11.5 mi. Evans/Chicago Creek Rd in Idaho Springs. Arrived at 6:30 to Summit Lake parking lot. HOWEVER, this is adding some weird way down - as far as I know this is a winter route (ski?). Trip around to Spalding was pretty neat ...felt more dangerous / exciting! Pennsylvania Mtn. The temporarily closed highway, the Mount Evans Scenic Byway, is the only road that bisects the 74,400 acre Mount Evans Wilderness Area, designated as federal wilderness in 1980. Brutal wind for most of it but if your dressed for it it’s doable. Trail # Trail Name: Length (Miles) Topographic Quad Maps: 604: Meridian: 3.0: Harris Park: 603: Rosalie: 12.2: Mt. Just stay right on all the rock edges until the summit is readily apparent. To take this route park at the designated parking lot with restrooms then go right. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from June until September. I was a bit surprised at the end (a little over a half mile from parking lot- the early part of hike if done counter-clockwise) that it seemed that, for example, the cairns led right up to a cliff edge. Mount Evans Weather (Days 0-3): The weather forecast for Mount Evans is: Mostly dryTemperatures will be well below freezing (max -8°C on Mon afternoon, min -18°C on Sat morning)Winds decreasing (near gales from the WNW on Sat afternoon, light winds from the W by Mon night). On crossing the creek, it climbs through the 485 acre Beartracks Fire (1998). The road is out to the parking lot at the very to, at the man made view site. from there the trail climbs more steeply into the upper part of the valley. tombogard 1 month, 1 week ago . If you stay right you will eventually be able to see the view site (which I personally think is a buzz kill) and then the summit will be readily apparent with an obvious trail up! View from summit spectacular, and weather as clear and could be. Why you should go: Explore pristine alpine lakes and ascend one of the most prominent 14’er peaks in Colorado. Rosalie to Epaulet. Pay attention to signs as you need to branch right off the trail about 2 miles in. Continue 9.0 mi to the Summit Lake parking lot. Hopefully it's not closed for the season! While the drive is only 28 miles long, it is well worth the time you spend traveling this route. maverick_manley. Rosalie Peak: 4,280 verticle feet, 10 miles (round trip) all in a time crunch. The only way down was a place I had to jump down about four feet to a rock ledge that extended about ten inches out from the mountain ledge I was standing on. Trip Advisor rates Mount Evans #2 of 146 Denver Attractions.” (Couture Colorado) Public access is prohibited from the day after Labor Day to June 14 the following year, except for hunting permit holders during the regular deer and elk rifle season. Elevation is over 14,000 feet.. More Information: AllTrails. I prefer to go the long way up then take the steeper shorter track down, but others to it the opposite to save their knees. Dogs are also able to use this trail. We pushed ahead and got a little off track on the rock scramble, but eventually found the cairns and found our way. At any rate, the experience overall was quite wonderful! My 3rd 14er and my favorite so far. 2: N39 36.101 W105 38.544 — .2 miles : Chicago Lakes - Mt Evans Trail split : 3: N39 36.054 W105 38.801 — .5 miles : Steep, steady climb out of Summit Lake cirque : 4: N39 36.059 W105 39.215 — 1.0 miles : Crest over basin and moderate in open tundra : 5: N39 35.797 W105 39.453 — 1.5 miles : Low point on saddle; begin steep climb Take exit 240 from I-70 W. Follow CO-103 S 13 mi. Starts and ends at Summit Lake. The trail is still open, but you must factor in the extra distance along the road. The trail is still open, but you must factor in the extra distance along the road. Nothing too difficult. For more information, please see https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/arp/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD746971, #9 - Mount Bierstadt, The Sawtooth, and Mount Evans Loop. Note: When snow is present, be cautious of avalanche danger. The trail itself is a fairly easy class 2 - the way is fairly obvious and use of hands is minimal. The trailhead is just past or right before the campground as is the TH for Abyss lake. Hiking Project is built by hikers like you. Drive paving closed from echo lake to summit. Please note that this road closes 1.5 miles (one-way) short of this trailhead in the winter. You can access 18 super-dated pages of trail maps within Mount Evans Wilderness from the forest department website or visit the Mount Evans Wilderness AllTrails page to get more info on hiking and camping within the area. Mount Evans Summit Trail Via Mount Evans Road, Mount Bierstadt, The Sawtooth, and Mount Evans Loop, Mount Bierstadt and Mount Evans from Guanella Pass Rd, Abyss Lake via Guanella Pass & Rosalie Trail, Tour de Abyss Loop- Mount Evans, Bierstadt East Ridge, to Sawtooth, Summit Lake to Upper Chicago Lake via Chicago Lakes Trail, Mount Bierstadt East Ridge, Abyss Lake and Abyss Trail Loop, Mount Spaulding and Mount Evans via Summit Lake - Standard Route, Gray Wolf Mountain via South Chicago Creek, Mount Evans and Mount Spalding Loop Trail, https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/arp/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD746971. Welcoming Spring : Mount Evans Wilderness. Epic climb and run down!! During the summer, the summit is full of tourists who drive all the way to the summit. No rail guards and steep drop offs. beautiful day and clear skies. Other times you will pay an additional $10 to enter the park. The views were incredible and the rock scramble ended up being a ton of fun once we knew we weren’t lost. Other times you will pay an additional $10 to enter the park. I highly recommend starting the trail earlier for a beautiful view of the sunrise. Otherwise the trip up was about what I expected, but also a little harder due to all the layers of clothes, as I felt a little less flexible. If you do the trail counter clockwise as I prefer the summit can be a bit tricky to find. saw mountain goat mom and baby up at the summit. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and bird watching and is best used from June until September. The first 2 miles are direct, and the final has rock blasted switchbacks to the top of the ridge. very windy and pretty cold. The Guanella Pass road in Grant, Colorado hugs the Wilderness on it’s Western border, giving a portal to another popular 14,000 foot mountain, Mount Bierstadt. The lake is nestled in a high glacial cirque between Mt. Stay on the trail to avoid trampling the vegetation. There are Fees required to enter the Mount Evans Recreational Area. In the process you will also traverse The Sawtooth that separates these two mountains. But the entire Mt. No mountain bikes are allowed in the wilderness area. A beautiful hike past numerous waterfalls, with an ending at a gorgeous alpine lake. I wasn't trying to do it fast, but I had to keep stopping due to very runny nose from cold air, and I found that wearing a face mask (needed because my face was going numb from the 22° cold and gusty winds) exacerbated the thin air- I could move faster when I pulled the mask up to breathe. Add a Report. Bierstadt. More Mount Evans Scenic Byway [CLOSED] is a 30.8 mile point-to-point trail located near Evergreen, Colorado that features a lake and is good for all skill levels. My camelback line froze so I was constantly trying to crunch the ice out of it. The Beartrack Lakes Trail begins within the Mt Evans State Wildlife Area. 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