The Mount Evans (14,264 ft) located just 60 miles west of Denver is the highest paved road in North America.
It is one of the 54 "14ers" in Colorado (i.e. mountain peaks with summits higher than 14,000 feet above sea level) and the only 14er you can drive up to.
It is also the closest 14er to Denver.
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| Drive from Denver to Mount Evans |
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| Entrance to the park |
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| The view of the road from the Summit of Mount Evans |
The Summit of Mount Evans
Our first stop was the Summit of Mount Evans.
The Crest House, a former restaurant that was destroyed by fire in 1979 and located right next to the parking lot, was once the highest structure in the US. It was designed to resemble a star with giant windows overlooking the Denver area. Now, it has been converted into an look out.
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| Parking and Crest House Restaurant nearby |
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| Crest House |
The views from the top of the mountain are breathtaking, with alpine lakes and massive granite walls. You can also see most of the Continental Divide in Colorado.
Here are a few pictures as we made it to the top.
Summit Lake Park & Chicago Lakes Overlook Trail
On the way back from the Summit of Mount Evans, we stopped at the Summit Lake Park. It is located at the elevation of 12,830 feet which makes it the highest park in the Denver Mountain park system.
Both Summit Lake and Chicago Lake are considered Alpine lakes, high altitude lakes above the tree line. Alpine lakes are usually clearer than lakes at lower elevations due to the colder water which decreases the speed and amount of algae and moss growth in the water.
The environment at the park mirrors the arctic and plants presented here are usually found above the Arctic Circle.
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| Summit Lake |
Before you leave Summit Lake , make sure you take the short walk to the Chicago Lakes overlook.
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| Chicago lake overlook |
This area is one of the best places to see mountain goats and bighorn sheep. In fact, we saw about 5 goats during our visit there. They do not scare easily and it is easy to get close to them to take pictures.
The goats are actually not native to neither Mount Evans or Colorado. They were brought to Mount Evans in the 1950's and now there are an estimated 90-100 mountain goats roaming the mountain.
Lake Echo
We did not have a chance to visit the lake but here is the view of the lake from the top.
Things to consider:
Because of the snowing conditions, Mount Evans is open for visitors in the summer only.
Temperature drops approximately 5F every 1,000 feet of elevation and it is usually around 42F at the top of the road in the summer.
It costs $10 to get in the park.
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