Mount Evans a fit for almost anyone

Whether hiking or sightseeing, plenty to do on this 14er

Scot Kersgaard, Special To The News

Published May 29, 2004 at midnight

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Everybody loves to go to the mountains, or at least it seems that way on Friday evenings.

Next time you're slogging west with the rest of the crowds on Interstate 70, you might think about getting off the freeway sooner than normal.

Mount Evans is only an hour or so from central Denver, making it an easy day trip. Featuring the highest paved road in North America, Mount Evans is accessible to almost everyone. You can drive nearly to the top, with the parking lot a mere 134 feet below the 14,264-foot summit. So, even though you don't get to drive all the way to the top, you still get to climb a Fourteener.

If you can get up early enough, the best time to reach the summit is at sunrise. You can then take your time coming down the mountain, stopping to hike, fish, climb, and observe the wildlife, the most notable being the mountain goats and bighorn sheep.

Most people, though, won't get up that early until they've fallen in love with the mountain, so we'll start at the bottom and work our way up.

From Denver, you can exit Interstate 70 at either Evergreen or Idaho Springs. The road is better from Idaho Springs, and the time and distance are roughly equal. If you get off at Evergreen, take Highway 74 south to Bergen Park and then go west on Highway 103. From Idaho Springs, take exit 240 (the second of three Idaho Springs exits), take a left at the top of the off-ramp and you'll be on Highway 103.

A good first stop is the Forest Service office, which is on the right as soon as you cross the freeway. They have maps, advice and a great little book A Day on Mount Evans, which is $3 and well worth picking up unless you already are a veteran of many Mount Evans trips.

Proceed south on Highway 103. You can go straight to Echo Lake or stop at Ponder Point, at about the 10-mile marker, for a great view of the valley to the west of Mount Evans. Echo Lake, at 10,600 feet, is the turn-off for Mount Evans.

The lake also is part of Denver's Mountain Park system. You'll want to stop at the lake if only to visit Echo Lake Lodge, which opened in 1926 and still is in operation as a store and restaurant during the summer season.

The food is nothing special, but the room is a great example of National Park-type architecture of the era.

Hiking around Echo Lake or using one of the trailheads here is a mixed bag simply because it draws crowds.

Proceeding up the Mount Evans Highway (Highway 5) from here, though, requires a fee of $10 a vehicle and, even though you can drive to the top, the lack of oxygen at the summit might make hiking at or near the top difficult for some. Also keep in mind that even though the road up is paved, you will need a car with good brakes and one not prone to overheating. It might be wise to pack coolant or water for your car in any event.

If you hike from Echo Lake, you will not be alone. You will get great views and be able to hike as long as you want on any of the trails leaving from the lake and campground areas.

For tremendous views, head for Chicago Lakes, 4 miles up the trail. These glacier-carved lakes are worth the hike and worth dealing with crowds.

One option is continuing up Highway 5 at least to Summit Lake, which is a spectacular alpine lake that you can drive right to the edge of. You can hike around this lake for a view of Chicago Lakes. For a longer hike, take the Summit Lake Flats trail to the Resthouse Meadows area.

All told, the Mount Evans Wilderness Area is home to more than 75 miles of trails, most of which are interconnected.

Once you've made it this far, you need to go all the way. The road from here on up can be maddeningly crowded on summer weekends. It is narrow and crooked. Expect bicyclists and wildlife to complicate matters.

There often is not enough parking at the top, so some people inevitably are forced to drive around the loop and back down. If hiking at the top is important, head for the top early in the day or wait until evening.

Whether you stop on the way up or the way down, do not miss the Mount Goliath Natural Area, between Summit Lake and Echo Lake. This area is home to some of the oldest living things in the world, a stand of bristlecone pines more than 1,600 years old.

Despite their age, many of these trees are quite small and gnarled, the result of life in such a hostile environment.

If you want to avoid crowds altogether while still experiencing the wilderness, jump off of Highway 103 between the 6- and 7-mile markers and head up to the West Chicago Creek trailheads, for hiking into Hell's Hole and Gray Wolf Mountain.

Be prepared

Wherever you go on Mount Evans, be prepared for extreme weather.

• The sun will be hot.

• Afternoons might bring lightning and/or rain.

• Evenings will get cold, and it can snow at any time during the year.

• Bring extra clothes, drinking water, rain gear, binoculars and a camera.

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