Driving to Mt. Evans

by Ross
(Atlanta)

Colorado State Hwy 5 is the highest improved state highway in the country. It follows a route from near Interstate 70 to practically the top of Mount Evans, the nearest and most accessible of the "14ers" (mountains that are 14,000 feet or greater in height) to Denver and the Front Range.

Along the way the countryside changes from the typical Colorado pine forest at lower elevations, to a genuine sub-arctic tundra high above the tree line, with fragile lichens, moss, the occasional herd of mountain sheep, arctic pools, and magnificent vistas back toward Denver and the plains beyond.

The drive from Denver is about 30 miles and requires about an hour straight through, but I always like to stop in Idaho Springs for breakfast or lunch. Care is required on the winding road near the summit - Lincoln Lake lies several thousand feet below and there is no guardrail!

Go slow and enjoy the views. The actual summit is a gentle climb of a few hundred feet from the parking lot at the top. A grand panorama, stretching 200 miles from Pikes' Peak in the south to Longs' Peak in the north lies before you.

It is truly one of the most wonderful vistas available to the non-climber.