The Mount Evans Scenic Byway is a

National Forest Scenic Byway The National Forest Scenic Byways are roads that have been designated by the U.S. Forest Service as scenic byways. Many are also National Scenic Byways (NSB). The program was initiated in 1987. __TOC__ List The following roadways were listed by t ...

and Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway located in Clear Creek and Jefferson counties,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

, United States. The byway ascends to of elevation near the summit of Mount Evans, making it the highest paved road in North America (beating the Pikes Peak Highway by only .) The byway visits Echo Lake Park, the Mount Goliath Natural Area, the Dos Chappell Nature Center, and Summit Lake Park on its way to the summit. A fee is charged to travel State Highway 5 to the summit and vehicles over long are not allowed, although they are allowed on State Highway 103 which reaches its highest elevation of at Juniper Pass. The byway connects to the Lariat Loop Scenic and Historic Byway at Bergen Park.

Route

The byway begins at the Idaho Springs Visitor Center. Take Exit 241 off

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the co ...

for 1 mile. Stop at the Visitor Center for information, then continue on Miner Street to 13th Avenue which is State Highway 103 and continues on State Highway 5 through a corridor between the

Mount Evans Wilderness The Mount Evans Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area in Arapaho National Forest and Pike National Forest about west of Denver, Colorado. The wilderness area is named after Mount Evans. History The first efforts to protect the Mount Evans area i ...

where it ends near the summit of Mount Evans. The byway is in length and gains over of elevation. Achieving a final elevation of , this is the highest paved

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

in North America. The road was originally planned by the

Denver Mountain Parks The Denver Mountain Parks system contains more than of parklands in the mountains and foothills of Jefferson, Clear Creek, Douglas, and Grand counties in Colorado, west and south of Denver. Owned and maintained by the City and County of Denve ...

system to link Summit Lake Park and Echo Lake Park to their lower altitude parks in the foothills. As originally planned, the road ran from

Bergen Park Bergen Park is a park near Evergreen, Colorado. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. Bergen Park was established in 1859 when pioneer settler Thomas Cunningham Bergen built a log cabin on his land and named his property. See also ...

near

Evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

to Echo Lake, and then to the summit, while the road from Echo Lake down into Chicago Creek Canyon was a secondary branch. From the start, the road was planned in terms of the scenic vistas along the way. The route was set by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., and for a while, between 1915 and 1920, it was to be the primary access road for a proposed National Park comprising much of what is now the Mount Evans Wilderness Area. There is a park fee charged if using parking lots and facilities along the upper portion of the byway. Prior to 2012, the Forest Service was charging anyone entering the highway at the entrance to Highway 5. This portion of the byway is often narrow, with sudden dropoffs that have no guardrails. It is typically accessible from

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

weekend through Labor Day, although the amount of access and specific dates vary depending on the weather and road conditions. This route was designated a

on July 1, 1993 by the US Forest Service and has also been designated a

Colorado Scenic Byway Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

by the

Colorado Department of Transportation The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT, pronounced See Dot) is the principal department of the Colorado state government that administers state government transportation responsibilities in the state of Colorado. CDOT is responsible f ...

Gallery

Welcome sign, Mount Evans byway.jpg, Entrance sign explaining fees EvansByway.jpg, The Mount Evans Scenic Byway approaching the summit

Notes

References

External links

America's Scenic Byways: ColoradoColorado Department of Transportation

Colorado Scenic & Historic Byways Commission
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Colorado Scenic & Historic Byways

Colorado Travel MapColorado Tourism OfficeHistory ColoradoNational Forest Scenic Byways
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