Mount Evans Highway, America’s highest paved road, opens for the season Friday at noon just in time for the long Memorial Day weekend, the Colorado Department of Transportation announced today.
Tourists and residents will be able to enjoy one of Colorado’s famed Fourteeners through Labor Day, weather permitting.
The 14-mile road in Clear Creek County, 15 miles south of Idaho Springs, rises from 10,500 feet to 14,264 feet above sea level, traversing different weather conditions as the altitude rises.
The drive provides windshield views of mountain goat and bighorn sheep herds, wildflowers and isolated groves of gnarled bristlecone pines,
The rest center at the top offers inspiring panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains’ Front Range and the Continental Divide.
The trip can include stops at the Dos Chappell Nature Center, run by the Denver Botanic Gardens and the U.S. Forest Service, and Summit Lake Park, a haven for wildlife and alpine beauty.
to use the road, starting at $10 per vehicle and $3 for a bicycle, motorcycle or hike.
Mount Evans joins Colorado’s other for the tourist season. The roads usually close after Labor Day, once snow makes them a perilous drive.
The routes still periodically close during the summer because of passing weather. Visitors should before heading out.
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com
