evans

I've been trying to find anything I can on Mt. Evans and the Echo Lake Campground on-line. For locations as awesome as these sound, there's surprisingly little out there. I mean, this is a campsite at 10,600 feet, at the head of Mt. Evans Road, the highest paved road in the country. From the fee station at Echo Lake to the parking lot at the summit, you gain over 3500 feet in just under 15 miles. Another short hike the last 134 feet and you're at the top, 14,264 feet.

Mt. Evans is popular with hikers because you can drive as far as Summit Lake at 12,830 feet and have a reasonable scramble to the summit. It's an easy way to bag one of Colorado's fifty-four "14ers", summits at more than 14,000 feet. People run, bike, hike, and drive up Evans for the photo opportunitites and spectacular views. It's home to big horn sheep, mountain goats, marmots, and several other species of wildlife. You pass through alpine forests, past the tree line and bristlecone pines over 1600 years old.

I am hoping to get an early start up the mountain, stopping to take lots of pictures. After coasting back to the campground, if the weather is clear, I'll drive back up to get some more shots. (If you're on a bike, you don't want to stop too often on the climb up, and on the way down you don't want to give up the speed you paid for on the way up.) The rest of the day will be filled with hiking around Echo Lake, and maybe enjoying dinner at the lodge.