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Photo TR: To the top of Mt Evans


Canadmos

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After checking the weather for the Mt Evans area on Wednesday night, my girlfriend and I decided that Thursday morning would be perfect for a drive up the highest paved road in North America.

 

All I can say is WOW, what a spectacular drive! If you are ever in the area during the summer and have a few hours to kill and the road is open, do venture up it. The views, the scenery and everything you experience going up it is amazing.

 

There is really 2 parts to the drive, once inside the Mt Evans wilderness area. The first part begins at Echo Lake and continues up through the treeline and onto the tundra via a two lane (although narrow..) road. The first part of the drive ends at Summit Lake (12,830 feet). From Summit Lake you get a good view of Mt Evans' summit and Mt Spaulding. There is also a parking area here with trails.

 

To continue to the top, you pass through a gate and onto a narrower road with no lane markings. From here all the way to the top, it seemed like it was just switchback after switchback. You start to get a real sense of exactly how high you are in the sky. If you are nervous about heights in any shape or form, this will certainly be a white knuckled drive for you. Some parts of the road are right along drop offs that look like they go on forever.

 

After navigating the switchbacks, eventually we reached the top. There is a small parking lot and an over look area. Upon reaching the top, we were greeted by a family of Mountain Goats. If I remember correctly, we arrived at the top at around 8:08am.

 

Eh, enough with this typing stuff and onto the pictures...

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I bet that water is cold!

 

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the pictures

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A Bristle Cone Pine tree that is 1600+ years old. I was really looking forward to this area, but it was closed for restoration

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I hope my brakes still work

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Heading back towards the treeline

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Heading back down one of the hairpin turns

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This picture does not do this view justice, just over that snow pile is a straight drop to the floor below...

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They really are everywhere....

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Looking down at Summit Lake, 1434 feet below

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From the very top

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I did climb to the top, this is looking back down at the parking area

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Those rocks sure do look appetizing

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What a view...Road below is approaching Summit Lake

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To reach the very top, you have to actually climb the last 150' up that big rock mound

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At the top with some goats AWWWWWWWW

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Nice view looking South West..I think

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We saw a crapload of these Marmots along the road. At one point after rounding a blind corner, 15 or so of them all jumped across the road :|

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The road after Summit Lake heading towards the top

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Another view of Summit Lake, still frozen

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Looking toward the top of Mt Evans

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Summit Lake

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Looking out off the mountain with the road on the right

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HIIII JAMES!

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Hmmmm

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Do look down.

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omg whats this?!

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After turning onto Mt Evans byway, you are soon above the treeline

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Ah, here we are

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Echo Lake, without any echos

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Still climbing towards Echo Lake..

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Heading towards Echo Lake

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Just one more exit until the excitement begins..

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Uh oh, I seem to be suffering from tunnel vision...

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Being able to go 75mph without touching the gas pedal is awesome

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Must be nice living on that hill

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Looking west on i70

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yay, almost out of the stinking city

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Purchasing some liquid gold at 5:45am

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Destination

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Reminds me of my drive through of Rocky Mountain National Park last summer. Surprisingly cold up on top (then again, its coming from a silly Floridian that lives in a town thats only 20 feet above sea level!)

 

Did you drive up Pikes Peak too or no?

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Did you drive Trail Ridge Road in the park? That is on my list of things to do still.

 

We havn't driven the road up Pikes Peak yet, but we plan on it. The only thing I'm sort of concerned about with that drive is that it isn't totally paved. And I drive a Pontiac Grand Am.

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might be tough on the car?

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Ya, I also went up trail ridge road, but the hairpin turns aren't quite as bad as on Mt. Evan's. The drive is MUCH MUCH more scenic though. The lack of gaurdrails is also bad on Trail Ridge Road. Also, I personally think that the Winter Park side entrance of Trail Ridge Road is much prettier than the Estes Park side.

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^Actually, that last climb to the top wasn't that bad. Even with having to scramble over and up two snow patches, I never once had to stop and rest.

 

Here is a complete video of the drive to the summit that I found on youtube;

 

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WOW very beautiful

 

I would love to backpack up to that point or ride up on a enduro bike

looks like you had fun

-MB

 

Lots of people actually do ride their bikes to the very top. I know that some start at the school in Idaho Springs right off of i70 and others just start at Echo Lake. Either way, DAMN.

 

There is even a bike rack at the top.

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