Colorado Bucket List: Mount Evans

The technical Colorado Bucket List goal is “climb” any 14er, but unless I get back out there on foot, I’m going to let this count for now.

Mostly because, how could I not?!

I don’t really use the word epic seriously, but this was epic. My bestie was in town for a weekend get together and we were told the only 14er you can drive to the top of is Mt. Evans. So we decided to do just that the following day.

Driving out we grabbed some B-B-Q and sat in a lot of traffic on I-70, but it was so worth it. We started winding up the mountain from Idaho Springs and it was simply gorgeous up there (I seriously can’t wait to go back in the fall). We finally made it to the park ranger station to get our pass and headed up the steep and winding 14mi to the summit.

Along the way we saw bighorn just casually strolling along the road!

There was a little pull off area where we stopped to climb rocks and take pictures of the awesome views and our awesome selves. It was breathtaking.

Further up was a little lake and some gorgeous views. I made a mental note to also return to hike along the pathway near this spot. So unbelievable.

Then closer to the top we saw mountain goats! There were five of them stopping traffic on the side of the road. This one guy was just staring at all of us while munching some grass with a look of, “what’s the big deal guys?” Amazing.

At the top, WOW. Just wow.

The views were absolutely amazing and it was so quiet and peaceful, despite the mass of people all around us. We took pictures with the official sign, sat on the edge of the cliff, and just took it all in. Next time I’ll definitely bring a picnic to spend more time at the top.