Motorcycle Road Trip to Mt. Evans Scenic Byway in Colorado

Ten o'clock in the morning is early for us to leave the house, but for this motorcycle road trip, it was necessary.

Mount Evans is known as the "road into the sky". At 14,264 feet you will definitely feel as though you are up in the sky. This mountain, like the other 53 Colorado 14ers, as they're called by the locals, creates its own weather. So we needed to be at the summit by noon or 1 p.m. - that's about when the weather starts to change from sunny to rain, snow, sleet . . . could be anything.

It was mid-July and already a hot day. Hmmm . . . should we wear our summer, mesh jackets or the cool weather, leather jackets that have some venting. It was a difficult decision because we were well aware that it could be 90 degrees in Colorado Springs or Denver and 40 degrees at the top of Mount Evans.

We chose the summer mesh jackets as we would be riding through this heat for about 2 hours - north on I-25 to Denver, then west on I-70 to Idaho Springs where we turned onto SR-103 (Exit 240). It is well marked, so you won't miss it. Travel south to Echo Lake. At Echo Lake is the Forest Service's check-in station. From here, follow SR-5 to the summit of Mt. Evans.

The first seven miles from Idaho Springs on SR-103 is surprisingly flat. Then there is a 5-9% grade to the check-in station. The last five miles have grades of 10-15% to top. For a motorcycle road trip, this is perfect - lots of nice curves, good road surface, and fairly steep grades.

Before reaching the summit, you will pass through three life zones, ancient trees, lakes and forests until you are above the timberline. Have your camera ready because you will almost assuredly see plenty of Mountain Goats and Bighorn Sheep as well as gorgeous views.

Just a tidbit of history: During the summers of 1941 and 1942, Denver Mountain Parks built the Crest House (also known as Summit House) at the top of Mount Evans. It quickly became a favorite destination of Coloradoans and tourists. With both a restaurant and a gift shop, visitors were able to enjoy excellent food and buy Mount Evans souvenirs while enjoying an excellent view of Denver and the eastern plains. Unfortunately, it burned on September 1, 1979 and was not rebuilt, but the rock foundation and wall remain as an observation platform and a windbreak for mountain travelers.

Which brings me to an important point. Since there is no shelter other than the restrooms and what is left of the foundation, be aware of the weather. As I mentioned above, try to be at the summit before noon or 1 p.m. As you can see from the photos, a storm was gathering while we were on top. Now rain is one thing, but lightening is quite another, especially if you're on a motorcycle road trip far from home. Colorado has more lightening strikes than any state in the U.S. Plan accordingly as you don't want to be one of the statistics of lightening strikes.

Return to Motorcycle Road Trips from Mt. Evans

Return to: Away From the Maddening Crowd - Home

Privacy Notice

Site Designed by: Jacee Designs - Web Site Designer