From Bergen Park: Take Squaw Pass Road/Highway 103 west and travel to Echo Lake. After mulling that revelation over a bit in my head, forceful, swirling snowflakes returned me to a more pressing matter. . A climb like Evans, which reaches such a special altitude, allows for a unique experience in terms of what you see. Evans’ higher elevation made it attractive, because of heavy winter snows it was accessible only during the summer, whereas Echo Lake was accessible year-round. Summit Lake is 9 miles from Echo Lake and is located at 12,840 feet in the shadow of the mountain’s spectacular upper cliffs. Gorka Izagirre Triumphant at Rain-Soaked Grande Trittico Lombardo, Seven Things We Like (The Ardèche Version), Our Favorite Parts of Riding with the MP1 Nfinity, Five of Our Favorite Things About the Cannondale Synapse NEO 1, Chapter 4: Discovering Beaujolais—Beaujeu to Cluny. There’s nothing quite like feeling your head try to rotate a full 360 degrees to try to take in the panorama. Evans and the route involves an elevation gain of 6,724 feet. For a different view of the climb—plus a longer one with more vertical meters of climbing—you can toe the start line in Bergen Park and bag two extra passes along the way: Squaw and Juniper. A few years back, my father and I did a late evening ride up Evans and found a small herd of mountain goats lounging in the middle of the road. The race began in 1962 and has been run every year since, save for three missing editions, two of which were cancelled due to snow (in July!) Spalding Route. Of course you do. You can park near the lake (by the picnic area) or drive up to the Echo Lake Lodge and park in one of the parking lots near the entrance to the Mt. Many will say that it’s best to be off the mountain by noon because of the afternoon thunderstorms. 9.2 miles gaining 2,246’ to 12,870’ at 4.4% average grade. It then travels 14 miles to the top. Evans road (Colorado 5) to the Summit Lake parking area. The fun starts with a right on Witter Gulch Road. My personal favorite starts in Evergreen, ventures only slightly in the upward direction on the winding, wooded, and babbling brooked Bear Creek Road. Evans - West Ridge via Mt. June 2012 Bike to Work Fire from Highway Click it or Ticket Day and Night I-70 Twin Tunnels Colorado Scenic Byway USA Pro Cycle Challenge Fall Colors near Indian Peaks Mt. This route has a great trail all the way to Summit Lake and is considered the standard way to climb Evans from a lower trailhead. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I agree, those things are nasty, but if you wait long enough, you can get up there post-storm and get a rare opportunity to explore the nether regions of close-to-space altitude with nary a car, the ability to enjoy peaceful pockets of completely undisturbed flora and fauna, the quiet after the cars and tourists have disappeared, and a sky like no other. The first time I rode up to the exposed parking lot of Mount Evans, I was a freshman in college and had just started riding bikes. The route goes to the Chicago Lakes Overlook, then up Mount Spalding’s low … Gloriously fat, sprinting, chirping marmots have kept me entertained for far too many hours on my rides up Mount Evans, while the smaller, more seldom seen pika is always a prize to merely lay eyes on. If you don't have much high-elevation, winter climbing experience, be careful in your planning and take a partner. The Mount Evans hill climb is a Colorado classic that every cyclist must check off the list. Don’t even ask about that sprint to the parking lot at two and three quarter miles into the sky. At 15.5 miles in, you’ll arrive at the intersection of the two main approaches from Echo Lake. Fortunately, for once, cars and bikes coexist rather seamlessly in the upper elevations despite the narrow, barrier-less road and the yawning depths that beckon if you ever go a bit wayward at the wheel, er, handlebars. Denver was not to be overshadowed by its southern neighbor. The sky is that little bit bluer, the clouds that little bit closer, the expanse of view that much bigger. That was the day I was informed, while huddling behind the ruins of the old gift shop and restaurant at the top of Mount Evans, that the final few miles that feel like the Monte Zoncolan, in fact average a whopping 5%. From the Summit Lake parking area, walk north past an old rock building to locate the start of a trail that heads toward the north end of the lake - 1 and 2. Original plan was to ride my bike to the Mount Evans together a route + GPX file to climb.... Of, it ’ s a shame that the word has been so debilitated through use and of! 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