CRMH Eagle
Well-known member
Mt. Evans
Fees: $3.00 per motorcycle. If you have a National Parks Annual Pass then no fee required. If you got your Nat'l Parks Pass last year and has a spot on the back for the Golden Eagle seal then you'll need the seal on the pass for free entrance. If you purchased the newer Nat'l Parks Annual Pass then you're good to go.
Access: The park is open 24 hrs this time of year.
Road: Paved from top to bottom. This is the highest road in North America.
Snow: I was there a few weeks ago and the road is clear to the top and there was some lingering white stuff at the top.
Parking: At the top the lot is small. At the last switchback into the paved lot, on the left, there is unpaved parking
Altitude & View: Mt Evans stands at 14,264 feet. The parking lot is at 14,130 feet. At the top is 360 degrees of pure beauty. From the top you can see Pike's Peak, Mosquito Pass, Long's Peak at Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park, Denver, the front range, etc. The hike from the lot to the top is about 20 mins depending if you are in shape or not. Watching sunset on top of Mt. Evans and the lingering twilight is INCREDIBLE!
Commute from Golden: To the top from Golden is 45mins to 1 hour depending upon traffic. Nearest gas stations to the park are Bergen Park (Evergreen) and Idaho Springs.
Traffic: It comes and goes in waves.
Weather: Be prepared for cold temps and/or windy conditions. Wear sunscreen: For each 1,000 feet gain in altitude the intensity of ultraviolet light increases by 10%.
Notes of Interest: a) Bring your camera. b.) Watch out for ground squirrels and marmots in the road. c) Bring a flexible plastic water bottle with you. At the take off the cap take off the cap... and empty out the water, then screw the lid on tight. When you're back in Golden look at the bottle and see how much the change in air pressure has had an affect on the bottle.
https://www.mountevans.com/Index.HTML
Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park
Fees: $10 per motorcycle. If you have the Nat'l Parks Annual Pass then no fee required.
Access: The park is open 24 hrs this time of year.
Road: Paved all the way through the park. The main road, Trail Ridge Road, disects the park from the entrances at Estes Park (eastern side) and Grand Lake (western side). This is the highest paved thru-road in N. America. (The highest non-paved thru-road in N. America is Mosquito Pass by Leadville, CO... but don't do it on the FJR.... gotta have high-clearance 4x4 vehicles.)
Snow: I was at RMNP a few weeks ago and there was some snow on some of the peaks in the park but the road is clear.
Parking: There are several visitor centers. The busiest one is the Alpine Visitor Ctr on Trail Ridge Road in the middle of the park - has a big parking but can be full on the weekends.
Altitude and View: Alpine Visitor Ctr is at 11,798 feet. Trail Ridge Rd's highest spot is at 12,183 feet. You'll cross the Continental Divide on Trail Ridge Rd as you travel to western entrance. Long's Peak is the most famous peak in the park at 14,255 feet and is best viewed from Bear Lake. Long's Peak is one of the state's favorite 14,000-foot climb. There are wonderful views in the park almost no matter where you go.
Commute from Golden: About 1.5 hrs give or take depending upon traffic. Nearest gas stations are Estes Park and Grand Lake which are right outside the park.
Traffic: On the weekends there can be a ton of traffic in the park. Best times to go are early morning or late afternoon. Traffic in Estes Park becomes congested on Saturdays.
Weather: Be prepared for cold temps and/or windy conditions. Wear sunscreen: For each 1,000 feet gain in altitude the intensity of ultraviolet light increases by 10%.
Notes of Interest: a) Bring your camera. b.) It is illegal to approach wildlife on foot. It is illegal to feed wildlife. Elk may seem tame but they have been known to charge those that walk up to them. c) The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park is where Stephen King was inspired to write The Shining. Estes Park has plenty of shops for tourists if that is your thing.
https://www.nps.gov/romo/
https://rockymountainnationalpark.com/
Between the two Mt. Evans requires much less time to experience than RMNP.
(Edit) The ash from the CA fires are affecting the view. So there will be a LOT OF HAZE in the air. I camped out at Argentine Pass last week at 10.5k feet and the next morning the haze was very noticeable.
(Edit) Tks 1FJR, forgot about the bumps at Summit Lake. As you near the top, on the right, is Summit Lake. Actually, it's the size of a pond. But you can't name it Summit Pond, now can you? That's so untouristy. There are major dips and rises there so slow it down.
Fees: $3.00 per motorcycle. If you have a National Parks Annual Pass then no fee required. If you got your Nat'l Parks Pass last year and has a spot on the back for the Golden Eagle seal then you'll need the seal on the pass for free entrance. If you purchased the newer Nat'l Parks Annual Pass then you're good to go.
Access: The park is open 24 hrs this time of year.
Road: Paved from top to bottom. This is the highest road in North America.
Snow: I was there a few weeks ago and the road is clear to the top and there was some lingering white stuff at the top.
Parking: At the top the lot is small. At the last switchback into the paved lot, on the left, there is unpaved parking
Altitude & View: Mt Evans stands at 14,264 feet. The parking lot is at 14,130 feet. At the top is 360 degrees of pure beauty. From the top you can see Pike's Peak, Mosquito Pass, Long's Peak at Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park, Denver, the front range, etc. The hike from the lot to the top is about 20 mins depending if you are in shape or not. Watching sunset on top of Mt. Evans and the lingering twilight is INCREDIBLE!
Commute from Golden: To the top from Golden is 45mins to 1 hour depending upon traffic. Nearest gas stations to the park are Bergen Park (Evergreen) and Idaho Springs.
Traffic: It comes and goes in waves.
Weather: Be prepared for cold temps and/or windy conditions. Wear sunscreen: For each 1,000 feet gain in altitude the intensity of ultraviolet light increases by 10%.
Notes of Interest: a) Bring your camera. b.) Watch out for ground squirrels and marmots in the road. c) Bring a flexible plastic water bottle with you. At the take off the cap take off the cap... and empty out the water, then screw the lid on tight. When you're back in Golden look at the bottle and see how much the change in air pressure has had an affect on the bottle.
https://www.mountevans.com/Index.HTML
Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park
Fees: $10 per motorcycle. If you have the Nat'l Parks Annual Pass then no fee required.
Access: The park is open 24 hrs this time of year.
Road: Paved all the way through the park. The main road, Trail Ridge Road, disects the park from the entrances at Estes Park (eastern side) and Grand Lake (western side). This is the highest paved thru-road in N. America. (The highest non-paved thru-road in N. America is Mosquito Pass by Leadville, CO... but don't do it on the FJR.... gotta have high-clearance 4x4 vehicles.)
Snow: I was at RMNP a few weeks ago and there was some snow on some of the peaks in the park but the road is clear.
Parking: There are several visitor centers. The busiest one is the Alpine Visitor Ctr on Trail Ridge Road in the middle of the park - has a big parking but can be full on the weekends.
Altitude and View: Alpine Visitor Ctr is at 11,798 feet. Trail Ridge Rd's highest spot is at 12,183 feet. You'll cross the Continental Divide on Trail Ridge Rd as you travel to western entrance. Long's Peak is the most famous peak in the park at 14,255 feet and is best viewed from Bear Lake. Long's Peak is one of the state's favorite 14,000-foot climb. There are wonderful views in the park almost no matter where you go.
Commute from Golden: About 1.5 hrs give or take depending upon traffic. Nearest gas stations are Estes Park and Grand Lake which are right outside the park.
Traffic: On the weekends there can be a ton of traffic in the park. Best times to go are early morning or late afternoon. Traffic in Estes Park becomes congested on Saturdays.
Weather: Be prepared for cold temps and/or windy conditions. Wear sunscreen: For each 1,000 feet gain in altitude the intensity of ultraviolet light increases by 10%.
Notes of Interest: a) Bring your camera. b.) It is illegal to approach wildlife on foot. It is illegal to feed wildlife. Elk may seem tame but they have been known to charge those that walk up to them. c) The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park is where Stephen King was inspired to write The Shining. Estes Park has plenty of shops for tourists if that is your thing.
https://www.nps.gov/romo/
https://rockymountainnationalpark.com/
Between the two Mt. Evans requires much less time to experience than RMNP.
(Edit) The ash from the CA fires are affecting the view. So there will be a LOT OF HAZE in the air. I camped out at Argentine Pass last week at 10.5k feet and the next morning the haze was very noticeable.
(Edit) Tks 1FJR, forgot about the bumps at Summit Lake. As you near the top, on the right, is Summit Lake. Actually, it's the size of a pond. But you can't name it Summit Pond, now can you? That's so untouristy. There are major dips and rises there so slow it down.
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And definitely your info is very helpful. Didn't see you post that earlier.
