Before you drive up to Mt. Evans make sure you check the National Forest Service website for any weather or road alerts

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/arp/specialplaces/?cid=fsm91_058388

Note: driving to the summit of a 14,000 ft mountain has its challenges.  The drive isn’t bad but the air this high is thinner and even during my visit I was experiencing some mild symptoms of high altitude sickness.  I was fine up until about 13,800 ft and then I started to get a little light headed and even a little nauseated.  Then once we got to the top I had to sit down for a bit until I got a little used to the altitude.  Then, once we started the very easy hike to the actual summit of Mount Evans I was experiencing the same symptoms and had to stop about every 50 ft to breathe in deep.  If you have any problems with high altitude then you should consider not doing this adventure.

There are multiple symptoms for high altitude sickness including dizziness, headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, and even vomiting.  Just be careful and don’t push yourself.  Some people feel altitude sickness at just 8000 ft!

Because it is one of the only mountains over 14,000 ft that you can drive to, Mount Evans is a very popular destination for people to visit.  The road leading up to the Mount Evans is incredibly beautiful and scenic and overs many overlooks to different sides of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests – you can even see into Denver and beyond on a clear day.

Once we paid the entrance fee we drove the long road through the national forest until the timberline.  The 14 mile road is truly winding and there were a few times my friend and I got a little sick.  We took those moments to get out at the next overlook and take pictures.

This road is very busy and if you are driving up on a weekend expect to see hundreds of cars and people.  We drove up during a weekday and we still saw hundreds of cars but we were told that weekends can be a nightmare.  If you want to miss the huge crowds come up in the morning during a weekday.

My friend and I visited during the summer and we saw elk in the lower elevations and once the we drove past the timberline we saw mountain goats and big horn sheep.  Some of the mountain goats were even relaxing at the summit!

The road is fairly narrow in parts but overall it isn’t too bad.  Once you reach the parking lot at the top it will probably be busy with tons of cars and people all over.  We almost didn’t find a parking spot but someone pulled out right when we were going to circle around again.   We parked and checked out the Crest House first.

The Crest House is the roofless building to the east of the parking lot.  You are free to explore it and it does provide some shelter from the wind too.

Here is what the signs say about the Crest House:

When construction between 1939 and 1941, the Crest House was the highest structure in the world, at 14,260 ft above sea level.  Designed to symbolize the night sky, it was built in the shape of a star with large windows overlooking Denver.  Interior lights had round gloves that resembled the moon.

On September 1, 1979, a propane explosion destroyed the Crest House and a piece of history was lost forever.  Amidst the rubble and twisted steel beams, the arches wall and star shaped platform remained intact.

In 1992, the Arapaho National Forest began to stabilize the remains and convert the Crest House into an observation platform.  Now, the “Castle in the Sky” is a place of contemplation for visitors to Mt. Evans.

We then hiked up to the actual summit of Mount Evans.  It’s only 2/3 mile round trip and the trail has very easy switchbacks to help get to the rocky summit.  By now, I was feeling light headed and even dizzy from the high altitude.  After hiking for 50-60 ft I would need to stop and rest before continuing another 50 ft.  Then once we got to the top I had to rest for a longer time.  After resting, I seemed to be fine but my symptoms didn’t fully go away until we drove back down to about 13,000 ft.  My friend said he was feeling the same dizziness but it gradually went away after resting for a while.

At the summit you can literally see for dozens of miles!  You can see Denver and beyond – Denver is about 40 miles straight to the east from Mount Evans.  You can also see Mount Bierstadt to the west and many other tall mountains.