Mount Blue Sky, renamed in 2023 from Mount Evans to reflect the Arapaho people's name for themselves and the sky above, sits at 14,268 feet in the Front Range just 33 miles west of Denver. Its proximity to the city makes it one of the most visited fourteeners in Colorado, and the Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway carries the distinction of the highest paved road in North America, winding to a parking lot just 200 vertical feet below the summit.
For hikers, the West Ridge route from Summit Lake is the standard approach: a 7-mile round trip with roughly 2,600 feet of gain, crossing 13er Mount Spalding before dropping to a saddle and following cairns to the top. Those wanting more mileage can start at Echo Lake for a 14-mile day, or approach via Guanella Pass on a Class 3 ridge connecting to neighboring Mount Bierstadt. The upper lot, reachable by road with a timed entry reservation in summer, puts the summit just a quarter-mile walk away.
Above treeline, rolling tundra hosts Rocky Mountain columbine, alpine sunflowers, and resident herds of mountain goats that wander the upper slopes year-round. Summit weather is reliably harsh: temperatures fall below freezing in any month, and afternoon thunderstorms build fast in summer. Starting well before noon is essential from late June through August.
