The always-popular paved road to the top of Mount Blue Sky will reopen Memorial Day weekend after skipping a year for repairs, with the new twist that Denver Parks and Recreation will take over management of the welcome center for the fourteener west of Denver.
Reservations are required to access the summit and various hiking trails and natural areas beyond the welcome site, as has been the case since 2021. Fees are changing this summer, now set at $20 for an “all sights” pass for vehicles, $15 for motorcycles. Bikes and pedestrians willing to make the long uphill grind are free, Denver Parks and Rec spokesperson Stephanie Figueroa said.
The Mount Blue Sky (formerly Mount Evans) Recreation Area typically draws more than 100,000 visitors a year, their access eased by what has always been billed as the “highest paved road in America.” Attractions include top views from 14,265 feet, the Mount Goliath Natural Area, easy walks around Echo Lake, challenging hikes to Chicago Lakes or Lincoln Lake, and more.
Gates will open on the fee-access upper road on May 22, with reservations available beginning that day. The reservation system goes live in early to mid-May at recreation.gov, according to Denver.
Colorado’s Department of Transportation plows and repairs the high road, which closed Labor Day weekend in 2024 to allow for a year of work to correct “severe buckling and water drainage issues.”
The recreation area has a number of partners, with Denver’s Mountain Parks division owning Echo Lake Lodge and the Summit Lake Park, the Denver Mountain Parks Foundation pitching in, and U.S. Forest Service managing Arapaho Roosevelt National Forest areas as well as the welcome center.
Now Denver Parks will staff the welcome center and lead the overall cooperative management agreement.
Echo Lake Lodge in the past had a concessionaire operating a gift shop and diner, a family-run company that slung hamburgers, blueberry pie and postcards for 57 years. Denver ended that contract after the 2022 season, and has since been studying the best uses for the historic building.
Denver voters approved a $7 million investment to rehab Echo Lake Lodge as part of the recent Vibrant Denver Bond vote, Figueroa said Wednesday.
“We have completed concept designs and will engage an architectural firm with expertise in historic preservation to develop a full architectural design this year,” she said. “We anticipate that construction will fall within the 3-5 year period associated with the bond delivery timeline. Denver Mountain Parks also completed a significant construction project in 2025 to repair and improve the Echo Lake Lodge septic system in support of future design and updated use.”
Leadership on Mount Blue Sky has changed hands during a century of cooperation on the mountain, Forest supervisor Christopher Stubbs said.
“Now it’s Denver’s turn again. Recreation is something Denver Mountain Parks does really well, and we think visitors are going to be well-served by this strengthened partnership,” Stubbs said.