Yesterday we journeyed to Mount Blue Sky west of Denver, where you can drive up to almost the top of the 14,258 ft mountain with the highest paved road in North America. You have wonderful views and can see downtown Denver from the top, along with lots of mountain goats and bighorn sheep, which like to lick vehicles for the salt, or perhaps thinking because they’re shiny there is salt. They also come far too close to humans from people feeding them, as we were swarmed by bighorn sheep driving down, but I never brought the car to a complete stop to keep them from licking like was happening to the vehicles in front of us. It was a very enjoyable trip, and you can pay for your visit and time window from recreation.gov, though you better hurry as they’re shutting the road down to repave around the Summit Lake area starting Sept 3rd until 2025.
The Scenic Byway to Mount Blue Sky climbs over 7,000 feet in its 28-mile length, reaching an altitude of 14,130′ feet. Idaho Springs serves as the starting point to the byway, which is the highest paved road in North America! This drive offers visitors scenic views of the Continental Divide, mountain goat and bighorn sheep herds, marmots, birds and apline wildflowers, and the Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Pine trees. The Mount Blue Sky Recreation Area offers easy access to Colorado’s inspiring high mountain environment. Take a short walk to the top of your first 14er! Overlook spectacular views of distant mountain peaks, alpine lakes and glacier valleys! Walk amongst the oldest living organisms on earth! A drive to the top of Mount Blue Sky will take your breath away, in more ways than one!
Formerly the mountain was named Mount Evans, but because the Indians weren’t moving to the reservation per President Lincoln’s policy, governor John Evans had dispatched the cavalry and the Sand Creek Massacre occurred, so regardless of the other positive things Gov. John Evans accomplished for Colorado in this time of woke, his name has been removed.
In 2019, Clear Creek County supported petitions by the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and the Wilderness Society to change the name of Mount Evans, which was named after John Evans, the territorial governor of Colorado who authorized the Sand Creek Massacre. After two nation-to-nation consultations, the Board on Geographic Names voted in September 2023 to change the name to Mount Blue Sky. The new name holds significance to the Arapaho who were known as the Blue Sky People and to the Cheyenne who have an annual renewal of life ceremony called Blue Sky. Following the name change of the mountain, the Colorado Department of Transportation changed the name of the state highway to the Mount Blue Sky Scenic and Historic Byway. As of this printing, legislation to change the name of the Mount Evans Wilderness area has been introduced.