Mount Evans Byway Colorado

[Zone Read 299]

Wife (no pics) and I are going to Denver later this month.  Bought a ticket in conjunction with my National Park annual pass to do the Mount Evans Bypass.  It's the highest paved road in the Northern Hemisphere at over 14,000 feet. Another legal way to get high in Colorado.  Wife is a little nervous about the drive, lots of switchbacks and curves on a road that  has no guardrails and narrow (originally built for Model Ts). Is it that bad? I drove Haleakala in Maui, is that on par with this drive?  Should both of us take a shit-ton of CBD before we attempt this?  Any other suggestions of things to do in Denver when we aren't risking our lives driving Mount Evans?  

[topochico 1049]

We did the drive in a 4dr Wrangler. No issues. The drive is gorgeous. There are lots of places to pull off and stop for photos. No guard rails, but it’s wide enough and not scary. Everyone is going slow and sightseeing. 
 

Denver Biscuit Company/Fat Sully’s pizza in s pretty solid on the food front. 

[dmtx 159]

go early. it gets crowded at the top. easy to drive. we once parked at summit lake and made the hike to the peak.

[Guest]

Just did Bertaud Pass at11k feet yesterday. The snow everywhere is so cool in June.  The views are spectacular.

In the area, we saw moose, bighorn sheep(about 5’ from the car LOL,) mountain goats, marmots, lots of falcons/ hawks, shit-ton of elk.

Not sure if the mountains or the wildlife itself impressed me more.

[Chewbacca 7807]

13 minutes ago, slorch said:

Just did Bertaud Pass at11k feet yesterday. The snow everywhere is so cool in June.  The views are spectacular.

In the area, we saw moose, bighorn sheep(about 5’ from the car LOL,) mountain goats, marmots, lots of falcons/ hawks, shit-ton of elk.

Not sure if the mountains or the wildlife itself impressed me more.

You mean Berthoud?

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

You mean Berthoud?

Yep

 

[Chewbacca 7807]

5 minutes ago, slorch said:

Yep

 

You saw bighorn sheep, mountain goats and lots of elk on Berthoud?  

[Guest]

On the drive up and through, yes.  The sheep were chilling on the side of the road, without a fuck to give.  Wife says, “ Stop and get a picture, they are so awesome.”  I just replied, ‘ Just in case they flock to white cars like love bugs do, let’s not…’  Saw mountain goats on the southern side of the pass too.

The moose were actually up at Grand Lake area.

[Js1 85926]

5 hours ago, topochico said:

We did the drive in a 4dr Wrangler. No issues. The drive is gorgeous. There are lots of places to pull off and stop for photos. No guard rails, but it’s wide enough and not scary. Everyone is going slow and sightseeing. 
 

Denver Biscuit Company/Fat Sully’s pizza in s pretty solid on the food front. 

+1 for Fat Sully’s

[Chewbacca 7807]

1 minute ago, slorch said:

On the drive up and through, yes.  The sheep were chilling on the side of the road, without a fuck to give.  Wife says, “ Stop and get a picture, they are so awesome.”  I just replied, ‘ Just in case they flock to white cars like love bugs do, let’s not…’  Saw mountain goats on the southern side of the pass too.

The moose were actually up at Grand Lake area.

I'm guessing the elk were up by Grand Lake, too.  I've never seen an elk out our direction.  We do get moose.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

I'm guessing the elk were up by Grand Lake, too.  I've never seen an elk out our direction.  We do get moose.

Oh and thank you for calling in the beautiful weather.

Low 40’s in the morning and high 50’s in the afternoon.  The afternoon rain showers were just beautiful with the way they hug the mountain peaks.  I just sat there for hours watching the clouds roll around while we were killing some brews and whiskey.

[Chewbacca 7807]

2 minutes ago, slorch said:

Oh and thank you for calling in the beautiful weather.

Low 40’s in the morning and high 50’s in the afternoon.  The afternoon rain showers were just beautiful with the way they hug the mountain peaks.  I just sat there for hours watching the clouds roll around while we were killing some brews and whiskey.

I'm heading back up tomorrow afternoon.  Glad to hear weather was good this week.  It sucked last weekend.

Sleeping with the window open in the summer is fantastic.