Blue Sky Summit Trailhead

RESERVATION REQUIRED
A reservation is required to park at the Blue Sky Summit lot and must be purchased through recreation.gov PRIOR to the day of your hike. It's $22. Tickets are based on a 2-Hour entry window that you select; however, the earliest entry window you can select is 7:00-9:00am. If you want to start a hike earlier, you still need to have a ticket, so reserve a 7:00-9:00am slot, print it out and display it on your dash when you drive in early. Prior to 7am you should find the gate open unless the weather is bad and they close the road.

More Information at the USFS

Location

RangeFront Range

Elevation14,140'

Lat/Lon39.58766, -105.64205

14ersMt. Blue Sky, Mt. Bierstadt

Road Difficulty

0 Paved Road

2WD paved to the TH.

Driving Directions

Take Exit 240 at Idaho Springs on Interstate 70. Drive south on Colorado 103 for 13.5 miles to Echo Lake. Show your reservation and drive ~14 miles to reach the Mt. Blue Sky summit parking lot. There are restrooms here.

On-Site Info

ParkingReservation required - see notes.

CampingNone in the area.

Restrooms?Yes

Fees?Yes

Photos

Winter Access

Closed at Echo Lake Lodge.

Trailhead added by BillMiddlebrook

Status Updates
Map


5/22/2026 Posted On: 5/23/2026 By: BillMiddlebrook Info: Road open - reservation required.
5/21/2025 Posted On: 5/21/2025 By: BillMiddlebrook Info: Closed through 2025. Construction
5/31/2024 Posted On: 5/31/2024 By: BillMiddlebrook Info: Open!	1
9/24/2022 Posted On: 9/25/2022 By: iceman1212 Info: FYI - it looks like the pulloffs near the fee parking area at summit lake trailhead are part of the fee area and require a reservation displayed. received a warning for not showing fee pass when parking in one of the nearby pulloffs.
7/6/2022 Posted On: 7/6/2022 By: BillMiddlebrook Info: Reminder: If you plan on parking at the Mt. Evans summit lot, you'll need to book a reservation ahead of time. Even if you plan on going up the road very early.
11/12/2020 Posted On: 11/12/2020 By: Beardo Info: Highway 5 continues to be closed for 2020. In addition access from Mt Bierdst and Echo Lake is also prohibited per National Forest Services.		1
7/5/2017 Posted On: 7/6/2017 By: scribbles Info: Plenty of open spaces at 8am on a Wednesday. Typical Summit Lake potholes still exist. Accessible by all vehicles.
9/9/2014 Posted On: 9/9/2014 By: JQDivide Info: The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) closed the top portion of the Mount Evans Highway - State Highway 5 - for the season on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at 8 a.m. CDOT closes the five-mile segment from Summit Lake to the top of Mount Evans (14,264 feet) the day after Labor Day, per agreement with the U.S. Forest Service. The remaining 10 miles, from Echo Lake (State Highway 103) to Summit Lake, will remain open until early October unless weather creates adverse driving conditions.

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Blue Sky Summit Trailhead

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