Mount Blue Sky · West Ridge from Echo Lake

Take Exit 240 at Idaho Springs on Interstate 70. Drive south on Colorado 103 for 13.5 miles at Echo Lake. You can park near the lake (by the picnic area) or drive up to the Echo Lake Lodge and park in one of the parking lots near the entrance to the Mt. Blue Sky road (Colorado 5).

This route has a great trail all the way to Summit Lake and is considered the standard way to hike Mt. Blue Sky from a lower trailhead.

Park near the Echo Lake lodge and locate a trail which starts on the west side of the lodge parking area  1. Follow the trail west through the forest  2 for approx. 0.5 mile to reach a trail junction for the Chicago Lakes trail  3. If you started your hike from the Echo Lake Park, at the northwest corner of the lake, walk south past the lake to reach the Chicago Lakes trail.

Continue west and southwest to the side of a ridge  4 where you can look down into Chicago Creek. Switchback down 400 feet  5 to Chicago Creek and cross the creek using a log bridge  6 to reach a dirt road  7. Turn left and follow the road up to the Idaho Springs Reservoir at 10,600'  8. Shortly after the reservoir, pass a couple of cabins  9 and the road ends at a trail kiosk  10. Fill out a wilderness permit and follow the trail into the Mt. Evans Wilderness  11  12. After hiking over 1.5 miles in the wilderness, you'll reach an overlook (11,550'), just uphill from Lower Chicago Lake  13. Your next goal is to reach Upper Chicago Lake , but you must get past the headwall which separates the two lakes. Continue southwest/south, weave past some large boulders  14 and ascend steep terrain on the far right side of the headwall  15  16. After gaining the headwall, it's a short walk to Upper Chicago Lake  17.

Your goal is to hike to the saddle between Mt. Warren (left) and Mt. Spalding (right), which is 1,100' higher. Turn left, cross the stream outlet  18 and follow the trail to the base of Mt. Warren's (13,307') west slopes  19  20. Hike up the steep slope  21 and traverse south on the great trail  22. The trail approaches some cliff bands  23 but you'll find that it is easy to follow and not that difficult  24. Continue under the cliff bands  25 to reach the saddle  26 between Mt. Warren and Mt. Spalding, near the north end of Summit Lake (12,900').

To reach the summit, turn right at the saddle/lake and use the Mt. Blue Sky - West Ridge via Mt. Spalding Route. Descend via the same route.

IMPORTANT: This route enters the Mount Evans Wilderness area. Designated wilderness areas have special regulations and restrictions for party size, dispersed camping, campfires, etc. Also, dog owners should read the wilderness information carefully because some wilderness areas prohibit dogs to be off-leash and/or limit how close dogs can be to lakes and streams. If you have questions about the wilderness area, please contact a U.S. Forest Service office for the National Forest(s) listed above.