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John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints |
Colorado State Highway 103 runs from I-70 between Idaho Springs and Denver to join Highway 5 about half way along its length.
The road is paved all the way.
This road is steeper than the Pikes Peak Toll Road.
The summit of Mount Evans is 14,264 feet and the road reaches 14,130 feet, where you may well feel the effects of altitude, including dizziness.
This road is closed in winter. It is normally open from mid-June to late October, depending on snowfall.
The Mount Evans Byway is the highest road in the USA.
Mount Evans lies in the Clear Creek Ranger District of Arapaho National Forest; for local National Forest information phone 303-567-3000.
I drove Mount Evans today in clear weather in a well-cared for Jeep Grand Cherokee. I think Mount Evans should be rated a "5". On some of the most terrifying switchbacks you look down as if from the moon at huge lakes and reservoirs that now look like tiny tears and you have only about a foot between you and oblivion and the asphalt at the edges is breaking away in chunks as large as a man's chest. The last five miles or so doesn't have a center line painted on it and is barely wide enough to accommodate two vehicles passing. Some people would panic and just stop. It was terrifying - and the most fun I've had in weeks.(Scott's rating of 5 is in terms of the 0 to 5 "terror" rating that I give mountain roads.)
In August 2004 Evelyn Wilkerson sent me a description of her drive up Mount Evans:
I drove up this road at 7:00am and was fortunate enough to avoid the traffic and see plenty of wildlife. I saw deer as I was at the lower elevations, and two mountain goats at the summit.
If you are a thrill-seeker, drive this road. I have driven many mountain roads in Yosemite, California generally, Wyoming and Montana, and this one is the most intense.
The road gets very narrow near the last mile or so, with hairpin bends, no guard rails, and barely enough room for one car (never mind a second). The road does take a while to drive up, but it's well worth it.
The summit was cold, with gusting winds, enough to rock a full-size SUV. Luckily, after such a drive, there are public restrooms, if you can brave the walk through the wind gusts. And, if you go early enough, you just might run into a mountain goat or two.You can find some photographs that Evelyn took on her web site (external link verified Oct-05).
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Most recently modified 27-Oct-05