Tag: mount blue sky
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6 reasons why we love this Colorado fourteener road that reopened this summer
After a nearly 21-month closure for construction, one of Colorado’s most acclaimed roads is open this summer. Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway is the highest paved road in North America, climbing to a pinnacle of 14,130 feet. But as the saying goes: It’s not the destination, it’s the journey. Here are six reasons why we…
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Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway reopening for visitors eager to return after closure
After nearly two years away, Coloradans will return to one of the state’s most scenic roads Memorial Day weekend. Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway is reopening ー North America’s highest paved road climbing more than 7,000 feet from Idaho Springs toward the summit near 14,130 feet. Reservations can be booked at Recreation.gov: $20 for vehicles…
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‘Best office in the world’: Busy summer of trail work on Colorado 14ers
Five years ago, Carl Woody’s first job out of grad school took him to the slopes of Pikes Peak. “Best office in the world right there,” said the program director with Colorado Springs nonprofit Rocky Mountain Field Institute. His task: to build a new trail to the top of the peak above 14,000 feet. It’s…
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A woolly dilemma: Tourism, road salts and wildlife collide on Mount Blue Sky
One summer day in 2020, Stefan Ekernas and a fellow researcher were driving up Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway in a Toyota RAV4 when they spotted bighorn sheep in the near distance. The herd ran to the road. “We had to come to a stop not to hit them,” Ekernas recalls. “They were frantically licking.…
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Trail Ridge Road among Colorado’s high, scenic roads closed through Memorial Day
Some of Coloradans’ favorite, scenic drives won’t be available this Memorial Day weekend as heavy snow continues to coat the high country. Rocky Mountain National Park typically aims to open its famed Trail Ridge Road by the holiday weekend. Not so this year, with a Wednesday announcement citing Mother Nature’s opposition to snowplows in recent…
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His family has been called the first in Colorado tourism. Can the legacy last?
The Colorado man who has famously spent his life selling souvenirs keeps a few of his own. “This is one. Look at this thing!” Bill Carle remarks, holding up a thing that is difficult to discern, until several blackened, silver charms become clear. Tiny, collectible wagons, burros, bighorn sheep, pine cones and more were burnt…
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Ahead of another closed summer, uncertainties remain for Colorado’s Echo Lake Lodge
A Colorado mountainside lodge loved for generations will be closed for a second straight summer, with no signs of reopening anytime soon. Denver Mountain Parks previously laid out closure plans for Echo Lake Lodge through 2025. Those plans could last longer, as the owning agency continues to learn more about the state of the 98-year-old…