Mount Blue Sky will close for the season and all of next year on September 3. Reservations for the next few days are required for those wishing to park and visit the Mount Goliath area, Summit Lake Park, or Mount Blue Sky Summit.
The seasonal road to the top of the newly renamed Fourteener typically opens for the season after Memorial Day weekend and remains open through early September. Due to road construction near Summit Lake, the road will be closed to all motorized and non-motorized modes of transportation (walking, biking, etc.) throughout 2025. The closure extends from the CDOT gate on Colo. Highway 5 through the project area above Summit Lake.
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Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway is the name of the road, the highest paved road in America, and it also has the state name Highway 5. It is 14 miles long and takes visitors from Echo Lake to the Mount Blue Sky Recreation Area. The drive offers views of neighboring mountains such as Rogers Peak and Mount Warren, enters the Mount Goliath Natural Area, then winds up to Summit Lake Park and finally to the summit, where mountain goats are often seen. Since 2021, only drivers with reservations are allowed to pass the Echo Lake area.
Reservations can be made up to 30 days in advance of the visit date on recreation.gov. Visits by car to the popular recreation area are permitted between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Mount Blue Sky is the 14th highest 4,000-meter peak in Colorado. Last year, the mountain’s name was stripped of its reference to Colorado Territory Governor John Evans and adopted the Native American-approved name Mount Blue Sky. Evans’ name was removed because it was Sand Creek Massacre.
