Mount Blue Sky

This adventure is at the end of a long drive to a mountain over 14,000 ft tall! Make sure you bring water, food, and fuel. Driving to the summit of a 14,000 ft mountain has its challenges. The drive isn't bad but the air this high is thinner. If you have any problems with high altitude then you should consider not doing this adventure. There are multiple symptoms for high altitude sickness including dizziness, headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, and even vomiting. Just be careful and don't push yourself. Because it is one of the only mountains over 14,000 ft that you can drive to, Mount Blue Sky is a very popular destination for people to visit. The road leading up to Mount Blue Sky is incredibly beautiful and scenic and has many overlooks to different sides of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests - you can even see into Denver and beyond on a clear day. Before you drive up to Mt. Blue Sky make sure you check the National Forest Service website for any weather or road alerts: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/arp/specialplaces/?cid=fsm91_058388. Once we paid the entrance fee we drove the long road through the national forest until the timberline. The 14 mile road is truly winding. We took moments to get out at the next overlook and take pictures. This road is very busy and if you are driving up on a weekend expect to see hundreds of cars and people. We drove up during a weekday and we still saw hundreds of cars but we were told that weekends can be a nightmare. If you want to miss the huge crowds, come up in the morning during a weekday. My friend and I visited during the summer and we saw elk in the lower elevations and once we drove past the timberline we saw mountain goats and bighorn sheep. Some of the mountain goats were even relaxing at the summit! The road is fairly narrow in parts but overall it isn't too bad. We parked and checked out the Crest House first. The Crest House is the roofless building to the east of the parking lot. You are free to explore it and it does provide some shelter from the wind too. Here is what the signs say about the Crest House: "When constructed between 1939 and 1941, the Crest House was the highest structure in the world, at 14,260 ft above sea level. Designed to symbolize the night sky, it was built in the shape of a star with large windows overlooking Denver. Interior lights had round gloves that resembled the moon." On September 1, 1979, a propane explosion destroyed the Crest House and a piece of history was lost forever. Amidst the rubble and twisted steel beams, the arches wall and star shaped platform remained intact.In 1992, the Arapaho National Forest began to stabilize the remains and convert the Crest House into an observation platform. Now, the "Castle in the Sky" is a place of contemplation for visitors to Mt. Blue Sky. We then hiked up to the actual summit of Mount Blue Sky. It's only 2/3 mile round trip and the trail has very easy switchbacks to help get to the rocky summit. At the summit you can literally see for dozens of miles! You can see Denver and beyond - Denver is about 40 miles straight to the east from Mount Blue Sky. You can also see Mount Bierstadt to the west and many other tall mountains. Did you know that the road to Mount Blue Sky is the highest paved road in North America? Just another reason to come for a visit! If you are in the Denver area and want to do something different, then you should drive up to Mount Blue Sky! This is an incredible adventure that takes you to some of Colorado's highest mountains and all you have to do is drive to the top!