Cross Country Adventure - Day 9 - Evergreen, Colorado

Without the pressure of having to drive to the next night’s accommodation, we’d originally thought we would spend the day exploring Denver, but after driving through the city the previous day that idea no longer appealed. Our host Celia suggested that instead she would take us to MountEvans, the highest auto-accessible point in the country, an offer we eagerly accepted.

Mount Evans is a national park and is only 19 miles from where we were staying in Evergreen, but the trip is mostly on narrow roads winding up to the entrance of the park, a road so popular with cyclists that the journey cannot be hurried. One of the benefits of slow driving, however, is the opportunity to spot wildlife among the trees.

The views on the drive up were spectacular.

Just outside the park entrance there is a rest stop in an original 1926 log building. As well as restrooms, the Echo Lake Lodge features a bar, restaurant and gift shop, all only steps away from a pretty lake.

Echo Lake, Mt Evans

Once into the park, the roads wind up at a steeper angle, making for quite a scary ride. I was glad that Celia was doing the driving as she had done this route many times before, but that still didn’t stop the trepidation I felt as we rounded curves with only inches between the car and a steep drop.

The views were worth it though. The mountain ranges spread out into the distance for miles and miles.

We stopped at Summit Lake, the highest city park in North America and walked part of one of the hiking trails.

12830 ft above sea-level makes Summit Lake Park the highest city park in North America

Summit Lake

Views from Summit Lake Park 

On the walk back to the car we spotted some Yellow-bellied Marmots scurrying around the boulders. It took a few attempts but I finally managed to get a close up:

Yellow-bellied Marmot 

They weren’t the only wildlife we saw. There were also mountain goats – lots of them.  Apart from the babies, most of them were still shedding their winter coats so looked rather weird.

One group decided to hold up the traffic while they deliberated whether they wanted to cross the road or not. They finally decided they did.

The road does not take you all the way to the top, but just off the parking lot there is a lookout for those who might not want to complete the climb on foot.

A baby goat, bleating furiously, tried to scale the wall of the lookout – we assumed that was the mother standing on the wall, but if so she seemed totally unconcerned about her little one’s predicament. A large audience gathered, you could almost hear a collective sigh of disappointment as the goat would get so far up and then slip back. I think everyone was willing it to make it to the top but eventually it gave up.

Shadows from the clouds added to the majesty of the mountains.

There is a 120ft climb (walk) to the top of the peak. It is not as bad as it sounds as there is a well-trodden trail most of the way, but given the elevation (14,264 ft) tends to make you lightheaded to start with, it takes some effort to get to the top. It is worth it though! It is supposed to be one of the grandest views in Colorado because, weather permitting, you can see almost all the state. 

Thanks to Celia we had plenty of layers - we needed them!

After all the exertion and the scary return drive down we stopped for a well-earned drink and some lunch at Echo Lake Lodge. Colorado seemed the appropriate place to sample Bison chili – very tasty.

Then it was back to Evergreen and a quick turnaround because we had a dinner date with another of my daughter’s friends in Boulder, almost an hour’s drive away.

Boulder is just how I imagine a Colorado town should look. Maybe it’s the fact you can see mountains in the distance when you are walking down the main street or the lack of tall buildings, but it has a friendly feel to it. There is a wide selection of restaurants and bars, giving us a chance to have a meal at Sherpa's Nepalese Restaurant - a welcome change from the more traditional American fare we'd been having so far.

Downtown Boulder

Pedestrian Mall on Pearl Street 

Our time in Boulder was too short. Given the chance, I’d definitely like to come back.

Mel writes contemporary fiction with a twist of mystery and suspense. For more information about her books visit her website, or sign up for her newsletter at http://bit.ly/melparishnews