Well, we got the 14er bug. We decided to not skip a weekend and go ahead and climb another 14er: Mt Evans. 

Now, Mt Evans can be deceiving – it is a shorter distance and less elevation gain than Mt Bierstadt which is also a class 2. BUT, I kid you not, it was definitely harder! Honestly, Mt Bierstadt to me was easier than Grays Peak. Mt Evans has quite a bit more scrambling compared to Bierstadt and it is long and arduous. Oh, and don’t make the mistake we did and take the higher line near the ridge over to Mt Evans – it was way harder than the lower trail (which we happily took on the way back). 

So, backing up to the beginning – in order to hike Mt Evans, there are three main ways: The cheater way (in my opinion), the regular way, and the you-are-insane way. Let’s start with the cheater way. 

The cheater way is to make a reservation for entrance at $17 per vehicle and then drive up to the parking area at the top where you only have to hike about ½ mile to the peak of Mt Evans. This area is complete with bathrooms, visitors center, and a giftshop! Now I am not knocking this way at all as I think it is an awesome opportunity to stand on the top of a 14,000’ mountain. Just don’t say you “climbed a 14nr” using this route. 

The standard route is from Summit Lake. Again, you make a timed entry reservation which is $7 to park at the Summit Lake trailhead. If you want to hit the trail earlier than the 8:00 – 10:00AM window, you can. Just print your pass and place it in your windshield. We decided to hike this mountain sort of last minute and so we ended up with a 10:00 – 12:00PM entry. We were a little concerned about being off the mountain and in the treeline (which was actually AFTER starting the drive down Mt Evans Road) by noon, but decided to take a chance and it worked out for us. Parking was a little tight when we arrived, but there were people heading to their vehicles and so we just waited for a spot. There were people parking along the road in a couple of spots and we saw a small gravel lot off the road just before the trailhead parking. This Summit Lake route starts at the lake and winds around and up to the summit of Mt Spalding (13,848’), descends down and then back up to Mt Evans.

The you-are-insane route is the one that starts and ends at Echo Lake. They do have camping there for a fee but no fee to just park and hike. Now, this route starts at an elevation of 10,650 with a total elevation gain of 5,600’ and is 17 miles round trip. NOPE. I am good. I’ll take the standard route, thank you! I know some hikers take this route because some believe that you must gain at least 3000’ elevation to count climbing a 14nr. Others take it for the challenge. More power to you all!  I’ll stick with the standard routes for my first time and MAYBE I’ll try the more insane routes at a later date.

I did enjoy this hike but found that I need to be a bit more proactive when it comes to preventing a headache. This was the first hike that I got a pretty bad headache and was even a little nauseous on the way home. The advice I have heard is to take 600mg of Ibuprophen before you start, at the peak or at the first sign of a headache. I didn’t feel my headache until after descending from Mt Evans and preparing to ascend Mt Spalding again. I chose to not take any medication which was a definite mistake. Each of these hikes I learn something new from gear, to drinking more water, to managing headaches. By #58 I should have this downpat!

For this hike you have to keep in mind you are ascending three peaks (Mt Spalding twice and Mt Evans once). Route finding to the peak of Mt Evans once you enter the boulder area can be a little challenging and so watch for the cairns closely and stay lower on the ridge. Even though it was a Sunday, it was not nearly as busy as our first two climbs – maybe due to the time we started.

But! We conquered Mt Evans!

Bonus! On the way up Mt Spalding, we ran into that sweet physical therapist we met when descending Grays Peak just two weeks prior! That was pretty cool. We also ran into a lady who had fallen at some point and had a cut finger and head injury – a reminder these climbs are not easy and anything can happen. It is best to take them slow and steady and be aware of your footing and hand holds. I find myself catching my toe sometimes when hiking as well as sliding on the loose rock or ice/snow slush. Be careful out there!

5.5 miles
2000’ elevation gain
5.5 hours roundtrip
West Ridge from Summit Lake Route
Class 2