Mt Evans - where to park in Idaho Springs
 

I'm considering driving up before dawn.
Where is a good place to park the car where it won't get towed or ticketed?

Not sure where you could guarantee no ticket. A trailhead in the area might work, though I'm not familiar with any right in Idaho Springs.

My question would be why not just start at Echo Lake? You can park at the trailhead for Mt. Evans with no ticket issues......then get an early start for a road that gets a lot of traffic this time of year. Even if you start at dawn from Idaho Springs, it's 13 miles before you get to Echo Lake. Not that far, but uphill and winding. And I'm thinking more in terms of on the way back versus going up.....there's liable to be a lot of folks on the road by then.....a road with little or no shoulder (maybe that doesn't bother you). Suit yourself.

Well, the traditional Mt Evans Hillclimb starts at Idaho Springs, so I want to do the same route.
Then I can figure out how many hours I need to cut from my time to be competitive.:lol:

When I did it, we parked in the ranger station/visitor center parking lot, on the south side of I-70.

Is that the South-West corner of the intersection of I-70 & 103?
I see buildings and parking on Google maps.

That's it.

They actually may ticket you at the ranger station. There are (or were last year) signs in the lot forbidding all-day parking. The traditional parking place is at the school over the bridge. I can't remember the name of it, but there can't be that many schools up there.

Yes, I called them, telling them what I wanted to do, and they said: "No."

there is idaho springs public parking behind beau jo's
the signs say 24 hour limit

The parking lot on the left(east) just past the ranger station, about a half block south of I70 is public parking. It's where most bike riders park, including me.

related: anybody doin' bob cook this year?

also last time i went we parked in the lot on the other side of i70 from the ranger station, next to the gas station. it was a nice day, there were lots of bikes on the road and only 2 or 3 cars in the lot and room for a a couple dozen at least. The gas station owner was very friendly and let our guys change in the bathroom as long as we bought a little something (i bought rice crispy treats- best energy bar on the market).

Well, I pulled in there and saw the nasty sign threatening that cars w/o permits would be towed,
so I went back and parked in the public 24-hour lot behind Beau Jo's.

And guess what? The road past Echo Lake is closed for repair Wed & Thu,
open Fri, Sat, & Sun, then closed again next week.:mad:

Yeah, I rode up there from Bergen Park this morning, planning on going all the way up. The closure is posted on the web site. I just neglected to check before going.

Oh, yeah, NOW I see it: "CLOSED every Wednesday and Thursday in July".
The workman I talked to gave me the impression it was just going to be this week and next.

Darn it! This is the only day in the forecast w/o a chance of t-storms, *and* the forecast high at the top is SIXTY-THREE degrees!
Echo Lake is forecast for 73!

Well, I did Mt Evans today for the first time.
Oh man, did I get an education on cycling at high altitude.
Ironically, I was feeling *really* good at 11,000', and thought it was going to be easier than I expected.
I was fine until I hit 12,000', then it turned ugly.
That last six miles were the longest miles I've ever ridden in my life.:eek:

Yeah, those final switchbacks seem to go on forever.

Congratulations for doing it.

from summit lake to the top is like 80% of what makes the ride hard. no matter how many people tell you to steel yourself for it, it will screw you the first time you do it.

and possibly the second and third and fourth...

Race Uphill? At 14K ft.? R U Nuts?
 

A friend of mine from Loveland, Deadhead, will be doing it in the Citizens category (50-59 y.o.), and has been training his butt off for months, climbing to Estes Park at least once weekly, and Pinewood Reservoir twice weekly. He's at his peak for the peak, as it were.

Me? I've climbed Mt. Evans three times with friends, but am too large to race uphill in the Bob Cook (6'-3", 200#). So I'm doing the next best thing: Driving a support vehicle up the course with the Pros. Gonna be a lot of fun. Probably more fun for me than Deadhead. :D

i wonder if your friend is one of the guys i ride pinewood with on wednesday nights?

i'l lbe doing citizens 30-39

Howard

Look for my buddy Tom (BTC/Lizard Head). He'll be on his Cervelo R3SL. Say hi and good luck to deadhead....he'll be great.

Wish you were coming out at the end of the month.

badhat,
Doubtful since Deadhead and I ride in a time trial every Wednesday evening. He WAS telling me about a fast ride up Big Thompson recently where he caught up to a strong rider, then couldn't shake him all the way to Glen Haven. That wasn't you, was it? Deadhead will ride citizen's 50-59 and hopes to finish in the top 10 (for some reason, the older divisions get MORE competitive, hahaha!)

Twain,
Tom will be there? I'll watch for him and his Cervelo. Since I'll be driving support, he probably won't be able to drop me this time. Probably.

i ride Big Thompson with a sunday morning crew out of loveland once a month or so, and the other sundays we do other local routes. other than my FC>loveland commute i'm not doing as much soloing as i used to though so i doubt that was me.

i noticed that 50-59 seems to be the fastest citizen category. pretty amusing. i am shooting for top 5 in 30-39.

Ok - so I'm planning to do this climb on Monday.

Will I die??

I'm 34 Y/O and a fairly fit rider (though truthfully I need to lose like 15lbs!).
I ride 5-6 times per week - averaging 250KMs or so.
I have never ridden anything above 6,000 ft and I am not a great climber, though I hang around the local small climbs with some very good cyclists, usually just clinging to their back wheel.
I'll have my gf in a car up ahead of me at various points - just in case I need some support.

I've done Palomar Mountain in California (fairly comfortably) which is an elevation gain of over 4,200 ft but it only peaks at 5,200 ft.

This is the only comparable climb I have done, and I have never been at altitude.

So my question again...will I die??:twitchy:

Most likely not -- it might take you longer than you expect, though; power drops as you lose oxygen, but keep chugging away and you'll get there.

Don't be afraid to take a lot of the lane. Especially on a weekday, auto traffic should be a lot less than the weekend. Not a lot of shoulder to work with, so make the cars go around. On the way down take the whole lane, you won't be holding anyone up.

There are a few places she can park ahead of you. There is a visitor's center before you go above treeline; a small lot and view spot as you pass through a saddle from the north side to the south side; a parking lot and restrooms at Summit Lake; then the top itself. I doubt you'll need to stop at all of those, but rest assured it's not a desolate climb into the ether.

Pause at Summit Lake and look up, you can see the top from there and it's daunting and exciting at the same time.

The last few switchbacks seem to take forever. You have high probability of mtn goat sightings. And marmots. The views are incredible.

Take a vest or shell -- the weather is variable and the descent can be chilly. Last year my fingers thawed out somewhere below treeline (10,500 ft).

The views are worth it, and flying back down is aWeSoMe.


Good luck!