Reservations open for a drive to Mount Blue Sky's summit in Colorado

Reservations to drive to the summit of Mount Blue Sky opened on Tuesday morning. Those reservations can be made up to 30 days in advance and are required for those who plan to park and visit the Mount Goliath Area, Summit Lake Park or the Mount Blue Sky Summit. 

The seasonal roadway up to the top of the newly-renamed fourteener will not open until after Memorial Day weekend this year, May 31, and will stay open through early September. The roadway will be closed for all of 2025.

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 into the Mount Blue Sky Recreation Area. The drive includes a view of neighboring mountains including Rogers Peak and Mount Warren, passes into the Mount Goliath Natural Area, then winds up to Summit Lake Park and finally to the summit, where mountain goats can often be seen. Ever since 2021, only drivers who have reservations are allowed past the Echo Lake area.

Due to construction, officials from the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests said on Thursday that the road will not be open at all in 2025. The project will actually get started in September, so this year's car or bike trips to the top of the mountain will only be allowed through Sept. 3. Hiking to the top of the mountain on various trails will still be permitted.

Reservations can be made on recreation.gov up to 30 days out from the date of your visit. Visits by car to the popular recreation area are allowed between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.   

Mount Blue Sky is the 14th tallest fourteener in Colorado. Last year the mountain's name was stripped of its reference to Colorado territorial governor John Evans and the Native American tribe-approved name of Mount Blue Sky was adopted. Evans's name was removed because he gave authorization to the Sand Creek Massacre.