Denver Mountain Parks to take over management of Mount Blue Sky road

When the Mount Blue Sky Road opens Memorial Day weekend from Echo Lake to the iconic mountain’s 14,266-foot summit, conditions permitting, there will be a change in the way access to the road is managed.

Denver Mountain Parks will staff the welcome station at Echo Lake and manage the Mount Blue Sky Recreation Area, taking over that role from the Arapaho National Forest.

“Managing this complex, high-use recreation area has always been a shared stewardship effort between the national forest, the city of Denver and state of Colorado,” forest supervisor Christopher Stubbs said in a joint news release. “We have been working together on this mountain for more than a century. In the early years, Denver had the greater presence with their (Echo Lake) lodge and restaurants on the mountain. For the past four decades, the forest service has been at the helm. Now it’s Denver’s turn again.”

The Mount Blue Sky Road did not open last summer due to a road repair project near Summit Lake. CDOT maintains the highway and plows it in the spring for summer access. More than 100,000 visitors drive the road annually. It typically opens around Memorial Day, after the roadway is clear of snow, and closes on Labor Day.

Denver Mountain Parks will collect fees, manage the reservation system and set operating hours. Reservations are expected to become available on recreation.gov in May.

The cost of entry will be $20 per car and $15 for motorcycles. Bikes and pedestrians will be free.

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