Mount Blue Sky ridge - Trail #51
Beginning Elevation: 12870
High Point: 14264
End Elevation: 14264
Difficulty: Difficult
Length, One Way: 2.5 miles
Seasons: Summer
USGS Quads: Mt. Evans
Other Maps: Arapaho National Forest, Trails Illustrated #104
Usage Level: High
Access Trailheads: Summit Lake
Connecting Trails: Chicago Lakes, Summit Flats
Description
This trail accesses the 14,264 foot summit of Mount Blue Sky. The entire trail lies above treeline and you should be constantly alert to the likely development of summer afternoon storms with their accompanying lightning. An early start is recommended. Prepare for the possibility of snow or hail at any time of the year.
The Mount Blue Sky Trail is a very busy trail with expansive views, leading to the summit of Mount Blue Sky.
The trail leaves the north end of Summit Lake and climbs steeply west up the ridge toward Mount Spalding. The trail then follows the west side of the cirque above Summit Lake and ascends the west ridge of Mount Blue Sky to its summit.
Near the summit, the trail ends at its junction with the .2 mile Mount Blue Sky Summit trail, which climbs to the summit from the summit parking lot and is designated a National Recreation Trail. The Mount Blue Sky Summit trail is outside the Mount Evans Wilderness but reaches the Wilderness at the summit.
TRAIL'S HISTORY
The Mount Blue Sky Ridge trail was constructed in the mid-2000s by the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative in partnership with the Forest Service.
The Mount Blue Sky Summit trail from the parking lot to the summit was completed in its present form in 1946 after two years of work, and designated a National Recreation Trail in 1979.