Total Newbie Mt Evans

[boliverallmon]

So the family and I are coming to Colorado in July and want to tackle a peak. We are leaning towards Mt Evans because it is close to Denver as well as a few things. Can someone look over my thinking to see if I am correct?

If we do West Ridge from Summit lake, is it 5 miles one way or 5 miles there and back?

Also I have a little tyke that will be with us. We like the idea of Mt Evans because the panoramic pic on this site shows a parking lot at the top. So we can start the hike and go as far as the kiddo can go. When we reach the end of her limits, the wife and kiddo can go back to the car and just meet us up at the top of Mt Evans.

So am I thinking through this correctly or missing something.

Also would any other peaks or trails fit the same kind of criteria (have a parking lot near the top where the wife could meet us and all)? Any other advice you can give for a Texan family who doesn't have hills much less mountains near him.

Thanks in advance

[LarryM]

It's round trip.

That's not a bad new route for a beginner (and you get a bonus 13er, albeit an unranked one), except that the first bit up Spalding might be a bit much for your kiddo & thus necessitate a quick turn around for him/her.

Unfortunately there are not a lot of other options for what you're looking for, with only 2 14ers with paved roads to the top. One possibility that doesn't have a road to the top (well it does but not paved & not open to the public) is Colorado Mines Peak (a 12er) off of Berthoud Pass. An easy 13er (but again no road to the top, and the first mile is fairly steep) is Sniktau (off Loveland Pass). Both options close to Denver.

[boliverallmon]

What is the second 14er with paved?

also is it 5 miles one way or 5 miles there and back?

[Ptglhs]

What is the second 14er with paved?

also is it 5 miles one way or 5 miles there and back?

5 miles round trip means 5 miles there and back. If you want to cut the distance even more you can do the NE slope direct from summit lake and not go over mt Spaulding. (Unless they changed the access for that. I notice it's no longer listed as a route on here). It's steep and a few sections are loose but it's the easiest one way trip of any 14er imo.

Pikes is the other peak with a road to the summit. It's 7 miles one way if you go from the west or 12.5 miles one way if you go from the east. I don't recommend Pikes as an intro mountain.

[LarryM]

What is the second 14er with paved?

also is it 5 miles one way or 5 miles there and back?

If you want to cut the distance even more you can do the NE slope direct from summit lake and not go over mt Spaulding. (Unless they changed the access for that. I notice it's no longer listed as a route on here). It's steep and a few sections are loose but it's the easiest one way trip of any 14er imo.

Ugh, don't do that route. Not fun, bad intro to a 14er. But yes, easiest one way trip on a 14er.

[boliverallmon]

Don't do which one?

[LarryM]

Don't do which one?

The NE direct.

And maybe I'm being a bit too much of a snob (says the guy who has only easy 14ers under his belt). But the West Ridge, which also takes you over Spalding, is a lot more fun & scenic.

[Monte Meals]

Mt Evans west ridge has some large-ish boulders that you need to cross as you near the top.
Depending on how little your tykes are - they may not find them fun (Fun is important for your
first outing.)

I second the suggestion for Sniktau
https://www.14ers.com/13ers/peak.php?peakkey=5040

Great views and right off of I-70

If you are coming from low elevation - consider asking your doctor about Diamox.
It requires a prescription - however many people use it to help with altitude problems.

[TaylorHolt]

So the family and I are coming to Colorado in July and want to tackle a peak. We are leaning towards Mt Evans because it is close to Denver as well as a few things. Can someone look over my thinking to see if I am correct?

If we do West Ridge from Summit lake, is it 5 miles one way or 5 miles there and back?

Also I have a little tyke that will be with us. We like the idea of Mt Evans because the panoramic pic on this site shows a parking lot at the top. So we can start the hike and go as far as the kiddo can go. When we reach the end of her limits, the wife and kiddo can go back to the car and just meet us up at the top of Mt Evans.

So am I thinking through this correctly or missing something.

Also would any other peaks or trails fit the same kind of criteria (have a parking lot near the top where the wife could meet us and all)? Any other advice you can give for a Texan family who doesn't have hills much less mountains near him.

Thanks in advance

The plan you've described looks pretty solid to me. The West Ridge route is 5 miles round trip. The only other 14er with a road to the summit is Pikes, but as others have said, the routes on Pikes are much longer, and I think your plan for Evans is better.

[peter303]

I think the original post is talking about two different hikes. There is a road almost all the way to the summit with a paved parking lot. Then you hike a half mile and few hundred feet to the summit. That can be challenging to a toddler and people not used to altitude.

Then five miles before the summit parking lot is Summit Lake parking lot. There a couple ways you hike to the summit from that the other posts describe. These are considerably more substantial hikes taking several hours round trip. Although these are among the easiest 14er hikes, they are still strenuous.

[boliverallmon]

I was actually talking about both. The idea would be that we would start at Summit Lake and see how we are doing. If the kiddo is done for, then the wife and kiddo would fall back to Summit Lake and drive to the peak and wait for the rest of the crew to get there. Once there, we would tackle the last little bit as a family up to the peak.

[mtnkub]

^ imho not a good plan. I'd suggest sticking together as a group for your first mountain experience... or if you split up, at least do this only on an out-and-back route, not on a loop (and especially not a car shuttle).
As suggested by others, Sniktau (from Loveland pass) makes for a great first outing to test reactions to high altitude. It's a relatively short hike with great views. And if it turns out to be too short, you can easily add Cupid.