Mountain Goats of Mt. Evans

The star of any trip up Mt. Evans. One of the resident Mountain Goats.

In mid July I took a group of folks up Mt. Evans. We hiked the Pesman Trail, listened to a lecture on the ancient Bristlecone Pines, and then drove up to the summit. This road requires an intravenous injection of Valium before beginning.

The summit parking lot. The Boulder field was filled with tourists climbing the whopping 100 ft from the pavement to the summit. Being purists who like our mountain climbing bragging rights, we did not lower ourselves to such a feat of athletic prowess. The cars by the way stretched for a good 1/4 mile on both sides down to the left.

Mt. Evans is one of Colorado's 14,000+ ft peaks (a 14er). It is also one of two in the state you can drive up. This is totally cheating, but a fun excursion none-the-less. There is no trail register at the top so don't both looking for one. There is, however, a small shelter and hordes of tourists. There are also many Mountain Goats and Big Horned Sheep. I will blog the latter in a separate post.

Here are some photos of the "don't hate me because I'm beautiful" Mountain Goats.

This goat was in need of a Hollywood makeover. He/she/it was shedding its winter coat. Not exactly a red carpet moment. Still, it had panache and liked to pose for the 200 lens flashing all around. Actually, I exaggerate. There were only two of us taking pictures of the goats. The goats did not seem to notice the difference however.

This celeb was already done shedding and looked like it had just returned from a posh salon. Nothing like a new 'do to make you feel like a mountain diva.

Like any member of the rich and famous, this goat wanted to survey his domain. "I wonder what all the very little people are doing down there at the bottom of that 3,000 ft drop. Ho Hum."

Not to be out done, this B-actor was posing for us on the way down. Yellow-bellied Marmots are known for their hedonistic lounging upon warm rocks.

A scenic drive up Mt. Evans is a jolly, near death experience with stupendous views. Be prepared to pay the fee or buy an annual Federal Parks Pass. Bring your camera, anticipate changing weather, and stock the car with lots of food and water. There is no pub on this journey. Another nice place to stop on the way to the summit is Summit Lake. A short trail leads to great views of the Chicago Lakes Basin. For more information, check out the Forest Service Web site.

Pesman Trail (Mount Goliath Nature Area)

Distance: 3 miles round trip
Elevation: 11,503 ft to 12,152 ft
Elevation Gain: 649 ft

The Pesman trail wanders through a Bristlecone Pine forest but also has stunning views of the open tundra.

The Pesman Trail, sometimes called the Mount Goliath Trail, is a fascinating walk amongst the oldest living trees on earth, the Bristlecone Pine (Pinus aristata). The trail starts at the Dos Chappell Nature Center located 3 miles up from the Mt. Evan's fee station. A Federal lands pass ($80.00/yr) will now get you in. There is plenty of parking, a bathroom, and an interpretive forest ranger on duty to answer all your questions. At noon the Ranger on duty leads a 45 minute interpretive walk through the alpine gardens adjacent to the Nature Center.

The beginning of the trail, while packed dirt, does ascend 500 or more feet in a short series of switch backs.

One of the Bristlecones along the trail

The trail gains most of its 642 ft in the first half mile. Since it starts above 11,000 ft, this means lung-sucking distress for most of us. The trail has the advantage, however, of being relatively smooth with only occasional rocky portions. Quite a rarity in Colorado.

When the trail levels out, it leaves the forest for a rocky slope with tundra views.

Besides wandering through a square mile of Bristlecone Pines, the trail also traverses a broad ridge with distant views, tundra flowers, and towering boulders. It really is incredibly scenic. I kept expecting a herd of Mt. Evan's resident Mountain Goats to come trotting into view.

Looking west. The two peaks on the far right of the picture are Chief Mountain and Squaw Mountain.

The trail ends at a picnic area on Mt. Evan's Road. I almost did not go all the way because I had already climbed most of the way up Mt. Sniktau earlier that morning and was really feeling the altitude, but I am glad I did. From the terminus of the trail, there are incredible views of the Continental Divide to the west. There is also a short Alpine Garden Trail in the area, which later in the season is filled with low-lying but flowering tundra plants.

The upper trailhead. Near the car is a picnic table.

Near the upper trailhead is the intersection with the Alpine Garden Trail. There are also great views of the Continental Divide.

If one has two cars, then making the Pesman Trail a shuttle hike would be possible either heading up for maximum cardiovascular distress, or heading down for an easier outing. This trail is a great way to spend time above treeline without having to scale thousands of feet in elevation gain. The views are well worth the effort and seeing the Bristlecone Pines is a rare treat.