The road leading to the top of the newly renamed Mount Blue Sky has closed for the season.
The first nine miles of Mount Evans Road from Echo Lake to Summit Lake closed Tuesday.
That portion of the road typically stays open about a month longer than the top portion of the road from Summit Lake to the top of Mount Blue Sky, which closed the day after Labor Day.
The road is scheduled to reopen next year on May 27, 2024.
Mount Blue Sky was officially renamed from Mount Evans last month, honoring the Cheyenne and Arapaho people.
The Arapaho people are known as the “Blue Sky People,” and the Cheyenne people “have an annual ceremony marking the renewal of life called ‘Blue Sky,’” according to the petition submitted by the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes and the Wilderness Society, a nonprofit conservation organization.
The road to the top of the mountain closes seasonally and reopens based on weather conditions. This year, a strong El Niño is expected, which could bring above-average snow to southern Colorado and higher temperatures to the northern mountains.
