Denver Mountain Parks to take helm on Mt. Blue Sky this Summer

Denver Mountain Parks to take helm on Mt. Blue Sky this Summer

Published on April 14, 2026

The road to the top of Mount Blue Sky, one of Colorado's most popular fourteeners, will reopen Memorial Day Weekend 2026, weather permitting. America's highest paved road has been closed since Labor Day 2024 while crews rebuilt portions of the high-alpine road to address severe buckling and water drainage issues.

The surrounding Mount Blue Sky Recreation Area includes a nature center, parking lots, restrooms, scenic views and trails through native gardens and ancient forests and sees more than 100,000 visitors annually. When the snow is cleared and the gates swing open this year, it will be Denver Mountain Parks' employees greeting guests at the welcome station for the first time. Denver Mountain Parks will lead operations at the Mount Blue Sky Recreation Area through new agreements with the Arapaho National Forest and Denver Mountain Parks Foundation.

"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," said Forest Supervisor Christopher Stubbs. "We have been working together on this mountain for more than a century. In the early years, Denver had the greater presence with their 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. Recreation is something Denver Mountain Parks does really well, and we think visitors are going to be well-served by this strengthened partnership."

Denver Mountain Parks, part of the City and County of Denver's Department of Parks and Recreation, owns Echo Lake Lodge and Summit Lake Park on Mount Blue Sky. The Colorado Department of Transportation maintains State Highway 5 to the summit, including plowing and repairs. Colorado Parks and Wildlife manages the nearby wildlife area and the herds of goats and sheep that are popular with visitors. The remainder of land within and surrounding the recreation area is National Forest and designated Wilderness.

"We've evaluated opportunities to streamline services and avoid duplicative efforts for several years," said Shannon Dennison, director of Denver Mountain Parks. "This new management approach has the potential to increase efficiency, steward resources more responsibly, and enhance the visitor experience."

Under the new agreement, Denver Mountain Parks, in partnership with the Denver Mountain Parks Foundation, will collect fees, manage the reservation system and set operating hours. Fees collected will help fund the maintenance and upkeep of facilities in the recreation area. The Forest Service will maintain a presence in the area as well, supporting visitor information, managing wilderness and trails, and supporting fire suppression and prevention.

Reservations are expected to go live on recreation.gov in early- to mid-May, with the first reservations available beginning Friday, May 22, 2026. Find more information on how to make a reservation.

The Arapaho, Roosevelt and Pawnee are the nation's third most-visited national forests and grassland, with an estimated 7.5 million visitors annually. The administrative unit comprises 1.5 million acres of National Forests and Grassland in northern Colorado, spanning both sides of the Continental Divide, from the Wyoming border south to the I-70 corridor. The Arapaho, Roosevelt and Pawnee are home to 10 wilderness areas, three ski resorts, the Cache La Poudre Wild and Scenic River, the Arapaho National Recreation Area, and the 14,000-foot Mount Blue Sky.

The Denver Mountain Parks Foundation was founded in 2004 with the mission to restore the historical integrity, relevance, quality and appreciation for Denver's Mountain Parks System; to advocate for it and ensure its future as a recreational, educational and open space resource for the City of Denver: its citizens, neighbors and visitors. For more information visit www.mountainparksfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Denver Parks & Recreation
As stewards of a legacy park system, Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR) is dedicated to customer service and enhancing the health of residents and the environment through innovative programs and safe, beautiful, and sustainable places. The DPR system includes 30 recreation centers and over 20,000 acres of urban and mountain parkland including off-street trails, parkways, and natural areas.

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