I hiked up Mt. Blue Sky, a 14er near Idaho Springs. It used to be named Mt. Evans, but it was renamed in 2023. To hike this 14er, you have to make a $22 reservation on recreation.gov because they have a timed entry system.  National Park passes are accepted here, unfortunately.

This hike should've been about 5.5 miles total, but I had to park 1/4 mile away since the main lot was full at 7am. And since I'm nursing an injury, rather than go back the same way and scramble, I decided to walk the closed road down for new scenery and smoother surface, but it added about 3.5 miles so there was no free lunch.

This hike is a solid Class 2 hike with some scrambling and considerable route finding.  If you are looking for a little adventure, this hike is a good choice.

I took a little hike up to the Agnes Vaille Waterfall viewpoint.  Using the zoom on my phone helped me see it much better.  Alternatively, you could take a pair of binos.  On the way back to the trailhead, I took the Cascade Creek route which had a couple of simple water crossings.  The trail also afforded a great view of the north face of Mt Antero.

I took a stroll on the Illinois Creek trail to see the Isak Heartstone Troll as well as The Pack sculptures, all art made from recycled materials.  I then walked through woods, but rather than turning around I decided to do a street walk to make it a loop.