| Mount Blue Sky | |
|---|---|
 Mount Blue Sky seen from the south. | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 14,266.1 feet (4,348 m)[1] NAPGD2022 |
| Prominence | 2,770 feet (844 m)[2] |
| Isolation | 9.79 miles (15.76 km)[2] |
| Listing | |
| Coordinates | 39°35′18″N 105°38′38″W / 39.5883°N 105.6438°W[3] |
| Geography | |
  Mount Blue Sky | |
| Location | Clear Creek County, Colorado, U.S.[4] |
| Parent range | Front Range |
| Topo map(s) | USGS 7.5' topographic map Mount Blue Sky, Colorado[3] |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | disputed: 1863 by Albert Bierstadt 1872 by Judge Lunt |
| Easiest route | West Ridge from Summit Lake: Hike, class 2[5] |
Mount Blue Sky (formerly Mount Evans) is the highest peak in the Mount Evans Wilderness in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The prominent 14,266.1-foot (4,348 m) fourteener is located 13.4 miles (21.6 km) southwest by south (bearing 214°) of Idaho Springs in Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States, on the drainage divide between Clear Creek in Arapaho National Forest and the North Fork South Platte River in Pike National Forest.[3][2][4]
The peak is one of the characteristic Front Range peaks, dominating the western skyline of the Great Plains along with Pikes Peak, Longs Peak, and nearby Mount Bierstadt. Mount Blue Sky can be seen from over 100 miles (160 km) to the east, and many miles in other directions. Mount Blue Sky dominates the Denver metropolitan area skyline, rising over 9,000 feet (2,700 m) above the area. Mount Blue Sky can be seen from points south of Castle Rock (65 miles (105 km) south), as far north as Fort Collins (95 miles (153 km) north), and from areas near Limon (105 miles (169 km) east).
The mountain was previously named for the second governor of the Territory of Colorado, John Evans. However, due to Evans's involvement in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, there were years of discussion over renaming Mount Evans. On September 15, 2023, the United States Board on Geographic Names officially changed the mountain's name to Mount Blue Sky.
- ^ Ahlgren, Kevin; Van Westrum, Derek; Shaw, Brian (April 2024). "Moving mountains: reevaluating the elevations of Colorado mountain summits using modern geodetic techniques". Journal of Geodesy. 98 29. doi:10.1007/s00190-024-01831-8.
- ^ a b c "Mount Evans, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Blue Sky". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved January 2, 2016. Note: The summit of Mount Blue Sky is +1.80 m (5.9 ft) higher than NGS station EVANS.
- ^ a b "Mount Blue Sky". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- ^ "Mt. Evans Routes". 14ers.com.
