Mount Evans

Mt. Evans is a state park and the Highest Paved Road in North America. There is a park fee at the entrance and I believe it is managed by the integrity rule since no one was manning the gate. I attempted use the card for voucher booth and was not very successful. As with the usual friendly nature of the Colorado people that I met, a guy leaving stopped on his way out to give us his voucher. (You got to love random acts of kindness)
The drive itself is a 14 mile route up hill with no railing. Could be a bit nerve racking if you're afraid of heights. I thought was to get up to the top and see the sunset over the beautiful countryside....yeah, elevation comes with a price. The further up I went the more cloud cover moved in. Thankfully there was enough of a break in the clouds to take a couple dusk photos.
It's the perfect kind of trip for the person that wants to enjoy the mountains without all the work of hiking! Well worth it if you are in the area and the people are wonderful!

As a Colorado native, one of the coolest and scariest drives I have ever done is the scenic byway to the top of Mt. Evans. This 14,264 foot peak is only 50 miles outside of Denver, and boasts the highest paved automobile route in North America. Along the way up you are treated to spectacular scenery, as well as glimpses of various high country dwellers such as bighorn sheep, mountain goats, marmots and pika.
For all you flat landers out there making your attempt at the summit, a few tips: drive slow and low! As you get higher in elevation, it's best to put the car in a lower gear to keep the tranny cool. If your car is used to lower elevations, it may have problems on the way up, or at least act a little funny. Be easy on the poor thing - it's way out of it's element.
On the way down: Again, be in a low gear. The last thing you want is your brakes to go out 14,000 feet above sea level - it's a long way down.
Timing: In my experience, the best time to go up to Mt. Evans is on a July weekday morning. This insures that you have the best weather and the least amount of traffic. Probably the most stressful thing I have experienced in my life was driving up Mt. Evans on a Saturday around noon, with loads of traffic coming the opposite direction, as well as bicyclists vying for what little road there is. Did I mention how narrow the road is? And how far it is down?
Some other tips for visitors: It's cold in the alpine tundra! Bring a jacket! Also, electrical storms are frequent upon mountain peaks in the summer - it's best to come up in the morning and head down by noon/1pm. And you will be out of breath. Above treeline there is only about 40% of the oxygen you get at sea level. Also, bring the sunscreen - your UV exposure is much greater at this altitude.
While this drive may not be for the faint of heart, or those driving jalopies held together with duct tape, the rewards are great. To stand upon the backbone of the United States, and see for literally hundreds of miles into the distance is a rare thing. The views are amazing. There are quite a few places to stop on the way up to take pictures, the best of which is at Summit Lake. This gives you a chance to get out and see some beautiful scenery, as well as unclench your hands from the steering wheel and relax a little before starting the last leg of the drive.
Overall, the best thing to keep in mind is that in life it is the journey that is important, not neccessarily the destination. And this is a journey well worth taking.