Update: The Denver City Council approved the contract on April 14, 2026. Reservations for the summit road should be available in early or mid-May.
The road to the top of Mt. Blue Sky will reopen on May 22 for the first time since 2024, marking the end of a long closure for repairs to the continent’s highest paved road.
Visitors might notice another change, too: The city of Denver is set to play a bigger role in running the mountain’s facilities.
Currently, the city owns and runs two smaller areas — Echo Lake Park and Summit Lake Park — on the mountain, and it has worked jointly with the federal government to manage the broader area for a century.
But on Monday night, the Denver City Council approved an agreement that would have the city staff and run a much larger area, including the welcome station, Mount Goliath Natural Area and the summit area.
"The Forest Service has been the lead over the last few decades and now Denver Mountain Parks is going to be taking the lead again if this agreement is approved," said Shannon Dennison, director of Denver Mountain Parks."
She acknowledged that the change was driven in part by reduced federal cuts to USFS.
"One is that the Forest Service has indeed lost some capacity but there is precedent for this. Pikes Peak is managed in a very similar way," she told the council. And with planned city investments, she added, the time was right.
"It's also a great opportunity with the bond investment that will be going into Echo Lake Lodge and it's really an opportunity to reimagine how we're managing and making best use of Mt. Blue Sky," she said.
The city expects to make about $900,000 from the contract while spending about $450,000 on staff and other expenses.
What will the city do on Mt. Blue Sky?
City staff will work at the area’s welcome center as well as doing maintenance tasks like collecting trash, cleaning vault toilets and more. City park rangers will check permits, handle wildlife issues, educate visitors and more.
But the Forest Service will still maintain a frequent uniformed presence and continue to help with roles like visitor education, forest protection and enforcement, according to the contract.
“The USDA Forest Service and Denver Mountain Parks manage adjacent lands on Mount Blue Sky and are pursuing a shared stewardship approach for the long-term, sustainable management of the Mount Blue Sky Recreation Area to streamline services, reduce duplication, and enhance the visitor experience,” wrote Stephanie Figueroa, a spokesperson for the city parks department.
The arrangement also involves a third party, the nonprofit Denver Mountain Parks Foundation, which will have a federal permit to manage the recreation area.
About 10% of the entry-fee revenue will go to the foundation for overhead and administrative costs. A smaller amount — about 3% of what remains— will go to USFS. Much of the rest of the money will go to the city, with the expectation that a “reasonable amount” will be spent to benefit the area.
What will Mt. Blue Sky cost for visitors?
A pass to access the major sites in the area this season will be $20 for cars and $15 for motorcycles. That provides access to Mt. Goliath, Summit Lake and the Mt. Blue Sky summit.
The timed reservation system is expected to return "with some changes," according to USFS. Reservations will be available via recreation.gov in early or mid-May.
Bicyclists and pedestrians won’t pay a fee, nor will people who are just using the road but not visiting the sites.
Meanwhile, even more changes are coming. The city is preparing a $7 million renovation of the historic Echo Lake Lodge, with funding from the Vibrant Denver bond package.
Editor's note: This article was updated after the Denver City Council discussed and approved the contract.
