Squaw Mountain - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Squaw Pass Road (now Mestaa’Ėhehe Pass) is a beautiful, scenic high mountain pass that travels through Clear Creek County in Colorado. The road is at an elevation of 2,984 meters and it winds its way through the mountains, offering stunning views of the surrounding area. The road is also popular for its many switchbacks and hairpin turns, which make for an exciting drive.

Chief Mountain Trail is a 3.1 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Idaho Springs, Colorado that features beautiful wild flowers and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from June until November. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.

Echo Mountain is a ski, snowboard and tubing area located in Clear Creek County, west of Evergreen, Colorado. It is the closest ski area to the Denver metro area.The main lift, the Hot Laps Special, is a fixed-grip triple that has a turn around time of 4 minutes 39 seconds. The entire mountain is wired for sound so music can also be played. The two lodge buildings are of modern industrial design featuring many windows overlooking the slopes, corrugated metal walls and exposed ceilings.

The Denver Mountain Parks system contains more than 14,000 acres of parklands in the mountains and foothills of Jefferson, Clear Creek, Douglas, and Grand counties in Colorado, west and south of Denver. It currently consists of 22 developed parks and other undeveloped parklands that serve as open space, scenic viewsheds, and wildlife habitat. Its properties encompass a variety of habitats, including prairie, mountain meadow, riparian forests, montane and subalpine forests, and alpine tundra

Juniper Pass is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 3.368m (11,049ft) above the sea level, located in Clear Creek County. The road to the summit is totally paved. It’s called Colorado State Highway 103, aka Squaw Pass Road. The harrowing highway has steep drop-offs on both sides.

This largest water wheel in the state of Colorado, was constructed in 1893 by Charlie Tayler. Tayler used this water wheel to power an ore processing stamp mill at his gold mining operations on Ute Creek. It was moved to its present site in 1946, a gift to the people of Idaho Springs by his estate. It was restored during the spring and summer of 1988 by volunteers and private contributions. It was dedicated during Gold Rush Days, July 16-17, 1988.