From either Idaho Springs (Exit 240 on I-70) or Bergen Park, (Exit #252 to Evergreen Parkway from westbound I-70, then turn west onto the Squaw Pass Road), drive to Echo Lake on HWY 103 (aka: Squaw Pass Road in Bergen Park). From the Idaho Springs turnoff, it's 13.3 miles. When driven from Bergen Park, this road does a lot of winding around and receives a lot of bicycle traffic in the summer, especially on weekends. A nice bike lane has been added to the older, more narrow portion of the road that has helped to alleviate some of the dangers posed by such a multiple use road.
For parking, we suggest turning onto the Echo Lake picnic area road just NW of the western end of the lake. This road is .6 mile from the SH103/SH5 intersection. The intersection is on the north end of a large parking area just off SH103 which is just north of the lake. The gravel road takes you west, then south a quarter mile to parking. On weekends, arrive early. It is likely the Forest Service has hikers park near the campground to help save parking spaces for day-use picnickers.
There is a campground located on the east side of the Mt. Evans Road (SH 5) across from the lodge and entrance station. This is a typical National Forest CG with fee required. There are vault toilets and water available. There are 17 sites total with 10 suitable for RV's, but no hookups. The campground is open typically the first week of June through the Labor Day weekend. Reservations can be made during the high season, otherwise it's first-come, first-served. Visit the following link for additional Forest Service information: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recare...