Well, I'll ignore your silly comments about Gambel Oak being ugly. I think it's beautiful! If you want evergreens, you'll have to be patient. At your altitude, I wouldn't expect fast growth. Planting big evergreens is always hit-and-miss and they seem to wait a few years before they start growing anyway. Smaller trees seem to catch up fairly fast. I'd look around your area and find what the native spruces, pines and firs are. I like white firs myself but don't live in your area.

If you don't have a lot of deer in the area I would suggest arbovitae. They can be purchased very reasonably. A six foot tree should be about $59 at lowe's or home depot. More if you go to a nursery. They grow about a foot a year in full sun and max out around 15 feet or so. The green is very nice and is set off nicely when combined with blue evergreens or darker varities. I have them for privacy at the front of the house near the street.

Good luck!

Debster, I'm a fan of ROCKY MOUNTAIN JUNIPER (juniperus scopulorum). The deer might munch them a little, but new growth is prickly. The birds love them. The grow rather slowly, like a foot a year, but I think they are easier to get established that arborvitea. Once established, they do fine with xeric-level watering. Good luck! --Kris

Thank you all for the suggestions. We do have a lot of deer in our area. I'll do some more research based on your suggestions.

Thanks!

I'm at about 6,200 ft, and I did a hedge with Scots Pine that I got through the Soil Conservancy. 10 years later, they are all over 20 ft high. I use black plastic weed barrier which is a real help in warming the soil and retaining moisture.

What ever anybody says, deer will one day eat your trees; pine trees, juniper, what ever. They need to be protected. The least expensive / most effective way is to surround them with a circle of horse fence, about 6 ft in diameter.

At that elevation, I would go with Blue Spruce, White Spruce, or Black Hills Spruce. Blue Spruce and Ponderosa Pine are native there.
Should be plenty of moisture at your elevation. I live in Flagstaff, AZ at 7000' (18-20" moisture) and Blue Spruce is excellent here, along with Ponderosa and Austrian Pines. Blue spruce here actually will outgrow the local pines....depending on the plant source. So make sure you buy from a reputable local nursery with good healthy stock. The above mentioned trees should do fine with no additional watering after establishment.