One of the most beloved mountains in America, Pikes Peak lies on the eastern side of the Rockies towering over Colorado Springs. Twenty two years ago I awoke at the crack of dawn with the Texas Boys Choir to perform America the Beautiful on a live morning TV talk show. We assembled in the Garden of the Gods with the magnificent mountain behind us. I hadn’t been back since, but on my adventure from Salt Lake City to Dallas I visited again. I’m happy I did.
A beacon for pioneers and prospectors, Pikes Peak rises more than 14,000 feet above sea level at the edge of the Rocky Mountains. Due to its secluded nature from other very tall mountains it was a major landmark on the journey west as they neared the end of the Great Plains. People were drawn to ascend the summit. This includes one Zalmon Simmons (inventor and founder of Simmons Beautyrest Mattress Company) who climbed to the top on a mule in the 1880s.
He loved the views and scenery but considered the journey very uncivilized. Being the entrepreneur he was he came up with the idea for a Pikes Peak cog railway to climb the steep mountain. After getting enough capital, work commenced in 1889 with service to a halfway house running in 1890 and service to the summit coming the next year.
Today, passengers can make the same journey up the side of the mountain on this ingenious cog rail system experiencing the same majestic scenery and magnificent views from the summit that inspired the young Kathrine Lee Bates to pen that beloved poem in 1893. She went with a carriage, but I went on the Manitou and Pikes Peak Railway.
The depot is located in Manitou Springs, a small city with narrow winding streets at the foot of the mountain. This is where you board one of the iconic red cars for the journey.
Along the way, the conductor shares insights into history of the railway and area, a bit about the natural scenery surrounding the tracks, and of course, as any good tour guide should, he adds his own bit of humor and obscure references to keep things entertaining. I personally appreciated my conductor’s homage to Little Shop of Horrors.
Absolutely beautiful scenery surrounds the train all the way up and down. When you’re making your reservation, try to get the window seat on the three-seat side of the car. This will give you better views as it is the side away from the mountain. This isn’t to say the two-seat side of the car has bad views, just different.
At around 11,500 feet the trees disappear as the alpine tundra emerges in its subtle beauty with veins of rocks and plethora of small wild flowers. Eventually, after traversing this treeless environment, the train pulls to a stop at the summit. Here, passengers disembark for a short time to explore the top of the mountain and treasures the Summit House offers like high-altitude donuts and souvenirs.
Be sure to wander around the summit. You can go pretty much anywhere. Don’t limit your experience to the Colorado Springs side where the observation deck is. However, don’t miss the observation area where the monument to America the Beautiful stands.
You can drive to the summit as well, but the train is such a wonderful experience that it should be your first choice. Remember, no matter which way you ascend, you will be at the top of a very tall mountain where it is cold year round with strong winds; go prepared for this with appropriate layers to adorn or shed.
After my adventure up the Pikes Peak cog railway, I found my campsite for the night. It was out of the way, but had absolutely spectacular views getting there.
