Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak is perhaps the most famous peak in the Colorado Rockies. It has a commanding position overlooking the plains, rising 8,000 feet from its base just west of Colorado Springs, and it stands alone like no other 14,000-foot peak in the state. However, it is not particularly high (ranking only 31st among the 54 Colorado fourteeners), nor difficult to climb (a road and railway both reach the summit), nor craggy (in the same way the Crestones or Longs Peak are). Aside from its local prominence, its fame arises from alliteration and from Zebulon Pike's 1806 assesment of the peak as "unclimbable" after he turned back. He was proved wrong long before the road was built--in 1820 Edwin James of the Longs expedition made the ascent, the first white man to summit a Colorado fourteener.
There is a tiny hamlet called First View out on the Colorado high plains, just 30 miles west of the Kansas line, and on exceptionally clear days the snow on the summit of Pikes Peak is just visible as a wispy cloud above the horizon. Approaching Colorado Springs on Route 94 across the empty, windy plains, the cloud gradually becomes bigger and is soon recognizable as a mountain. It is easy to image the pioneers being extremely impressed and fixated on the easternmost high sentinel of the Rockies as their ox-wagons slowly plodded towards it.
Three major options are available for those who want to reach the summit of Pikes Peak. The auto road, mostly unpaved gravel, is still easily negotiable by any passenger car that pays the toll. A cog railway chugs up from Manitou Springs for those who don't even want to drive. The most popular trail on the peak is the Barr Trail, which begins near the cog railway terminal in Manitou Springs.
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| General |
The most popular trail on the peak is the Barr Trail, a 13-mile path with a 7500-foot elevation gain that is usually done over the course of two or three days. It begins near the cog railway terminal in Manitou Springs. Another trail is the Crags Trail, it is less-traveled and has a faster roundtrip time of about 6 hours. |
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| Targeted Activities |
Camping, Hiking, Mountain Biking, Mountaineering |
| Season Availability: |
All Year
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| Altitude: |
-4301 meters |
| Camping: |
Allowed in designated Camping Areas |
| Rescue Services: |
Mountain Rescue Services Present |
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Sorry, at this moment there are no services listed here. If you offer Mountaineering Services that target Pikes Peak then we invite you to join our Travel Partner Program and be the first to get your services listed here!
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