Pikes Peak is a very accessible “fourteener” (a mountain over 14,000 in elevation) only 12 miles west of Colorado Springs, Colorado. You can ride the Manitou Springs Cog Railway to the top or take a guided bus tour if you want. You can even hike or bike to the summit if you want to go on your own steam. But most visitors drive.
Driving up Pikes Peak
There’s a beautiful road to the summit of Pikes Peak, but it’s not for the faint of heart! Once you are past the timberline and into the switchbacks, you’ll start to wonder about Colorado’s aversion to guard rails. If someone were to get distracted by the view while driving downhill and swerve into your lane, I can see how easy it would be to slide right off the mountain!
On the other hand, you feel like you are driving straight up into the sky, which is a wonderful feeling. I just hope everyone else is gripping their steering wheels as tightly as I am. And they have an annual race on this road!! Eeek.
Stops Along the Way
While the summit is the primary goal, of course, there are a few stops along the drive, so take it easy, fill up your gas tank, and plan for a solid three-hour roundtrip.
There are several places to pull over and take pictures, such as views of Ute Pass, Pikes Peak in the distance, and the three reservoirs. You can stop or drive through areas called the “Devil’s Playground” and “Bottomless Pit.” And be on the lookout for (literal) signs for bigfoot and bighorn sheep.
Two stops, around miles 6 and 13, are visitor centers with food, souvenirs, bathrooms, and first aid. And there are four areas that are good for pulling over and having a picnic, including the two gift shop areas and at the mile 10 halfway point.
The Summit of Pikes Peak
Once you reach the summit, there is a visitor center with a museum, cafe, bathrooms, and first aid. There are paths around the summit parking lot and signs indicating what you can see in the distance – including distant cities and five other states if it’s clear enough. There’s a photo-ready Pikes Peak marker with the elevation stated in feet and meters. And there’s a monument featuring the words to the patriotic song “America the Beautiful,” penned by Katharine Lee Bates after seeing the view from Pikes Peak.
After looking around, the summit visitor center is a great place to warm up since the top of Pikes Peak can be 30-40 degrees colder than the base of the mountain. The wind is usually pretty strong too. There’s a fair amount of parking at the summit, but not so much that you can hang out for hours. The stated limit is 30 minutes at the top.
Take Care Driving Back Down
Then as you head back down, be mindful of overheating your brakes and use a lower gear. It’s also a good idea to make most of your stops at overlooks and gift shops on the way down to give your brakes a chance to cool off.
Pricing
You have to pay to drive to the top of Pikes Peak. There’s a tollbooth gateway at the base, near the North Pole/Santa’s Workshop amusement park.
Prices and hours vary by season. Right now, in the offseason from December 1-April 30, the price for adults 16 and over is $10, $5 for children 6-15, and free for kids 5 and under. Though if you have a carload, it’s $35 for up to 5 people, with $7 for every additional adult and $2 for each extra kid.
From May 1-November 30, prices go up to $15 per adult, $5 for children, and $50 per car of 5, with $10 for each additional adult and $2 per additional child.
Hours
Hours vary by season too. The entrance gate closes in time to let everyone get to the top and back, the summit closes at a certain point, and the exit gate closes last. However, if you wait until the latest entry to start your drive, you won’t have time for anything other than driving straight to the top and straight back down again.
From October 1 to the Thursday before Memorial Day in May, the entrance to Pikes Peak opens at 9 am, with the last entry at 3 pm. The summit closes at 4 pm, and the exit gates close at 5 pm.
The Friday before Memorial Day to Labor Day in September, the entrance opens at 7:30 am, with the last entry at 6 pm. The summit closes at 7 pm, and the exit gates close at 8 pm.
From the Tuesday after Labor Day to September 30, there are slightly different hours just for that month. The entrance gates open at 7:30 am, with the last entry at 5 pm, the summit closes at 6 pm, and the exit gates close at 7 pm. For an easy-to-read chart, click here.
Conclusion
I’ve made the drive to the top of Pikes Peak sound like a somewhat dangerous adventure, but honestly, it’s beautiful. Every American family should try to do it at least once. Driving up is an easy way to experience a fourteener without the effort and time of a hike, and the history and the views are breathtaking. (Almost literally, the air is thinner up there.) The ease with which you can experience it makes it worth its tagline of “America’s Mountain.”
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