Things to do nearPikes Peak

Pikes Peak has shaped American culture in ways that go well beyond its dramatic silhouette. When Katharine Lee Bates climbed the mountain in 1893, the view from the summit inspired her to write the words that became "America the Beautiful," giving the peak a permanent place in the national imagination. Long before that, the mountain served as a landmark for explorers, traders, and settlers crossing the Great Plains, visible from well over 100 miles away on a clear day.

Today, visitors reach the summit by several routes. The Pikes Peak Highway is a 19-mile toll road that winds through tundra and exposed ridgelines to the top. The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway, one of the highest cog railways in the world, offers a narrated ride through spruce forests and above the treeline to a modern summit house designed to withstand the mountain's fierce winds. Hikers tackling the Barr Trail commit to a 13-mile climb each way, passing through distinct ecological zones on the way up.

The summit itself is a place of genuine drama. Rocks crumble underfoot, marmots dart between boulders, and clouds sometimes form at eye level rather than overhead. The Pikes Peak Summit Visitor Center offers exhibits on the mountain's geology and history alongside warming food and the celebrated high-altitude doughnuts that have become a tradition for generations of visitors.

Pikes Peak sits within Pike National Forest and anchors an entire region of outdoor recreation, from the Garden of the Gods to the town of Manitou Springs just below. Few mountains in the country are this accessible and this rewarding at once, making Pikes Peak a destination that earns its reputation every single time.