Pikes Peak is the Colorado mountain that can’t be missed! That’s because of the views from its summit that inspired the song “America The Beautiful” and because it’s so big, you literally can’t miss it.
Pikes Peak is one of the most famous mountains in the USA. And there are plenty of reasons why people know it: Katharine Lee Bates wrote the song “America The Beautiful” after visiting the highest mountain in the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. There is the hair-raising car and motorcycle race (The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb aka The Race to the Clouds) that goes up Pikes Peak Highway, which has plenty of hairpin turns and lacks railings in many sections. Let’s mention again the magnificent views from atop this Rocky Mountains fourteener, that include other mountain peaks, lakes, towns, and on clear days views of the surrounding states and the bend of the Earth!
And then there is the accessibility. Pikes Peak is just 12 miles from downtown Colorado Springs, and the summit (at 14,115 feet / 4,302.31 m) is usually easily accessible via car, bus, or cog rail – and not just by hiking or biking.
Construction and Covid-19 Updates: As of this writing in July 2020, the tram up the mountain is not running due to construction. The Pikes Peak Cog Railway is supposed to reopen around the same time as the new Pikes Peak Summit House, in May 2021. Currently, you’ll have switch from car to shuttles at mile 13 or 16 (of the total 19-mile drive). Masks are required on the shuttles and in the gift shops. Please check for latest updates on an official website, e.g. ColoradoSprings.gov. Rumor also has it that some of the views are currently obstructed due to the construction.
For now you can enjoy some of the views via our photos. And you can get an idea of what the drive up and down is like by watching these Pikes Peak Highway time-lapse videos Luci made during our 2015 autumn visit to Pikes Peak:
VIDEO: Complete Drive Up Pikes Peak Highway, Colorado – (Extended Version)
VIDEO: Driving Down Pikes Peak Highway Time-Lapse, Colorado – (Extended Version)
16-mile Pikes Peak Highway – from the Pikes Peak summit at 14,115 feet (4,302.31 m) to the road entrance at about 8,000 feet.
Nearby Attraction
Let’s Inspire Each Other!
Have you been to Pikes Peak? Then please tell us about our experience and share your tips. How about other places in the Rocky Mountains or Colorado? Which is the highest mountain you’ve ever been on?
Please leave a comment below – inspired by these questions or whatever you’d like to share…
All photos in this post were taken by Luci Westphal.
The place looks so beautiful and gorgeous! Looking forward to visit it someday!
Glad you think so. Hope you get to go one day!
Those views are breat taking. A bike ride would be amazing through there.
I was Colorado for 3 weeks not too long ago. The first thing that got me was how awesome it was to be surrounded by mountains. What I loved about that though was even om my last day there, I was still in awe by all the mountains. Never made it out to Pikes Peak, but when travel is allowed again, I’ll be adding it to my list of places to see.
So awesome you got to visit Colorado. The size of those mountains is something else! And there are so many amazing places to see – it’s often hard to choose which mountains, canyons, lakes or rivers to go explore. Hope you get to make it back for more Rocky Mountain adventures!
I’ve never been to Pikes Peak and I wanna go there after seeing these cool pictures! Thank you for sharing 🙂 – Dan “Jay” Reyes
Beautiful indeed. My goodness what a view. I’ve never been but I’d love to hike through some of the passes of Colorado one day…what an experience!
I hope you get to check out Colorado one day. Well, for many days. There is so much to see and experience. I do recommend visiting in summer or early autumn so you can see everything.
I’ve never been to Colorado but I would love to go there one day, the scenery is out of this world.
Hope you get to see Colorado one day! It’s quite pleasant on the eyes 😉
Loved seeing the pictures. Saw it as a child when we visited Garden of the Gods.
I’m so glad to read that, Shary. Both Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods must have been quite amazing to see as a child. But then you were quite the world-traveler and had probably seen lots of incredible landscapes!
Wow the views look incredible. We really want to explore some of the amazing nature spots America has to offer so we will add this to our list.
Ooh I was in this area a couple of years ago. I wanted to visit it but I didn’t have the time to. Would love to go back and see it.
Hope you get a chance to go back. Right now there’s a bunch of construction going on (besides the covid restrictions) – but once the cog rail is happening again, it would be a unique experience to get to the top of a Colorado 14er.
The views in this post are stunning. They take me back to my days in Jamaica and Ayiti. Each time I was terrified to make the drives up. Lol
Would love to see mountain views in the Caribbean! But yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever driven up one of those high mountains without being terrified. But it’s always worth the view 🙂