For people who live in Colorado, particularly those who hike regularly, I’m not necessarily sure this is a bucket list item. It wasn’t ever on ours.
But for visitors, or for those who want to get up into the mountains but don’t have the means to do so via other methods, perhaps the Pikes Peak Cog Railway would make the list.
For my mom, standing atop a 14er has long been on her bucket list.
Unfortunately, her body just doesn’t respond well to exertion at high altitude. So we knew hiking a 14er wasn’t a realistic way to achieve this bucket list item.
Fast forward to this past fall. My mom’s birthday was approaching – a milestone birthday – and she’d planned to come visit us around that time. When we suggested a birthday adventure to the summit of Pikes Peak on the cog railway, she was immediately on board.
(Pun very much intended.)
Pikes Peak rises to an elevation of 14,115 feet (4302 m), over 8000 feet (2440 m) above Colorado Springs. It’s the most famous 14er in Colorado – and probably the entire country – because it was the inspiration for Katharine Lee Bates’s poem-turned-song America the Beautiful.
Before that, it was named Highest Peak by explorer Zebulon Pike, who mistakenly estimated its height to be over 18,000 feet (5486 m). He and his men also attempted to climb it in 1806 and, when they were forced by snow to turn around, Pike over-confidently declared it impossible.
(It was summited for the first time by someone else just a few years later.)
Despite the fact that Pike never summited, the mountain was eventually named for him. Prior to the arrival of white settlers in Colorado, the mountain had been known by many other names, given by Spanish settlers and the indigenous populations of the region.
Today, Pikes Peak is one of only two 14ers in Colorado that you can summit without hiking (the other being Mount Blue Sky west of Denver). The Pikes Peak Highway travels 19 miles (30.5 km) and gains 6463 feet (1970 m) en route to the summit.
The cog railway, on the other hand, gains 7795 feet (2376 m) over just 9 miles (14.4 km), rising much more steeply. It’s one of only three cog railways in the United States and the highest elevation one by far. It’s been in operation since 1890, save for a recent complete multi-year refurbishment that involved complete track replacement, overhauling the existing rail cars, and purchasing some new ones.
We were up early Saturday morning and on the way to Manitou Springs for our 9:20am departure. The depot is wedged back along the western edge of town, which required us to drive through the downtown area and then down a narrow residential street. Traffic is to be expected and parking is limited, so we wanted to give ourselves plenty of time. But not too much time… they only let you into the parking lot about 30 minutes before your departure.
Alternately, you can park along the road and walk up to the depot, but the cost is about the same so we just drove all the way. The only reason I might recommend not doing this is because getting back out of the parking lot is kind of a mess. There’s only one exit, and there were at least four lines of cars all merging together; it took forever.
We boarded and set off right on time and, after a quick safety spiel, the conductor began his narration of our climb, complete with many puns. The train took us past some small waterfalls and a few open areas amidst the forest, eventually emerging from the trees to wide open tundra view with other mountains visible in the distance. Up close, a dozen or so marmots were sunning themselves on the rocks, and a mama bighorn sheep and her baby were hanging out not far from the tracks.
I was taking photos throughout the journey, but it was difficult to avoid reflections in the glass; unfortunately, only a handful of them actually turned out.
After slightly less than an hour, the train reached the summit and we disembarked. We had almost an hour before we needed to be back on board, which felt like a lot of time. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.
We began by making our way along the boardwalks, taking in the views to the north and east.
Then we headed into the visitor center to use the bathroom and purchase donuts and hot chocolate. The donuts are baked at the summit and, apparently, the lower air pressure makes them particularly fluffy. It’s also said that they will deflate if you take them back down to the city with you. No food is allowed on the train so we weren’t able to test this, but a google search reveals that it’s only a very slight change.
Either way, they were delicious!
We stopped into the gift shop quickly for my mom to buy a souvenir keychain, and then headed back outside to walk over to the western edge of the summit and the official summit marker.
And then – despite the fact that all the lines moved quickly and we’d never felt like we were wasting time – it was time to head back to the train. There’s an entire room of exhibits in the visitor center that we didn’t even have a chance to set foot in. It’s the one thing about this experience that was a little disappointing.
Back aboard the train, we reversed direction and began the descent. The conductor didn’t narrate this leg of the journey, so we spent the ride chatting a bit with the couple sitting near us, taking some more photos, and enjoying the views.
If I were to repeat this experience, the only thing I would do differently is to be more strategic about choosing our seats. We purchased our tickets just 2 days in advance, and while I stand by that decision because it allowed us to ensure good weather before committing, by that point the number of available seats was limited.
The seats are arranged as groups of two or three, with one row facing forward and the next facing backwards. We ended up on the 3-seat side, all in a row with just one window. I do think the 3-seat side was the better of the two in terms of views. But next time, for better views, I would purchase two window seats plus one middle seat.
That being said, this is not really something we feel the need to do again. But it was a fun splurge, a memorable experience for the three of us to share, and my mom very much enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate her birthday with a trip to the summit of a 14er!
And I’ve yet to hike to the summit of Pikes Peak, so one day I will return on foot. Until then, I leave you with one final photo.
The Important Stuff:
- Getting there: the Manitou Depot is located at 515 Ruxton Ave in Manitou Springs, Colorado. The Depot parking lot is right across the street (fee required), or paid parking is available along the surrounding streets. From what we observed, the cost is similar no matter where you park.
- Fees and passes: tickets start at $59 + tax for adults, with the option to pay more to choose your seat. They frequently sell out so should be purchased in advance. We got ours two days before, but it was past the height of tourist season and it was already pretty booked. I imagine in summer tickets sell out much faster.
- Elevation: the summit of Pikes Peak is over 14,000 feet (4267 m) and the train ascends fairly rapidly. Altitude sickness is a possibility. To help minimize the effects of altitude, it’s important to adequately hydrate yourself in advance and bring a water bottle with you on the train. It’s also recommended to avoid alcohol for at least 24 hours prior.
- Food and drink: both are for sale at the depot and on the summit, but not on the train. No food or beverages other than a sealed water bottle are allowed on the train, though they weren’t really enforcing it and I definitely saw people with snacks in their backpacks. Anything you buy on the summit (coffee, donuts, etc.) has to be finished before you get back on the train.
- Bathrooms: the journey to the summit takes just over an hour, and there are no bathrooms on the train, so be sure to leave yourself enough time to use the bathrooms at the depot and on the summit before you re-embark.
- Other: pack layers! It will typically be at least 15-20°F (7-10°C) colder and quite a bit windier on the summit than at the depot. You may want to bring sun protection as well; sunburns happen fast at this elevation.
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