The incline railroad up Pikes Peak was on our goal list from the start of our time in Colorado. We didn’t get around to it during our first couple years and then it shut down for major repairs. It only opened again in late 2021. Before long it was 2022 and our time in Colorado was growing shorter. My wife’s friend came out for a visit and we grabbed the opportunity to finally make the trip. The tickets were $68.50 each.
We drove to Manitou Springs the morning after I returned from Arizona. We were on the first train of the day. After some strange brouhaha in the parking lot in which some guy asked me how I got there and told me I was in the wrong place — and then let me park there anyway, we boarded the train.
The trip up the mountain was faster, far less scenic, and less uphill-feeling than I expected. What views there were were out the windows on the other side of the car, and they didn’t last all that long.
This was our view most of the way up.
In a desperate attempt to make the trip interesting, a guide kept up a steady stream of information, giving advance notice of every tiny waterfall along the way, etc. He said that Bighorn Sheep were sometimes seen on the trip, and several people in our car got all excited. Not far from the top, I spotted a small herd of females and young on the scree above us and pointed it out — immediately become a hero to several women who thanked me later and let me go ahead of them when detraining.
At one point the guide said, and I quote, “Zebulon Pike wanted to name Pikes Peak ‘Grand Peak’ after his friend Edwin James.” I feel like I’m missing some information.
When we got to the top, we were informed that we had 45 minutes, by which time we’d better be back on the train because we couldn’t catch another and it was a long hike down the mountain. That barely gave us enough time to enjoy the views, visit the gift shop, buy and eat some of the famous donuts, and admire the new visitor center.
The new center is fancy and shiny and doesn’t have nearly the character of the old one, which is now gone.
From our house, we can actually see the morning sun reflecting off the picture windows of the visitor center, which is 17.3 miles away, as the crow flies. Our house is down there somewhere in the center distance.
We saw the things and did the stuff and got back on the train on time. The trip down was a quick and uneventful as the trip up. We sat on the same side of the train, which just backed down the mountain, so we had the same views.
Pikes Peak is a must-see destination, but it’s much more of an adventure to drive up. The railway is faster, but not worth the money.