At Your Peak, A Driving Tour of Pikes Peak
Written by Mary Mayfield
( 25 Votes )
Colorado is one of the few states famous for being home to what are reverently referred to as “fourteeners”, mountains that have the unique distinction of topping 14,000 feet above sea level. One of the most well-known among our fourteeners is Pikes Peak, also known as America's Mountain. Just a short drive from Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak is a must-see when visiting or relocating to the area. Each year, roughly 100,000 people drive the 19 miles of winding road known as the Pikes Peak Highway to make their way to the summit house, measuring an impressive 14,110 feet. Another 400,000 or so choose to hike the 13-mile Barr Trail, beginning in Manitou Springs, or ride the 8.9 mile cog railroad, which operates year round. Pikes Peak is not the highest peak in Colorado, but still enough to take your breath away. Literally.
Disregarding all the smart advice regarding altitude acclimatization, I drove up to the summit of Pikes Peak my very first day in Colorado Springs. Fortunately, I was with someone who was more familiar with the dos and don’ts, which I was smart enough to make note of. Whether you are in Colorado Springs for a short stay or you’ve relocated and are transitioning to full-on Coloradoan (which could lead to more Fat Tires in your fridge than on your jeep), here are a few simple tips that can make your ascent up the Pikes Peak Tollroad as enjoyable as it is memorable.
- First and foremost, when in high altitude settings for the first time, drink lots and lots of water. However much you are used to drinking at lower altitudes, drink twice that much. Water good. Dehydration bad.
- Be sure to have more than half a tank of gas and plenty of time to enjoy all Pikes Peak has to offer. There are several overlooks which provide excellent photo ops, as well as a gift shop and café in the summit house. By the way, the hot coffee and donuts made from a special high-altitude recipe featured there are a must!
- Uphill traffic generally has the right-of-way, but even so pay close attention to oncoming traffic. The views from Pikes Peak are amazing and hard to resist, but that’s what the overlooks are for. A good driver is always careful and courteous, wherever they drive. Driving up a fourteener is certainly no exception.
- Even if you are driving up Pikes Peak in mid-August, layer up! 85 degrees at 6,000 feet could very well be 50 degrees by the time you reach the summit. Sure you could sit in the summit house café and soak up all the aforementioned hot coffee and special donuts, but you have to give yourself plenty of time to get back down before the gate closes.
- Which brings me to a very important point; three simple words worth remembering. USE LOW GEAR! The drive down can seem as daunting as the one up, but burning your brake pads down to screeching, screaming metal really serves no purpose. Besides, you want your brakes functioning properly when driving down a 14,110 foot mountain. Did I mention there’s no guard rail?
See you at the Peak!
