Pikes Peak: America’s Mountain

Wednesday, 17 June 2015
Peregrine Pines FamCamp; USAFA, Colorado Springs — Colorado
Temps: Hi 80F (27C) / Lo 55F (13C)

The mountain that looms over Colorado Springs has been known by many names.

The Ute Indians referred to it as Sun Mountain because it catches the early mountain rays.  The Arapaho called it Heey-otoyoo, meaning "Long Mountain” — that’s self explanatory; just look at the photo to the right.  Then came the Spaniards in the 1700s … they named the mountain El Capitán.  In 1806, when Lt Zebulon Pike was sent to survey the lands acquired through the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, he named the mountain Grand Peak … some say it was Highest Peak.  That name lasted until the first recorded ascent in 1820 when the mountain was named James Peak … in honor of the botanist who made it to the summit.  Thirty years later, the mountain was officially named Pikes Peak … the name that has lasted to our time.

At 14,115 feet (4,302 m) tall, Pikes Peak is one of Colorado’s 53 “Fourteeners” — peaks that exceed 14,000 feet (4,267 m).  To be specific, it is #30 amongst the 53.  Pikes Peak may not be the tallest, but it seems to have a special place in the hearts of Americans nonetheless.  Why?  I’m not sure, but maybe it has something to do with the fact that it was the inspiration for America the Beautiful, one of America’s most patriotic songs.  Whatever the reason, it is visible from almost every vantage point in Colorado Springs and vicinity, and it grabs one’s imagination.  It is certainly worthy of a visit — which is what we did today.

You can hike America’s Mountain … as Pikes Peak is often promoted.  Or you can bike it, train it, or drive it.  Hiking and biking was out for us.  We debated taking the cog rail up — after all, it came highly recommended by Nickie (of Out and About with Ruthie (aka Nickie) and Jimmy fame).  In the end, though, we ended up driving the Pikes Peak Highway (PPH) — a toll road with a fee of $12/person.  With a $2 discount coupon from the Colorado Springs Vacation Planner, our bill came out to $22.  Well worth it … and much less expensive than the cog rail train.

At 7:57a we approach the tollgate to pay the fee and begin the drive up to the summit.

The PPH is 39 miles (63 km) roundtrip; at a speed limit of 25 mph (40 kph) … not just so you can enjoy the views, but by necessity.  You see, there are lots of twists and turns on the road — by one count, more than 160 of them … approx. 8 turns per mile each way.  And then there is the elevation gain — up from 4,720 feet to 14,115 feet (1,439 m to 4,267 m) … at grades averaging 7%.  We were advised at the tollgate not to use the A/C on the way up, and to use low gears on the way down so as not to ride the brakes or overheat the engine.  Alrighty!  Mui kept an eye on the CR-V’s engine temp and reported later that it never overheated.  It pays to follow advice when it comes to the PPH.

The map shows the route of both the PPH and the cog rail.
The different routes just might make it worth taking the cog rail up another time.

Map of the Pikes Peak Highway … gives a sense of the topography of the area.

The first part of the PPH goes through the Pike National Forest.  Occasionally you get glimpses of the mountains, and the snow-frosted Pikes Peak.  As we gained elevation, however, the views opened up to all kinds of spectacular scenery.  One simple word — “WOW” — was oft repeated by the two occupants of our car — a word that goes just a short ways towards describing what our eyes beheld.

GoPro clamped to the windshield wiper … ready to record our drive.

Before I get going with the rest of the post, let me clear something up.  I always thought the correct way to spell Pikes Peak was with an apostrophe — after all, named after Zebulon Pike, grammar rules dictate that it be the Peak of Pike … or Pike’s Peak.  Turns out that’s how it was spelled until 1891 when the US Board on Geographic Names recommended the removal of possessive apostrophes from all official references to this and other geographic names.  Colorado then passed legislature to that effect as well, making it official.

Signage explaining how Pikes Peak was made … click for a larger, more legible version.

Our first stop on the way up was at Crystal Reservoir where a dam collects water from a creek by the same name.  This is one of several reservoirs that can be visited off the PPH, and is a source of drinking water for Colorado Springs and vicinity.  A by-product of the reservoir is the awesome views of Pikes Peak reflected on its calm (or slightly rippled) waters.  I took a zillion photographs here — two of which are posted above.  I’ll limit myself to one more … the postcard doesn’t count ;-).

Panorama showing most of Crystal Reservoir visible from this vantage point.

The postcard setting of the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the
Rocky Mountains of North America deserves a special photo op.  The summit of
Pikes Peak is higher than any point in the United States east of its longitude.

We’re slow travelers, so no surprise that we spent quite a bit of time at Crystal Reservoir.  If not for this drive being our first time up the PPH, we probably would have stayed to walk some of the trails accessible from here.  Perhaps another time.

Wild Geranium	A flower from the daisy family.

Violet Green Swallow
[By the way, there are a lot of these birds at the FamCamp, collecting nesting material
from our site.  Unfortunately, the grass is tall so getting a photo hasn’t been possible;
I am especially glad I managed to capture this one at Crystal Reservoir today.]

If you don’t believe that Bigfoot exists, here is the proof.
Apparently there was an alleged Bigfoot sighting in a town at the foot of Pikes Peak;
and in the 1980’s a Pikes Peak Ranger also reported seeing him.  For more about the story,
click here for a photograph of the sign near this wood carving at Crystal Reservoir.

Continuing the drive up to the summit with some of the scenery we enjoyed along the way … safe spots to pull off are limited — some of these images can be described aptly as “drive-by shooting.”  Concerned about whether Mui was getting to enjoy the scenery since the road did require his careful attention, his response to my question was an emphatic no … that’s a good thing.

North & South Catamount Reservoirs	Crystal Reservoir

An excellent vantage point from which to view the twisty-turny PPH and the
reservoirs … from left to right: North Catamount, South Catamount, and Crystal.
This small turnout on the road also serves as a great place to enjoy …

… a tasty snack with a view while Mui has fun with the dual camera on his phone.

The minimum time suggested for the roundtrip drive is two hours.  From what we saw, there were probably quite a few who did in fact do the drive in that suggested time … we weren’t amongst them.  It was 10:00a when we pulled into the Summit parking lot — that’s two hours one-way for us … yes, we’re slow travelers.

The sign has not been updated to reflect the correct elevation of 14,115 feet.

There was plenty of snow at the summit, but the parking lot had been cleared, and a path had been shoveled to Summit House.  This is where you can have a “world-class” donut — one of the bucket list items in the Colorado Springs Vacation Planner.  Thought about it, but the donuts in the display case did not look all that appealing, so we passed ;-)

There's still plenty of snow at this elevation, but a path has been shoveled to Summit House.

Instead, we made our way to the observation terrace to enjoy the views.  As we wandered around to take our photographs, we took it slow and easy.  Not only because the parts of the terrace that were in the shade were icy and slippery, but also because at this elevation oxygen intake is 60% of what it is at sea level.  This high up, altitude sickness is a very real possibility even if you’re not coming from sea level … USAFA, where we’ve been staying is at 6,770 feet (2,063 m).  Taking care and watching for symptoms is critical.  We did so, even though we’ve been at these elevations — even hiked at them — on previous travels.

About 1/2 hour after we summit, the cog rail train arrives.

A disappointing photo of the America the Beautiful monument … into the sun with a lot of glare.
At least I got a decent shot of a similar monument at the America the Beautiful Park.

Bikers getting ready to whiz-down the PPH — crazy I say.

This kind of graffiti I can deal with.

With the afternoon sun this would be a beautiful view; not so much at this time of the day.

With the summit forecast calling for temps in the 40F (4C) range — without windchill — we went on this trip prepared to bundle up.  Jackets, windbreaks, gloves, and hats were all in the car.  Turns out that the temp was more like 55F (13C).  No wind to add a chill factor; lots of sunshine to keep us cozy.  Light jackets — unzipped — were all we needed to stay comfortable.

Taking advantage of the pop of red from the cog rail train for some photo ops.

Forty-five minutes after arriving, passengers re-board the train and down they go.

With the train gone, I cross the rails to check out the mile marker sign for the Barr Trail.
13 miles (21 km) all the way down to Manitou Springs.  No thank you!

The only wildlife we saw at the summit were three or four yellow-bellied marmots.  At first they were quite distant, scampering around the boulders strewn about.  Once the train left, however, they came closer — one of them all the way to the rails where he posed for those who noticed him.  This particular guy was too busy chewing on rocks and lapping at water ponding near the rails to pay any attention to us camera-clickers.

Sorry, can’t decide which photo to pick, so you will simply have to endure several of them.

The yellow-bellied marmot is also known as rock chuck; it is a ground squirrel of sorts.

Marmots reside in colonies of about ten to twenty individuals, so there must
be more than the three or four we see scampering around the summit.

Always on alert, this marmot takes a break from chewing on rocks to take a look around.

Yellow-bellied marmots hibernate from September to May, so these animals have
been out of their hibernacula (hibernation burrows) for just a few short weeks.

After 1½ hours at the summit, it was time to head back down.  We didn’t get far before making a stop, however — maybe a minute or two … couldn’t resist driving into another parking lot just yards below the summit to take a peek at the west-facing views .

Abyss of Desolation — looking west just below the summit.

Abyss of Desolation in B&W.

Finally, setting up the GoPro by affixing it to the windshield wiper, we headed down the PPH, making a few stops en route to enjoy the fabulous landscape from a slightly different perspective.  One other stop we made was near Glen Cove.  This wasn’t by choice, though.  Stationed on the road not far from the historic Glen Cove Inn, rangers were conducting mandatory tests on vehicles to ensure brakes weren’t overheating.  We passed the temperature gauge test with flying colors.  Seconds later, we saw four or five vehicles with their hoods up in the inn’s parking area.  If I had to take a guess, they disregarded warnings about using the A/C and driving in high gear, and were having to cool off their overheated engines.

Let the downward drive begin!

Panorama of Sheep Basin.

Panorama from above what is referred to as the “first W,” a series of
switchbacks that resemble the letter “W” when viewed from above.

The PPH from above the “First W.”
If you want to see what the rest of the scenery looks like from here, check out …

… this panorama from the base of the rock pile.

After this point, we limited our stops.  Why?  Because we were hungry and wanted a comfortable spot to enjoy our lunch break.  Debating perching on some boulders somewhere, we decided comfy picnic tables would serve us better.  So we headed back to Crystal Reservoir.

Almost an hour ago we were at the summit of Pikes Peak.  Now here we are
enjoying lunch with a view … stuffed grape leaves; crackers and cheese;
baby carrots; quartered apples and pears … that’s it for our midday meal.

My good deed for the day … I found a smartphone on the ground near our picnic table.  After asking the people wandering around if the phone belonged to them, I turned it in to the clerk at the gift shop.  Apparently he had already gotten a call from the owner, asking him to keep an eye out for a lost phone.

Before getting back on the road, we debated walking one of the trails accessible from near the picnic area.  But the sun was brutal.  So we moved on, promising ourselves that we would hike around here the next time we come to Colorado Springs.

Our last stop of the day was at Camera Point, an overlook Mui decided to skip on the way up due to the odd angle of entry.  I’m glad we waited until later in the day as the afternoon light was better for this expansive view looking east across Ute Pass.

Ute Pass is an ancient route through the Rocky Mountains.
It is named for Colorado’s Ute Indians who made an annual trek through
the pass to visit the springs in Manitou and hunt buffalo on the plains.

In 1806, unable to reach the summit of Pikes Peak due to a blizzard, Zebulon Pike said: “I believe no human being could have ascended to its pinnacle.”  Probably true in November, which is when he attempted to summit … and with the means he had at hand in the early 19th century.  Gotta be smart about these things Lt Pike … we waited until summer and made our ascent in a car ;-)

For more images from our drive on the PPH, visit my online gallery.  You can scroll through the thumbnails and click on any photo for a larger image; or you can view the entire gallery as a slideshow — link at the top right of the screen.

© 2004-2015 Two to Travel's Phaeton Journeys.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED by ERIN ERKUN.