Pikes Peak may be the most famous mountain in the United States. It is a massive symmetrical peak set apart from other peaks so that it's size and breadth really are noticeable. It is a natural landmark and was "discovered" by Zebulon Pike during his explorations of the area. A good, if steep, road leads literaly to the summit. The road was built in the 1920s and is probably something that wouldn't be done today. But it is a very fascinating journey up this road, and very popular, too. For the vast majority of people, this is the only time they'll ever be at 14,000 feet... and some don't do so well, either, sorry to say! To get to this road is very easy: get to Colorado Springs and follow the signs. It's about 10 miles up US-24 west of Colorado Springs (or Colo Spgs as all the road signs say). The toll for me was $10.

At first the road is paved and although goes uphill, is at a reasonable grade. Periodically there are pullouts with informative signs and places to hike or picnic. The views are great all the way up. At about mile 7 the pavement ends and a wide, well-maintained dirt road continues on to the top. Now I was intending to be patient because I knew this was a steep, twisty mountain road but I came upon a minivan poking along at 10 mph! I couldn't maintain 10 mph without wearing out my clutch to keep from stalling so I passed this weenie the first chance I got. The road can easily handle 25-30 mph speeds, except obviously at the switchback turns. The flora changes as the road gains; pavement reappears for about a mile to an old historic inn at mile 10. Then, the real climbing starts: the road is cut into the side of the mountain and switchbacks at a consistent 10-15% grade, which can be steep for vehicles. Those with a fear of looking down over cliffs might want to curl up on the floor of the passenger side of the vehicle in this section.

At about mile 16 the road crests a saddle and comes to the Devil's Playground, a mass of boulders so named for its penchant of arcing electricity during thunderstorms. This is the Teller County highpoint. I parked in a large lot and walked the 100 vertical feet to the top rocks, surprisingly winded by the sudden gain of 9,000 feet from Colorado Springs. It was another 3 miles of driving to the top of Pikes Peak, at 14,110 feet. The highpoint rocks are in the middle of the lot, as is a plaque that most people totally ignore. This was not some little point of a summit; it could easily hold 2 or 3 football fields it seemed. I parked and walked over to the highpoint to claim it, then went into the visitor's center. I'd say there were 40 vehicles and 150 people out and about, many coming up the cog railway from Manitou Springs. Many people were caught off-guard by the considerably cooler temperatures and were only wearing tanktops and shorts. The 90 degrees in Colorado Springs was replaced by the mid-50s at the top. One lady in the visitor's center collapsed from the altitude and had to be taken down by ambulance. But for the most part, it was kind of neat to mill about with tons of strangers at 14,000 feet.

Scenery was incredible. The views down onto tens-of-thousands of square miles of mountains and plains were amazing. One kid was so spooked by the heights he just sort of stood in the middle of the viewing platform, about 30 feet from the edge. He was terrified to move at all. There weren't any cliffs. The slope on the other side of the wall was just gentle rocky terrain. Obviously, his fear was in the phobia range. I felt bad for him.

Then I went inside the visitor's center. Did mention that the scenery was incredible? A girl at one of the check-out lines in the souvenir shop was just spectacular: waist-length blond hair, killer figure, a beautiful smile. I bought some items just so she could ring them up for me. I milled around here for a little while longer, but then decided to get moving back down. About two miles of driving down from the top I was very amused to see the minivan driver I'd seen below, inching up the road at 10 m.p.h., followed by about 20 vehicles, all wearing out their clutches I am sure. I bet they weren't too pleased.

Suddenly, I felt terribly guilty: I felt I should make some sort of token hike to the summit, since driving it seemed so "wrong". So I parked at a scenic overlook pull-out, got my daypack and boots on, and made a short one-mile, 800-foot hike up to the top, then right back down. Toward the bottom I get to talking with another hiker, another drop-dead gorgeous beauty. On the 10 scale, she was about a 23. Gracious me. What's the deal with Colorado? Maybe I should move here, I thought at the time.

Once finished with the hike I just drove back down the mountain. They warn against riding the brakes; I just used 1st and 2nd gear with no problems, but they actually stop you at the mile 10 area near the inn and do a quick check: if your brakes are hot you have to stop for a bit. I'm sure it's a needed requirement. Total time on the mountain was about 5 hours. A very fun day!

From here I proceeded north into Denver for a whirl with the easy county highpoints in the immediate area. By this evening I was in Georgetown up I-70, getting psyched up for my hike the next day up Grays Peak. The day goofing off up on Pikes Peak at least gave my body some acclimization to 14K. Plus the girls were pretty.

Beth's visit, 2003: Beth made her own visit in late 2003. As you can see, the conditions on her visit were much more wintery than mine. She said it was a near white-out, and that they had closed the road to tourists just after she started up. Her photos at left are very fascinating!