Cog Railway to Pikes Peak and Back!

While in Manitou Springs, get on-board the train at Pikes Peak Cog Railway, The trip is 8.9 miles long up to the top of Pikes Peak. The unique cog mechanical structure of this train is unlike most in the U.S.

Here the steep track follows a cascading stream through dense stands of Aspens, Englemann spruce, Colorado blue spruce as well as Ponderosa pine trees. A breath taking view for 'leaf peepers."

Boulder fields grace the landscape as you peer out the many windows.

At the bottom up view from the Gardens of the Gods, Pikes Peak stands tall for all to admire.

While quite high, Pikes Peak IS NOT the highest mountain in Colorado. It is 31st out of the 54 mountains in the state over 14,000 feet, the highest being Mt. Elbert at 14,433 feet.

As a special piece of trivia regarding this area, it is said we owe the inspiration for the lyrics of the beloved song, "America the Beautiful" to the stunning vistas from the summit of Pikes Peak.

It was the summer of 1893, when Katharine Lee Bates, a professor of English at Wellesley College, wrote the entire song on her return that evening from Pikes Peak to Colorado Springs.