Pike's Peak

Whew! Didn't think we'd make it, but here we are; the final blog Post rounding out the last day of our visit to Fort Carson.

On our final day in Colorado Springs, the husband & I got up early-ish to catch the COG Railway train to the top of Pike's Peak. {Tourist tip: make your reservations in advance - either online or by phone - so that you're guaranteed a seat. Yes, there are assigned seats and many of the time slots for the trains were already booked up. It's also important to note that there are often discounts & coupons - amounting to some pretty good savings! - just remember to ask when you call.} We purchased our tickets via phone a couple of days before-hand and arrived about 30 minutes prior to the departure time. This was a gooood idea because it allowed us plenty of time to figure out the parking situation, go to the restrooms, and mill around the gift shop without being hurried. It's probably even more important to arrive early for the later trains because the line for tickets can get quite long!  

Got his ticket! Ready to board!

All aboard!

In our seats, ready to go:)

Looking out the train window - almost 8am, almost time to go!

Manitou Springs is about 6000 feet...and the Summit of Pike's Peak is 14,110. Fortunately, it is a slow trek (taking about 45 minutes) to reach the top...and most of the train ride is on a neighboring peak which allows for a much more gradual ascent, before switching over to Pike's Peak for the last several hundred feet.

The ascent is straight up, but the steepest grade is about 15% (not bad)

We did not see any... :)

Close up of the tracks!

Here's how you know you're getting close to the Summit: no more trees. You can see the last of them (the tree line) in the far right-hand corner of this photo!

Everyone made a mad dash into the Summit House on top mainly b/c it provided WARMTH...

...but also because it provided the Pike's Peak famous donuts! Yum...

I snapped this photo from our table inside the Summit House. Love the sky that's visible through the train windows!

A close-up of our train.

Hey honey!, can you back up a little more? A little more?... :)

More breathtaking views at the top.

We snapped this photo then hopped back on the train - it was COLD up there!

Time to go back. But an hour on top was really plenty of time.

A very fun side-trip, I highly recommend that you make the trek if visiting the Colorado Springs area. The views are amazing, but remember to plan accordingly. Even in August, the temperatures at the Summit were in the 40s (the Peak had received some snow only the day before!). The train runs almost year-round...and snow is sometimes a deterring factor (that is, of course, if it can't be removed from the tracks by snow plow or by dynamite!). There's a "Santa's Village" about 1/2 up that would be a great time for kids and families during Nov/Dec...

Why does my spell checker not like the word Santa?!   :)