Pikes Peak Cog Railway

The Pikes Peak Cog Railway has been carrying travelers up America's Mountain since 1891, when Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs were Victorian resorts and the summit was the ultimate day out. A toothed rack rail laid between the tracks lets the train climb grades as steep as roughly twenty-five percent, gaining more than seven thousand feet over about nine miles from the depot in Manitou Springs to the summit at 14,115 feet. The ride passes through aspen and spruce, runs beside Ruxton Creek and crosses open tundra above timberline, with views that widen from the red rock of the Front Range to the plains rolling east toward Kansas. A major rebuild of the line and a fleet of modern trains reopened the railway in 2021, and the experience is now smoother, quieter and climate-controlled, with big windows for the whole trip. Most visitors spend about three hours including a short stay at the summit.

The railway was the idea of Zalmon Simmons, the mattress magnate, who financed the line after a visit to the summit convinced him that travelers needed an easier way up. Construction crews pushed the line upward in the late 1880s, and the first passenger train reached the top in 1891. The route ever since has followed the south slope of the mountain, past waterfalls and glacial boulders, with the gradient easing and the forest thinning as the train climbs.

It is a living piece of engineering history, and the narration on board points out the landmarks and the stories behind them, including the tale of the song America the Beautiful, which Katharine Lee Bates is said to have begun after reaching the summit in 1893.

At the top, the new Summit Visitor Center sits among the boulders at the very crest of the peak. You will have around half an hour to walk to the viewpoints, take photographs, warm up with a drink and perhaps try the famous high-altitude doughnuts. The air is thin at 14,115 feet, and even short strolls can leave you breathless.

Some visitors feel headaches or fatigue, especially if they came straight from sea level. Drink water through the morning, avoid heavy meals before boarding and move slowly. Dress in layers, because the summit can be thirty degrees colder than Manitou Springs, and weather can change quickly. Trains do not always run in extreme conditions, and operations adjust to weather and season.

For planning, book a specific departure time ahead of your visit, especially in summer and fall when the aspens turn gold. Morning trains have the clearest skies, because summer afternoons often bring clouds and thunder that can obscure the views. If you want to see the mountain from several angles, combine the railway with a drive on the Pikes Peak Highway on another day, or hike part of Barr Trail.

The depot is a short walk from the center of Manitou Springs, where you can follow the ride with lunch, a stroll past the mineral-spring fountains and a visit to Cave of the Winds. Families with children enjoy the whole experience, but very young children and anyone with serious heart or lung conditions should check with a doctor before heading to high altitude.

Photography is rewarding on this trip. Sit on the side that faces the valley on the way up, since the view opens as the train climbs above the trees, and keep your camera ready for the open tundra stretch near the top, where marmots and bighorn sheep sometimes appear. Children often enjoy the rhythm of the cogs and the commentary about the engineers who built the line, and railway enthusiasts will appreciate the chance to watch the rack mechanism at work through the windows.