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Hiking up Americas Mountain: Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak from the west deck of my home

Paul Richardson

Copyright 2010

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Katherine Lee Bates visited Colorado Springs in 1893 to teach a summer course at Colorado College.

While here she wrote America the Beautiful based on her train trip out and the views from the summit

of Pikes Peak.

There are three basic ways to summit Pikes Peak; The Pikes Peak Highway off of US24 at Cascade, a toll

road operated by the City of Colorado Springs; The Cog Railway which leaves Manitou Springs off ofRuxton Avenue; and hiking up on foot. There are two primary hiking routes, one up Barr Trail on the

east side and another trail starting from the Crags Campground off of CO Hwy 67 on the west side of the

Peak. The Barr Trail hike is by far the most popular even though it is twice the distance of the Crags

route. It provides a variety of terrain and wonderful views of the peak, city and plains to the east.

One of the quintessential Colorado experiences is to hike up Barr Trail to the summit of Pikes Peak. It is

not too hard but not easy either. The difficulty comes from the sheer length of the hike and the

elevation gain. Barr Trail was built by Fred Barr. He ran sightseeing mule trips to the summit for

tourists. They would overnight at Barr Camp about halfway and proceed to the summit the second day.

Trail view

Barr Trail is a very scenic route up the Peak. It is also the course for the Pikes Peak Ascent and

Marathon races each summer, which attract thousands of runners from all over the U.S. Barr Trail has

the greatest base to summit elevation gain climb in Colorado, with an altitude gain of over 7,000 feet in

over 12 miles length. It uses switchbacks to avoid steep trail sections. The trail is a composition of

several characteristically different sections. From the trail head off of Ruxton Avenue in Manitou

Springs, the first three miles or so is a steep assent up a series of switchbacks to the top of the inclineas it is known locally. This refers to the no longer existing incline railroad that once climbed steeply up

what is technically known as Rocky Mountain. From the crest of Rocky Mountain the trail to Barr Camp

(log structures) is the easiest part of the hike. It is about 4 miles of gentle grade through the forest with

enough openings to give you enticing views of your summit goal.

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The summit is still there

Paul and Mike taking a break

Barr Camp is at about 10200 feet elevation. Barr Camp operates under Forest Service permit and

provides sleeping accommodations, good water and some food offerings. Water is an important

consideration and any containers you bring should be topped of at this opportunity because it is the last

chance for water until the summit.

The next section of the trail is about 3 miles to timberline. There is an A-frame shelter off to the left of

the trail at timberline if you get caught and need it for some reason. This section is characterized bysteeper grades through pine and fir forest. Near timberline you will encounter stunted or dwarf trees.

Also, there are areas with dead tree trunks that have bleached almost white in the sun which is so

intense above timberline.

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Stark reminder of harsh climate

Interesting geology

The final section of the trail takes you through alpine tundra past a gigantic cirque with sheer drops that

will cause caution in anyones behavior. It is a short detour from the trail to the cirques edge and I

found myself going slower the closer I approached. Reminded me of the old saying, Watch that first

step, its a killer. The final section of the trail is called the 16 Golden Stairs because it is comprised of 16

switchbacks up the nearly sheer face leading to the summit. The trail tops out very near where the cog

train tracks end. Often hikers will get an awed, You hiked all the way up here comment from train

passengers. There is a Summit House at the top of the peak where you can buy food and souvenirs if

you wish before your trip down.

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The Cirque

Bluer skies above timberline

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A good rule of thumb is that the trip down takes a third or less as long as the hike up. This is due to less

pacing yourself so you dont get out of breath and also the help of gravity. You will notice different

muscles complaining on the way down unless you are in terrific shape.

A few words about safety and preparing for the best experience. First, if you are going for the first time,

go with at least one other person. This provides someone to assist if one of you is injured or overcomewith altitude sickness. As you pass along the trail you are actually changing climate regions very quickly.

While you may feel comfortable in shorts and tee shirt at the start, by the time you get to the summit,

long pants and a parka would feel about right. One of the key safety considerations is to start the hike

very early (at daybreak) as we have a high probability of afternoon thunderstorms in the summer. You

do not want to be above timberline when a thunder storm starts. Also, in addition to clothing to cover

the range of climates from Manitou Springs to the summit you need to consider what food and drink

you will need to sustain you on your journey. You will want to bring sun glasses as the sun is

particularly intense above timberline. A hat with a wide brim is also a help against sunburn. Lastly, a

roll of toilet paper in your pack will be appreciated if you need to go off the trail to find a place to do

your thing as Barr Camp is the only place with toilet facilities along the way.

I recommend this hike as something for you to do list of experiences.