How to Ride the Pike's Peak Cog Railroad

The Pikes Peak Cog Railway offers visitors to Pikes Peak, a mountain in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain range near Colorado Springs, a unique experience and spectacular views. One of the most visited mountains in the world, Pikes Peak, named after explorer Zebulon Peak, measures 14,110 ft. above sea level. The Cog Railway, built in 1889, takes visitors up in an old-fashioned railroad car in a roughly 3-hour round-trip journey. At the top, visitors are awarded with an unparalleled view of Colorado scenery.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Check the railroad’s online calendar at Cograilway.com, for times on the day you would like to visit. These times vary by day.

2. Book a reservation ahead of time. If you are making the reservation a minimum of five days in advance, you can do this through the website’s online booking system. To make a reservation less than five days before the trip, call (800) PikesPeak (745-3773).

3. Arrive at the Historic Manitou Springs Depot in Manitou Springs at least 30 to 40 minutes before the scheduled departure time to pay for your tickets.

4. Pay for tickets, which range in cost from $30 to $35 for adults and $17 to $18 for children, depending on the season. The ticket office takes all major credit cards, travelers checks and cash, but no personal checks.

5. Purchase food to take on the trip from the Cog Wheel Café at the depot. Box lunches and snacks from the café are allowed on the train, but visitors cannot bring food or beverage from outside.

6. Enjoy the slow 8.9 mile ascent. Upon arrival at the top, guests are given 30 to 40 minutes to enjoy the view, the sites and to eat, if desired. The Summit House, located on top of the mountain, also serves food.

7. Return to the same car you rode up in for the trip back. The round-trip ride, with the 30- to 40-minute break, averages a little over 3 hours.

Tips & Warnings

• Buy a box lunch at the station in Manitou Springs and not on top of Pikes Peak, where lines are much longer.
• Prepare for the possibility of being light headed and nauseous at the top of the mountain, due to the high altitude.
• The railway runs in all weather conditions, but in times of heavy snowfall, only partial trips may run to avoid the heavy snow at the top of the mountain.

Resources

• Cog Railroad Site
• City of Manitou Springs