Pikes Peak Cog Railway
*Closed until 2021*
Have you ever wondered where the inspiration for our patriotic preamble, "America the Beautiful," came from? Well, look no further than the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, the world’s highest cog train that has inspired many a soul with its invigorating grandeur and astounding panoramas. Sitting at an astonishing 14,115 feet high, this attraction sees thousands of visitors yearly that travel to the 3 hours up to the summit of Pikes Peak, tenderly known as America’s Mountain. The cog railway is different than others because it uses gears rather than rails to allow a steeper grade climb, this particular train able to travel up to a 48 percent grade.
On a railway ride, your group will receive a guided tour in comfort and style, full of educational tidbits about the history and geography of the area you will see on your 8.9-mile trek. On the beginning of your trip, you will pass along Ruxton Creek in the Englemann Canyon, slowly following the railway past Minnehaha Falls, Hell’s Gate, Deer Park, the Four Mile Siding, Mountain View, and Big Hill. You will see the natural landscape from spruce and pine to sagebrush and scrub oak, and everything in between such as boulder fields, wildflowers, grassland, mosses, and pines such as the 2,000-year-old grove of bristlecone pines. If you watch for wildlife you will see prairie dogs, rabbits, deer, bear, yellow-bellied marmots, and even the occasional mountain lion. Be sure to pack a jacket for this trip, for every 1000 feet you rise the temperature will drop around 3.5 degrees, making it a crisp 30 degrees colder at the top!
