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Manitou
Springs, Colorado Cog Railway
 Since
1891, the Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway (the world's highest
cog railroad, the highest Colorado railroad AND highest train in the
United States) has taken passengers to the 14,110 foot summit of
Pikes Peak.
Just 70 miles from downtown Denver and 6 miles from downtown Colorado
Springs, this classic Colorado train trip is open from mid-April
through December.
The Pikes Peak Cog Railway is 8.9 miles long. The round trip
lasts 3 hours and 10 minutes. The first third of our trip is along
Ruxton Creek in Englemann Canyon. Here, the steep track follows a
cascading stream through dense stands of Englemann spruce, Colorado
blue spruce, as well as Ponderosa pine trees. Conductors like to
point out the various "faces" and shapes which, with a bit of imagination,
can be seen in the giant boulders. Right near the Minnehaha switch
(where the descending trains pass the ascending train on many trips)
is Minnehaha Falls.
The middle third of the trip is on a gentler grade. Right below
the old settlement of Ruxton Park, the train passes through what is
known as "Hell Gate", a natural gateway in the mountains. Soon, the
train passes near Deer Park, where passengers sometimes catch a glimpse
of mule deer grazing. Then the train passes over the Four Mile Switch
and gets the first glimpse of Pikes Peak! Another siding comes up,
Mountain View, which is the half-way point on the journey.
At about the 5 mile point, the grade steepens again where the railway
begins climbing in earnest. Many of the trees in this area
are bristlecone pine, some of the oldest living things on earth! It
is estimated that some trees on Pikes Peak are over 2000 years old.
Once the train climbs above timberline, the views become more expansive.
Timberline is the point in elevation where trees stop growing because
they cannot get enough moisture. This lack of moisture is due
to the presence of permafrost, a permanent layer of frost just below
the surface of the ground. What does grow is Alpine tundra, a mixture
of mosses, grasses and wildflowers, has adapted to the extremely short
growing season. Here passengers frequently see Bighorn sheep and
yellow-bellied marmots.
The last 3 miles are all above timberline. To the east the
Great Plains stretch out beyond the border of Colorado and Kansas.
To the south, the Sangre de Christo (Blood of Christ) Range stretches
south to New Mexico. On the western horizon, just slightly to the
southwest, lies the Collegiate Range. To the southwest, at the base
of Pikes Peak, sit the old mining towns of Cripple Creek and Victor.
Once upon the summit, if the weather is clear, you can see the skyscrapers
of downtown Denver.
Upon reaching the summit, you are provided with 40 minutes of breathtaking
views atop Pikes Peak. This time limit is for your benefit, as
most people tend to feel the effects of high altitude (slight nausea,
headache) after this amount of time. The railway recommends that you
budget your time accordingly. In the high season, the summit house
serves thousands of people daily. The staff of ARAMARK (the concessionaire
of the Summit House, which is owned by the City of Colorado Springs)
does an admirable job with a facility that was built in the 1950's
and was never intended to serve the numbers it does today. Consequently,
long lines are quite common especially in the food service area. The
lines are generally longest at food service right after the train
arrives. You can bring food and beverages aboard the train
(either your own or those purchased from the Cog Railway Cafe), but
due to the limited seating, you cannot bring outside food or beverages
into the Summit House.
MANITOU & PIKES PEAK RAILWAY
515 RUXTON AVE. / PO BOX 351
MANITOU SPRINGS, CO 80829
Phone: 719 685 5401
Fax: 719 685 9033
e-mail: info@cograilway.com
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