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At a glance:
Distance: 24 miles Round Trip (Barr Trail) 14 miles Round Trip (The Crags)
Difficulty: Class 1 (Barr Trail), Class 2 (The Crags) Ascent: 7,600 ft (Barr Trail), 4,300 ft (The Crags) Map Link: Pikes Peak Website: 14ers.com Pikes Peak Google Maps Link: Pikes Peak Dogs: On a leash |
Pikes Peak
America's Mountain! Also, our family mountain. Every morning, I look out my window and see this peak and it reminds me that I am lucky to live in Colorado. We have hiked it, biked it, driven it, run it, and taken the cog railway to the top. Each way has its own merits. I think that hiking to the top and taking the cog back down (if you do the Barr trail) is a great way to experience this mountain. I am also a fan of driving up to Devil's Playground, hiking to the top from there and back down. It's a fun little way to experience the mountain with friends who are in from out of town. What an amazing mountain to have in your backyard.
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pikes peak
getting there:
Barr Trail: 98 Hydro St, Manitou Springs, CO 80829
1) From Colorado Springs, head up into Manitou Springs. Its worth paying to park at the Barr Trail parking lot or at one of the other parking areas up by the trail, it saves time but not money.
The Crags: 615 Teller Co Rd 62, Divide, CO 80814
1) From Colorado Springs, head West on US-24 toward Woodland Park.
2) Head on through Woodland Park, stopping at the store to grab any last minute supplies you may have forgotten.
3) When you get to Divide, turn left on CO-67 and head past Mueller State Park.
4) Once you pass Mueller, look for CO Rd. 62 on the left and head towards the Crags Trail Head.
5) Follow this road for about 3 miles. You pass by the Mennonite Camp so don't drive like a loon through their property.
1) From Colorado Springs, head up into Manitou Springs. Its worth paying to park at the Barr Trail parking lot or at one of the other parking areas up by the trail, it saves time but not money.
The Crags: 615 Teller Co Rd 62, Divide, CO 80814
1) From Colorado Springs, head West on US-24 toward Woodland Park.
2) Head on through Woodland Park, stopping at the store to grab any last minute supplies you may have forgotten.
3) When you get to Divide, turn left on CO-67 and head past Mueller State Park.
4) Once you pass Mueller, look for CO Rd. 62 on the left and head towards the Crags Trail Head.
5) Follow this road for about 3 miles. You pass by the Mennonite Camp so don't drive like a loon through their property.
The Hike:
Barr Trail:
Unless you're running up the trail, expect to spend most of the day doing this ascent. It's a long one and the vertical is legit. Start early or else the sun will scorch your neck as it rises from the East. The start of the trail is a bunch of switchbacks until you get to the intersection of the trail that head to the Incline (for a real fun challenge, take the Incline up and then come down to this intersection and head to the summit...your legs will never forgive you). At the junction, head left and stay on the Barr trail. There will be another junction in about 0.2 miles and stay on the Barr trail here too as it heads left. Head up to a great overlook and take a deep breath and enjoy the view. From here, keep going up until you get to Barr Camp which sits just above 10,000 feet and about six miles from where you started. This marks the half way point of your ascent.
From Barr Camp, pass the Elk Park junction and continue west until you get to the Bottomless Pit. Take a left and head south. From here it is switchback central (about 20 or so of them). This will take you to the tree-line and your last bit of shade for the day. Continue up the rocky slopes toward the summit and the golden stairs. You're almost there and can smell the over rated doughnuts. Rejoice at the top with all the people who drove up there and wonder why you weren't that smart.
The Crags:
A more reasonable day hike to the summit of Pikes Peak, start on the trail and consider just going to the Crags (great views, much easier). Follow the trail until you see the split for Pikes Peak (trail 664A). This is your last chance to reconsider your life decision. Head right if you have decided to go to the summit of America's Mountain. You will cross a small stream and head on the trail to Devil's Playground. Fun fact, it's called devils playground because the lightning dances between the rocks when it strikes, and it does frequently and it is terrifying as hell to be stuck there during a storm with your cousins who are visiting from Virginia. Follow the well marked trail and exit the tree line just below 12,000 feet. Follow the trail through a bunch of cool rock formations to reach the Devil's Playground area.
From here, cross the road and follow the trail on its east side. From here, it's just over 2 miles to the summit.
The fun part of this side is following the cairns to the summit through the rock scramble. You will pop up on the far side of the parking lot. Continue on to the summit house for a treat before you head back down. Just make sure you don't linger too long, those afternoon thunderstorms are a doozy on the way back down.
Unless you're running up the trail, expect to spend most of the day doing this ascent. It's a long one and the vertical is legit. Start early or else the sun will scorch your neck as it rises from the East. The start of the trail is a bunch of switchbacks until you get to the intersection of the trail that head to the Incline (for a real fun challenge, take the Incline up and then come down to this intersection and head to the summit...your legs will never forgive you). At the junction, head left and stay on the Barr trail. There will be another junction in about 0.2 miles and stay on the Barr trail here too as it heads left. Head up to a great overlook and take a deep breath and enjoy the view. From here, keep going up until you get to Barr Camp which sits just above 10,000 feet and about six miles from where you started. This marks the half way point of your ascent.
From Barr Camp, pass the Elk Park junction and continue west until you get to the Bottomless Pit. Take a left and head south. From here it is switchback central (about 20 or so of them). This will take you to the tree-line and your last bit of shade for the day. Continue up the rocky slopes toward the summit and the golden stairs. You're almost there and can smell the over rated doughnuts. Rejoice at the top with all the people who drove up there and wonder why you weren't that smart.
The Crags:
A more reasonable day hike to the summit of Pikes Peak, start on the trail and consider just going to the Crags (great views, much easier). Follow the trail until you see the split for Pikes Peak (trail 664A). This is your last chance to reconsider your life decision. Head right if you have decided to go to the summit of America's Mountain. You will cross a small stream and head on the trail to Devil's Playground. Fun fact, it's called devils playground because the lightning dances between the rocks when it strikes, and it does frequently and it is terrifying as hell to be stuck there during a storm with your cousins who are visiting from Virginia. Follow the well marked trail and exit the tree line just below 12,000 feet. Follow the trail through a bunch of cool rock formations to reach the Devil's Playground area.
From here, cross the road and follow the trail on its east side. From here, it's just over 2 miles to the summit.
The fun part of this side is following the cairns to the summit through the rock scramble. You will pop up on the far side of the parking lot. Continue on to the summit house for a treat before you head back down. Just make sure you don't linger too long, those afternoon thunderstorms are a doozy on the way back down.
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