Driving Pike’s Peak – Colorado

I’m a sucker for driving up and down mountain passes, byways and highways. I absolutely love them. I love the twists and turns, the scenery, the altitude changes -driving mountain passes is one of my favorite things to do on a summer road trip. So of course, when I was in the Colorado Springs area, I had to drive up Pike’s Peak.

Pike’s Peak, also known as “America’s Mountain” (so patriotic! ‘MURICA) is a “14er” – meaning, its summit is above 14,000 feet above sea level. Colorado has a lot of 14’ers; most of which require a hike. Pike’s Peak is different – its summit can be reached a few different ways – hiking, biking, taking the cog railway, or driving. Though I’m always up for a hike, I didn’t have enough time, so I took the easy way out – I drove Pike’s Peak. But is driving Pike’s Peak worth it? Let’s explore and review driving the Pike’s Peak highway in Colorado.

Pike’s Peak drive – Location and Details

Location: The entrance gate to Pike’s Peak is located only 13 miles from the town of Manitou Springs.

Cost: Cost varies by season – winter: $10 per adult, $5 per child with a max of $35 a carload (max 5 passengers). Summer: $15/adult, $5/child, $50 carload of max 5 passengers. You pay an admission fee at the toll gate. Your America the Beautiful National Park Pass is not accepted here.

Season and hours: Pike’s Peak is open year round, though the road may close due to inclement weather to allow snow plows enough time to clear the road. 9am-5pm during winter, 7:30am-9pm in summer.

Trip length: The Pike’s Peak highway is 19 miles one-way from the entrance station to the summit. Allow at least 2 hours to complete your trip to allow time for photo stops, restroom breaks, and time at the summit.

Shuttle: For the past few years, extensive construction is ongoing at the summit. A new summit house, restaurant and gift shop is under heavy construction, so parking is limited. There is a mandatory (with few exceptions) shuttle bus you must take once you reach mile 16. You must park your car here and wait for a shuttle, unless you need handicap access or are traveling with pets – in those cases, you will be allowed to drive yourself to the summit.

Driving Pike’s Peak in Colorado

Tips before beginning this drive:

• Fill up your gas tank! Pike’s Peak highway is steep and although it’s only 38 miles round trip, it eats up a lot of gas. I had a full tank of gas, and was left with only 1/2 tank after completing this drive. There is no gas station along the highway.
• Bring water! You will need to hydrate – even if you don’t think you’re thirsty, drink! 14,115 feet above sea level is no joke.
• Know how to shift gears (yes, even in your automatic transmission vehicle) so that you don’t wear out your brakes on the way down. The lower gears will help you slow down without tapping your brakes. Pike’s Peak is steep – I felt it was much steeper than other mountain passes. If you ride your brakes the whole way down, they may overhead, and you’ll be pulled aside by the park ranger to wait for them to cool down before continuing.
• If you’re not from a high altitude area, try to acclimate before you do this drive. I spent two days in Colorado Springs area before doing this drive (I did the Manitou Incline hike – it was a blast) and it still wasn’t enough. As someone who never gets altitude sickness, I did get it here.
• Bring a jacket or a heavy sweatshirt. It’s cold at the top!

When you pay your entrance fee, the cashier will let you know the rules of the road – he or she will remind you to downshift your vehicle when you are coming down the pass. If you don’t know how to do this, ask! The attendant will take the time to instruct you how to shift gears (it’s super easy).

The first major stop you’ll come across will be Crystal Reservoir, which is about 6 miles into your drive. This is a nice spot for photos and souvenirs.

Continuing on your journey to the top and you’ll come across a few pullouts here and there. Try to stop at a few, as it will help you acclimate to the altitude as you go up further and further. The road also gets much steeper and more wind-y the further up you go. In hindsight, I should’ve spent more time at the pullouts than I did, as I did get altitude sickness. (Let’s be real – I thought I was invincible to altitude sickness. I never, ever get it. But there’s no rhyme nor reason why one gets altitude sickness and another doesn’t. 14,000+ feet is really, really high up!)

Like I mentioned before, at mile 16, I was required to take a shuttle up to the summit. I found the shuttle service very efficient and didn’t have to wait long for a bus. And as much as I hate shuttle buses, it was kind of nice to have someone else do the driving so I could admire the scenery.

As for the Pike’s Peak summit itself? Well, it was disappointing to say the least. There has been heavy, HEAVY construction going on at the summit for the last few years. You’re not free to roam around at the top, as you normally would be able to. You’re confined to a small area for your viewpoints and photography, and access to the store. Otherwise, it’s all bulldozers, rocks and rubble, noise, excavators, dozens of workers in hi-viz vests, and god knows what. Frankly, it’s a goddamn mess up there.

I found that compared to other mountain passes I’ve driven throughout the country (such as the Beartooth Highway, Tioga Pass, Going to the Sun Road), there weren’t many roadside pullouts for pictures.

On the way down, you will be stopped for a mandatory brake check. A park ranger will check your brake temps to make sure you can safely make it down the pass. Again, you must downshift!

So was the drive up Pike’s Peak scary? As someone who’s done plenty of mountain driving, I will say this I found this steeper and even a bit scarier compared to other passes I’ve done. On some other passes, you can get by without having to downshift – here, you just can’t. At many points along the way, there are no guardrails, so you must be vigilant as a driver. I did this solo, so I couldn’t be looking at the scenery much – I was very focused on my drive. There are some sections where the road is very curvy and you must drive at a snail’s pace. Going down is much more difficult as a driver since you account for gravity inadvertently speeding up your vehicle, and having to downshift as you go. If any of this sounds too scary for you, you may want to pass on Pike’s Peak, or take the Cog Railway.

As I mentioned a few times, I got altitude sickness. It hit me as I was coming down from the summit – I had a terrible headache, started to feel lethargic and just.plain.sick. After I finished my drive, I headed back to my hotel. It was getting close to dinner time, so I forced myself to eat, but after that, I fell asleep at 7pm and slept until 10am the next morning. I felt better in the morning, but still not at 100%. I eventually felt better the next afternoon.

Gift Shops along Pikes Peak Highway

There are three gift shops along Pike’s Peak Highway –

Crystal Reservoir Gift Shop: This will be the first gift shop you see. You can also view the Crystal Reservoir from this area too.
Glen Cove Inn – this gift shop is right after the mandatory brake check. If you are pulled over to allow your brakes to cool down, stopping inside here can pass the time. I was feeling the effects of altitude sickness here, as I visited the gift shop after the summit. I drank two bottles of water and just sat in my vehicle to rest for a few minutes before descending further.
Summit House: The largest of the three gift shops, however I didn’t buy anything here. Supposedly, they sell these ‘award winning’ mini donuts, but I didn’t want anything to eat.

I did most of my shopping at the Crystal Reservoir gift shop, but I recommend checking them all out, as they each sell slightly different merchandise.

Pike’s Peak Highway – Final Thoughts

I enjoyed my drive up to Pike’s Peak, although I didn’t find it to be particularly scenic in comparison to other scenic mountain highways I’ve driven. It was mediocre, at best. The interesting and unique aspect to this is that you’re actually driving to a mountain summit, which you don’t do on those other scenic drives! So, in that sense, it was pretty cool.

I’m not fond of mandatory shuttle buses, so I didn’t enjoy having to do that here – but hopefully that will change now that construction is wrapping up and will be done before the busy 2021 summer travel season.

The summit was basically a large construction site. The views were limited to one small area, otherwise there were workers, port-a-potties, rubble and heavy equipment everywhere you looked. Again, now that they’re almost completed with the construction, you should have a much better experience.

I thought it was pricey – especially since they change by the person and not by the car until you reach 5 person threshold (and beyond 5 people, they’ll charge more!). I was traveling solo, so the price wasn’t too bad, but when you compare it to the National Parks, it’s expensive!

Would I drive Pike’s Peak again? Honestly, probably not. I’d be more apt to take the Cog Railway up the mountain if I were to come here again, just because it looks to be a very unique experience.

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