Pikes Peak Trip Report

Pikes Peak Date: September 18, 1999
Trailhead: Barr Trail
Start Elevation: 6,700 feet
Summit Elevation: 14,110
Elevation Gain: 7,400 feet
One Way Distance: 12.5 miles
Start Time: 6:30 a.m.
Finish Time: 11:45 a.m.

All of a sudden I broke through the clouds and into the brilliant sunshine. It was then that I knew I was going to make it up Pikes Peak – my first fourteener. It had been cold and raining when I arrived at the Barr Trail parking lot at 6:30 that morning. The rain gradually changed to snow as I hiked up the first part of the trail, and I feared that I would soon have to abandon my first attempt to ascend a fourteener. I had spent two months training and planning for this trip, but I did not have the experience or equipment to make it to the top of Pikes Peak in a snow storm.

Hiking through the forest as the snow began to fall was peaceful and beautiful, but I couldn’t help wondering about the weather higher up the mountain. The transition from snow and clouds to bright sunshine happened quickly. One minute I was worrying about being able to finish the hike, and the next minute all I could see was bright blue sky. I was immediately rewarded with some amazing views. It was like being in an airplane and looking down at the clouds below. I was in awe when I got my first glimpse of the summit. Shortly afterwards, I stopped at Barr Camp and then continued up to the timberline shelter.

Once above timberline, I spotted a lone hiker on the trail above me. I had seen his footprints in the snow earlier that morning. It had been comforting to know that there was someone else ahead of me on the trail. I began to notice the effects of the altitude at about 12,000 feet, but the regular trail signs and the looming summit kept me going. I did feel slightly confused at one point near the cirque I thought I had lost the trail, but I realized that it was right in front of me after I stopped for a few seconds to regroup.

When I arrived at the foot of the 16 golden stairs, the well-known set of switchbacks leading to the summit, I stopped for a few minutes to rest and to take one last look back down the mountain. I wasn’t going to hike down the trail because I was planning to meet my wife on the summit and ride down with her on the cog railroad. I was starting to get cold, so I put on a hat and gloves and started up the golden stairs.

I finally reached the summit around 11:45. I had read about the usual crowds on the summit (you can get to the top by driving up the Pikes Peak road or by riding the cog railroad), so I was surprised that I only saw a couple of other people when I got to the top of the golden stairs. I was pretty cold and tired, and my wife was not supposed to meet me until 2:30, so I went into the gift shop/cafeteria to sit down and wait. I ran into the hiker that I had seen on the trail, and he offered to take my picture on the summit. I made the mistake of not drinking anything for awhile, and I soon developed a pretty bad headache. I bought 2 bottles of gatorade and a bowl of soup at the cafeteria. This seemed to help, and after about an hour I started to feel much better.

My wife was not on the train when it finally arrived. The weather was terrible in Colorado Springs, and she thought that the trip to Pikes Peak wouldn't be worthwhile. As I rode the train back down, I started to feel pretty hungry. After getting back to the hotel, I took a quick shower, and then my wife and I headed to dinner to celebrate my first fourteener.


Directions to Barr Trailhead: From Colorado Springs, go west on Highway 24 to the Manitou Ave./Manitou Springs exit (approximately 4 miles from I-25). From the off-ramp, veer right onto Manitou Ave. and drive into Manitou Springs. About 1.5 miles from the Hwy 24 exit, turn left onto Ruxton Ave. Follow Ruxton past the Cog Railway Depot and turn right onto Hydro St. Hydro St. is a short steep road just past the Cog Railway. The Barr Trail parking lot is at the end of Hydro St. just a few hundred feet from Ruxton Ave.

Trail Description: The Barr Trail is well maintained and easy to follow. There is an excellent description of the trail on Matt Carpenter's Web Page. This page describes the course for the Pike's Peak Marathon. The only difference between the marathon course and Barr Trail is a short section in the beginning. The marathon course starts in downtown Manitou Springs, goes up Ruxton Avenue past Hydro St. (where you turn to get to the start of Barr Trail), and then follows a crude road up to join the Barr Trail. Another web site that has a map and description of the first half of the Barr Trail is RunPikesPeak.com. This site describes the course for the Barr Trail Mountain Race, which begins at the Cog Railroad Depot and goes half way up the Barr Trail to Barr Camp. Just like the Pikes Peak Marathon, the first part of this race skips the initial portion of the Barr Trail. The course map clearly shows both the race route and the beginning of the Barr Trail.

Note: I took all of the pictures on this page except for the ones of the Rock Arch, the Cirque, the golden stairs, and 1 mile to go. The picture of the Rock Arch came from Mike Melanson's Website, and the other 3 came from Matt Carpenter's website (see link above).
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