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Pikes Peak Cog Railway
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13 reviews for Pikes Peak Cog Railway
This was the only highlight n what was otherwise a dismal family trip.
The scenery was amazing and this was a relaxing trip to the top of Pike's Peak. The tour guide was really funny and seemed like she was having a good time. I agree with the other reviewer, the ride down can be a little boring. The donuts were pretty good, but for some reason (even in August) the hot coco was amazing.
There is even a stop on the way down where you can hike down part of the way, if you aren't into just sitting around.
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Went up during my visit to Manitou Springs. Train ride both ways was nice. very friendly and helpful. out tour guide was a bit ditsy tho. Oh well! Got what I paid for!
I enjoyed the train ride up the mountain, but the ride back down was pretty boring. Maybe because we went at 8 in the morning and we were tired? Who knows...the views were amazing! The air up there was refreshing! We had an hour to walk and take in the views. The donuts were blah, nothing special about it except the way it was made. My friend had the chocolate peanut butter bar and he loved it. Overall, it was a good experience, minus the ride back down the mountain.
Great ride up, beautiful scenery and fairly interesting narration. Make sure you make reservations, or get there pretty early to get on the standby list for the train you want to get on. Bring lots of water, and a snack for you and the kids. As others have said, make sure you bring sweaters, and even long pants for kids. It was about 80 degrees when we left Manitou Springs, and it was snowing up on Pikes Peak--which was really kind of awesome, but very cold.
I felt very dizzy at the top, and I saw several people looking kind of ill from the high altitude, so don't move too fast. I was happy we only spent about 20-30 minutes there. We got lots of pictures, picked up some doughnuts (really good but greasy), and some nice souvenir pins. The view is simply stunning.
Then back on the train for the trip down. Just a warning, if you or your kids have trouble with motion sickness, take some dramamine, or suffer the consequences. Our 7 year old was about a hairs breath from getting sick (I'm sure the greasy doughnut didn't help), and by the end of the trip my husband was holding one of those little air sickness bags they have on airplanes, poised and ready to spring into action if needed. The fact that they have a supply of these bags on the train is a good indication that he wasn't the first. Something to do with the brakes being on the whole way, it was much bumpier on the way down.
Still totally worth it. We'll just be prepared with some dramamine before getting on the train for the return trip next time.
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If I had my way, I would have gotten an all-wheel drive rally car and raced up the mountain! But I was with a group of people and they already had the tickets to ride this awesome piece of machinery. This was my first ride on a cog train and it was pretty amazing.
Yes, it's slow but you'd want it slow. The scenery is simply breathtaking. Buy a hot drink at the station and drink it while you take everything in. Bring a thick windbreaking jacket with you. Even though it's 80 degrees at the station, it can be 40 degrees with windchill at the summit.
I had an epic moment at the peak--THE DONUTS!!! These were the best donuts I've ever had in my life. This includes Mr. Donuts in Japan. I should have bought several dozen of them and took them back home.
I've taken family a couple of times on the trip to the top. The scenery can be awesome, and it can be not so much depending on the time of the year you go up. Regardless, no matter what the season the top is always great. My favorite time to visit is during the fall, before the first freeze. Tickets can be pretty pricey, but it's certainly a worthwhile trip; especially if you have visitors that can't handle a lot of walking. They have discounted days so be sure to check their website for dates!
Along with RMNP, this is a must do. Unless, you want to drive it or hike it. I would highly recommend the train. You get the most amazing views. On a clear day you can see neighboring states on the way to the top. Seats are comfortable, they face each other. There are big windows, so it's great for photographing nature. The conductor is funny and knowledgeable. The top is so beautiful, on a clear day. It is very cold so dress accordingly, it is also windy. We ran into a guy that was wearing shorts, a s/s polo, and flip flops. My friend asked him if he was cold, he replied "I'm from here" what a nut!!! On the way back down, you'll want to talk to the people across from, whether they're friends or strangers. The most important thing though is...MAKE RESERVATIONS!!! This is a must. It gets very crowded, and most of the time trains are full.
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Went there on a Sunday afternoon, man, the ticket office was packed with people, we were told that the next train was completely sold out; some people actually did make reservations before they went there
anyway so we ended up going to Broadmoor hotel to kill our time; had some stroll along the lake, somehow it felt a little bit like "Schwaltzwald" this time of the year; also took a couple of min. and went to the business center and printed out a coupon at the website of Cog Railway :-) guess i am pretty cheap
after some drinks and icecream, we headed back to Cog Railway, it was a good experience overall....the view was gorgeous, the girl/tour guide on the train was trying to throw a couple of jokes from time to time....she also talked about some interesting stuff (wait until you get on aboard to hear them youself)
bought some shirts at the shop on the top of the hill, we had to, it was so freakingly cold up there...on one T-shirt, it had a marked down price of $14,95, however the cashier (young man) said he could not honor the price and something was wrong with the register, he would need mgr's approval.....blah...blah...and it was 5 min. from the train's departure downhill, i was almost ready to pay the regular price, however one of my friends was kind of pissed off by his attitude. Since the guy kept saying that asking for mgr's involvement will take a long time and I would risk missing my train.......My friend insisted on getting the mgr...Within 1 and 1/2 min's, the mgr. entered the sale price and we were on the train again....
The downhill trip was pretty much spent on chatting with our neighbours, overall a fun trip
oh wait, how can I forget about the view??
The view was simply breathtaking and I started to understand why Katharine Bates would be daunted/obliged to write "America the Beautiful" right there.......
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This was great! It was my first trip to the top of a 14,000 foot mountain (being honest with myself here, it was probably also the last), and it was a scenic easy climb. Definitely be careful up top, though - you don't have time to acclimatize and many people got dizzy. It can also reach absolutely 0% humidity, so be sure to drink water.
One unfortunate fellow on our train threw up on the way back down - I felt bad for him and for the guy who was stuck looking straight at him for another hour on our way down!
Pricey - $30 per person
Almost a 2 hour ride up and ypu spend about 20 minutes up above 14,000+ ft and a slow ride down. I got sick on the way down. Sat by hte window which I think made it worse because I can see things going by me.
All the seats are assigned on your ticket. Some are forward and some sit backward. You have the same seat going back down so you can try to switch with someone to see a different view.
You can bring food on the COG and drink plenty of water too!
I can't imagine driving up - all tourist in rental cars looking and stopping. Plus I can't handle my husband driving in normal traffic let alone on a mountain with windy roads. So the COG is pretty handy for that.
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A must see, this was the best way to experience Pike's Peak. The only downside is that we were packed pretty tightly in the car. It's very cold at the top, so make sure you really dress warmly, and bring some food, everything is really expensive with long lines when you get to the top. The tour guide was really great, and I enjoyed learning all he told us. I really liked that he told us how far away the landmarks were and explained to us what the scenery is like in different times of the year. I definitely want to go again in a different month to see it all over again with a new perspective. One word of advice, don't drive up. I got so sleepy from the altitude change, as did lots of others, that I'm not sure it's safe to drive down. Also, don't hesitate to get up to try to see the things pointed out on the other side of the car. I felt like I missed a lot from my seat.
For those who prefer not to drive the sometimes steep, always winding roads to the top of Pike's Peak, this is the route to go. Four custom-built Swiss twin-unit rail cars, each seating two hundred sixteen passengers, are used for the nine-mile journey, with grades up to 25%. It's exciting from the start, but photo ops really start to present themselves when the track leaves the forest, creeping above timberline at about 11,500 feet. It takes seventy-five minutes to reach the 14,110-foot top; the round-trip requires three hours and ten minutes, including a forty-minute stopover at the summit. Keep an eye open for bighorn sheep and yellow-bellied marmots enroute. On a clear day, you can take in Denver, New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo range, the Cripple Creek mining district on the mountain's western flank, wave after wave of Rocky Mountain sub-ranges, and the seemingly endless sea of the Great Plains. In 1893, the unsurpassed panoramic view inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write the poem that became the lyrics for our unofficial national anthem, 'America the Beautiful.' The Summit House restaurant offers sandwiches, snacks, beverages, and box lunches, and a gift shop with the inevitable refrigerator magnets that read I Made It to the Top. A word of advice - no matter how sunny and hot it is at the base, bring a jacket or sweater, because it can be cold and windy at the summit and, in the summer, sudden, brief rain squalls are not uncommon. Not recommended for those with cardiac or respiratory problems, and even those in good health may feel light-headed up above.
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You take a cog rail train from Colorado Springs to Pikes Peak. You stop at the top of Pikes Peak and look out over the Great Plains on one side and the Continential Divide on the other. Plus, they have awesome donuts at the gift shop at the top! Seriously, it can't be beat and you must do it if you are in Colorado Springs.
