Manitou & Pike’s Peak Railway

The Pike’s Peak Cog Railway is the best (and safest) way to ascend America’s Mountain. Every seat has a good view. During the ride you move through the alpine forest to above the timberline. From that point the views are unobstructed. You will likely see wildlife that lives only in the high mountains. At the top, you may feel lightheaded from the 14,000 foot elevation if you are from a sea level altitude. It’s probably best to give yourself a day or two in the Springs area to adjust to the elevation. Drink water and take ibuprofen to avoid being adversely affected by the altitude. Of course, the view from on top of the mountain is unparalleled.

This is a pretty cool thing to do in the area. The rude is about an hour so make sure that you get a window seat. I like the 2 seat side best. Make sure that you bring warm clothes because it is cold up there. I think that the chairs could be a bit more comfortable and maybe have the ability to rock back so that you aren’t falling out of the seats. The store on top is always crowded so try to make sure you look around before shopping or you will miss the views. Also the peak has the big herd of big horn sheep. The biggest in Colorado I think.

We considered taking the driver to the top of Pike’s Peak but opted for the railyway so that we could both enjoy the experience. In the end, it was the right choice as we were seated across from an awesome couple that we enjoyed chatting with on the way up. Not only that but the conductor offered some interesting facts, sights, and corny jokes on the way up that helped make the nearly one and a half journey up the mountain go a little quicker.
The train itself had wooden seats which were fairly comfortable but be brace yourself on some of the steep inclines so that you don’t end up in someone’s lap (there are no seat belts). The ride was smooth if not a tad slow at times but it’s better to get to the top in one piece than not at all! The train has not heating or air but the windows can be closed. I also read that the engines underneath the train keeps it between 50 – 60 degrees. The temperature was not an issue for us.
The ride back down took the same amount of time and I believe the conductor said it travels down at about seven miles per hour. Once again, it was a smooth ride. We even passed a couple of trains, piked up some hikers, and saw some wildlife. Sadly, no bear sightings.
The views of the train are fantastic especially on the three seat side rather than the two seat side. It’s a bit pricey at $ 81 for the two of us which also included $ 5 for parking but if it’s in your budget, it’s well worth it.

A warning to everyone who may want to get on at the Mountain View station (about a mile away from Barr Camp) — clarify with the person you are making the reservation with what time the train will be at Mountain View, because they will only refer to the train by it’s ‘name’: the time it leaves the main station going up.
We booked tickets in advance from Mountain View down to the main station. We planned ahead, called to make sure everything was set before we hiked for two days, and they told us to be at Mountain View at 5 for a 5:20 train to bring us back down the mountain.
The train that was at the Mountain View stop at 5:20 just drove by us, with someone yelling, «WE ARE FULL!!»
Not what you want to happen when you are 6 miles away from the bottom of the mountain, and are kind of stuck after hiking out that far and the forest is getting darker/​more clouds are forming. We finally got cell reception, called the ticket counter, and were told we were booked for the 5:20 train LEAVING THE MAIN STATION??? BUT when we booked, they had told us for sure to be at the MOUNTAIN VIEW STATION at 5:20. That meant we were not going to be picked up until it came back down the mountain at 8 PM. Why would they tell us to be there at 5 then??? We would not have booked the ticket that late if we had not be lied to.
The person on the phone said they called a conductor and got us a seat on the next train that would be down at Mountain View at 6:35. She told us the conductor had confirmed with her, and that we for sure had seats. Ok, we thought, at least they got us on the train. maybe. They also told us many people were training in, and were making a ton of mistakes. I just kept thinking, «Well, they said that the other train that just drove by would pick us up at 5:20… will this 6:35 train even stop??»
When THAT train came, it did stop after I waved at it and jumped up and down, but the conductor had NO IDEA what we were talking about. He asked for our confirmation number, which we gave him, but he didn’t do anything with it. He told us he could «squeeze us in», even though they were «full». There were two seats open, and our station was the last stop before the bottom. Obviously you were not full, and we had been lied to and left in the forest by the uncaring and confused staff for too long. I was going to address these issues with the company when we got down to the ticket station, but they were closed and we were too exhausted to try to convince them that maybe they shouldn’t lie or cheat their customers.
What a terrible end to a wonderful hike.

I consider this a «must do» in Colorado Springs. The ride is comfortable and beautiful. The conductor shares interesting information as you proceed. We saw marmots and big horn sheep coming up and also returning. The summit stop is a fantastic photo op and grab some donuts in the gift shop! **The one thing to be aware of is that they will not allow you to park earlier than 30 minutes before your scheduled departure, so don’t bother arriving early.**

Fantastic three hours with beautiful scenery. Our guide was friendly, bubbly, and funny. The train ride is a slow journey and you have to be into a quiet afternoon of sight seeing.. We got lucky and got to admire some big horn sheep and running cascades of water. An easy way to see a lot of nature. It can be crowded and seem touristy specially at the top. I am not a big lover of tourist attractions and the reason I marked four stars. This was worth the journey.

I wasn’t able to do this on my first CO Springs visit. It closes during the winter time due to snow/​conditions on the mountain. After doing it in the summer season I can totally see why. It was 39 per person. The train ride was pretty cool and the views were spectacular. We saw a few deer and a yellow bellied marmot. The tour guide had cheesy jokes and information about the area/​ride up. Pretty interesting, but I enjoy these types of tours. P. S. no bathrooms on the train, so only bring water for sipping purposes and pee before you get on. If you have problems with elevation, this may not be for you. It is around a 7000ft elevation climb. I wanted to see Big Horn Sheep, but no such luck. There is a little touristy food court/​shopping area at the top. It is cold, windy, and there is snow at the top. So bring a jacket and wear pants. I literally saw a girl complaining about the weather wearing a crop top and coochie cutter shorts (they tell you this before you go btw). The «famous» donuts at the top suck. The food isn’t great either so save your money (our fries were cold, but we were the last train of the day). They claim its 500 $ is you miss the train ride back and they need to come get you. Considering the road can be driven to the top I bet you could pay an employee less to give you a ride down. Anyways I think one ride is enough, but would for sure recommend it to anyone who hasn’t done it before.

After reading reviews and debating on whether to drive up or take the train we decided on the railway. Unfortunately, I wish we had gone with another option and here’s why:
Pros:
1. Don’t have to drive, therefore you can place all of your attention on the surrounding scenery and not on the wheel.
2. Very nice, informative, and funny conductors narrate the trip and educate you on the history of the area.
Cons:
1. DIESEL EXHAUST FUMES THE ENTIRE RIDE there and back. If you go in the spring/​summer and they have the windows down, prepare to inhale fumes the entire trip. I couldn’t breath, not because of the altitude, but because of the inhalation of toxins. They sell oxygen tanks at the station, better pick one up or risk passing out.
2. The computer randomly picks your seats at reservation time. If you get ones on the 2– seater side, you will be staring at rocks while the 3-​seater side gets to see wonderful views.
3. You will be riding backwards either going up or coming back down since the train doesn’t turn around. If you have motion sickness, this is not a good thing.
4. Stragglers cause the train to leave late (the conductors are nice and they wait for you). However, they do not compensate for this once at the top. If your experience is like ours, your time at the top will be cut short to make up for the 20 mins that the train left late from the station, so forget food, souvenirs, or the bathroom, unless you don’t want to look at the views.
Do yourselves a favor and just drive, or even hike. You can set your own pace, enjoy the views at your leisure, and still get to eat the delicious donuts at the top! You might even have time to buy some souvenirs. Oh, and you wont be forced to breathe in diesel fumes for 2 full hours!

Whenever I have family visiting from out of town, I like to take them on the Pike’s Peak Railway. Parking is a challenge if you don’t get there early but the train ride is great. The tour guides make it fun and sometimes we will see wildlife on the ride to the top. Bring a jacket because it’s usually pretty cold at the top of the mountain, even in the middle of summer.

Tourist trap
Parking is a nightmare from the pits of hell.
Do not arrive earlier than 30 minutes prior to train departure; they only will tell you no parking and go back down to the township of tourist traps.

We left our hotel early to make sure we got to the Cog Rail station within the time frame they allow. The building looks like an iconic old fashioned train station. With bright blues and reds, it’s a treat for the eyes. We got here with plenty of time to get our tickets and look around the gift shop. After buying our bottled water, we waited for the train to show up.
The train was right on time and with assigned seating, everyone, except for a few late comers, were eagerly in their seats and ready to go. Once underway our conductor, Ron, let us know what to expect on the ride up. He has been in his current position for several years, and is also an engineer on the trains. Ron is informative and entertaining, even if his jokes are real groaners. Ha! But he knows it and enjoys the reactions he gets. With a number of interesting facts, we all gained a little knows get and a great appreciation for how well Rob does his job.
It took about an hour and a half to reach the summit of the peak (including time taken to work on the track). Once we reached the summit we were greeted with sub-​freezing temperatures and a biting wind. We were given around 30 – 40 minutes to spend enjoying our destination. Enough time to take pictures outside and try some of their delicious donuts made there in the restaurant at the top. But not quite enough to hit the souvenir area. .. at least I’m our case.
The weather cleared right before we got to the summit and made for some wonderful shots. We had great weather and that made for a great time and memories made that we will enjoy for a long time to come.

I’ve been to Pikes Peak on the cog railway twice. Expensive, but well worth every cent! It’s definitely a family attraction! Loved it both times!

Pros:
— A really cool way to see Colorado Springs and surrounding towns
— Discounted tickets if the train isn’t able to reach the summit
— Amazing views if you can reach the summit
— Tour guides are full of knowledge and puns
Cons:
— Left side of the train has better views than the right
— Chances of not reaching the summit due to weather (would be ideal to wait for a summer ride)
— Tour guides are full of puns
— Military discount only available on Veteran’s Day
The altitude is a beast. Be sure to drink plenty of water before and/​or during your ride. It would be smart to get a personal can of oxygen from the gift shop at the depot before the trip up, because I can promise you’ll need it when you reach the summit. I would also take your own snacks or lunch with you. There is a shop at the summit but most of the items will either be sold out or not available. Not to mention, you’ll save tons of money by bringing your own. Expect to pay $ 3+ for one 20 oz. Aquafina.
Depending on the time of year you travel, you may have to face temperatures below freezing, multiple feet of snow, and wind gusts over 50 MPH. Be smart and dress for the weather! Keep in mind that its going to be much colder 14,000 ft in the air than it would be on the ground!
Price adjustments depending on how much snow is at the summit would be a nice consideration. My friend and I paid the full «summer» pricing even though we were severely limited on where we could access once at the summit.

Just to be clear — I have taken this tour several times and would rate between 4 and 5 stars depending on your conductor. This rating is based on a visit last Friday, 4÷1÷16. You will notice that when you look up times/​rates that Winter schedule ends first week of March and Summer begins in May. Okay — so what does that mean for an April visit. Well — the trains were running and seats were available. We were charged for a full trip for 7 people. 5 of those were visitors from Indiana. When we arrived to check in — we were told that the train tracks had ice on them and were only going to just above timberline. This was a disappointment — to say the least. When we questioned why we weren’t told when we purchased tickets (same day) the response was — if the ice had melted before scheduled trip — you would be going to the summit. Okay — I guess we will accept that. EXCEPT — if you paid attention — once your reached the stopping point — you will see that there wasn’t ice on the tracks but snow — lots and lots of snow. I asked the conductor why we weren’t going to the summit and why the snow wasn’t simply cleared off the tracks he stated that the summit was buried and wasn’t even open for business. Okay — HELLO? So I guess my lesson learned is ask before you purchase if the summit house is open for the season. If the answer is no — you won’t be taking the train to the top. Was it worth the discounted price of $ 28? I would have to say no — but remember — I have been on this trip to the top several times, so I know what everyone was missing. It’s a beautiful trip — but you stop at treeline, you can’t get out of the cars so you wait for a while before heading back down. They do stop at one of the stations on the way down so you can get off and stretch your legs — but that is about it. So — do you see snow on the entire mountain? Does the top look completely white? Chances are pretty good summit is closed — so ask before you pay. AND — if you do decide to take the discounted trip — bring food. They still make this trip a 3 hour trek but you don’t get the benefit of food at the top. Our youngsters were starving by the time we made it back down.

Awesome experience. It’s a very surreal. Only downfall is that we went in date December and the inclement weather stopped us from going all the way to the top. That is what I was looking forward to most.

My hubby and I were staying in the Denver area for the first weekend of December and we had no clue on what to do. My husband mentioned he had always wanted to visit Pike’s Peak. After doing some research, we found the link to Manitou and Pike’s Peak Railway! I was already on-​board, because this meant the «road» to Pike’s Peak is left to someone else.
My first tip: MAKE RESERVATIONS! They really do fill up quick! We didn’t, and we took a chance to see if there were any cancellations, since the phone recording stated it was sold out. And we lucked out! We were able to snatch a couple of seats on the train! There was a delay getting on the way up to the peak, which cut into our time at the top. But the ride was beautiful! Our «Conductor» Vic made the trip interesting with tid-​bits of information.
At the top, it was cloudy, and snowing, so we didn’t get to see the 5 states you would normally be able to view from the summit on a clear day, but it was still really cool!
Second tip: Use the restroom BEFORE you board. It is a 1.5 hour trip up, with no facilities. And with limited time at the summit, we spent it mostly in line… for the bathroom, for the food and drink, for the souvenirs, that was a dumb waste of time. BTW, we didn’t get any donuts, they had sold out while we were in line…
Third tip: They say to drink lots of water to combat the altitude sickness, which can be counter-​intuitive since there are no facilities on-​board. So take tip 3 with a grain of salt.
We definitely want to come back when the weather is more conducive to exploring Pike’s Peak, but this was a great introduction!

Being a Colorado native I don’t always take advantage of some of the amazing things in our state. One of them is seeing Pikes Peak. Why did I wait so long to do this?
We didn’t think to get tickets ahead of time so calling the day of, the recorded line was they were sold out. Thankfully the message said to stop in for the possibility of cancellations. So off we went and to our good fortune we got seats.
The ride up is beautiful and takes you through four different climate zones. We happened to pick a perfect day. Not a cloud in the sky and we were able to see Oklahoma, New Mexico, Wyoming, Kansas and of course Colorado. The scenery was stunning and a photo just doesn’t do it justice.
We did the donut at the top and they were so greasy and felt like a gut bomb. We should have thrown it away after the first bite. I’d recommend getting it, they are $ 1, just to say you’ve done it. But share it or take a bite and toss it.
The whole trip is a little over three hours but it went by in a flash. The guide we had was very good and told the worst but best jokes.

Absolute must-​see for out of towners. This is the quintessential Colorado experience; it’s exactly what you imagine when you think of the Rocky Mountains, maybe even better. The staff of the Cog Railway is accommodating and knowledgable. A review can’t really do the scenic views justice, but I promise it’s worth going! It’s a very quick way to see amazing views without hiking or driving up a mountain with the added historical charm from the conductors. Definitely give this a try if you’re in town — shoot for an off-​peak time to avoid crowded stores and bathrooms. And MAKE SURE you bring a sweatshirt. It can be shorts weather at the bottom and snowing at the top. Be prepared! Also, be sure to get the hot nuts at the top! Enjoy!

Its a beautiful trip. A bit long but I didn’t really mind, except for the fact that the seats are very hard and a bit on the small side. I mean seriously, I’m going to be on this train for almost 3 hours and you can’t give any cushion on the seats. If people were not so greedy they could take out a few of the seats and make it more comfortable.
Over all I really did enjoy the trip and would recommend it but I wont do it a 2^nd time.

If you can, go in a group of 4 or 6. The seats are in groups of 4 on one side, and 6 on the other which face each other. Two men sitting across from one another WILL bash knees. (Thankfully, the couple across from us was lovely and we chatted quite a bit to make it less awkward). Our guide/​conductor gave a lot of info on the mountain and the history. He would have been great for kids because he was full of cute/​corny jokes. Make sure to bring water or gum if you aren’t used to being in higher elevations. The view going up was fantastic. Plenty of big horn sheep near the top and even saw a bear on the way down!
CHECK THE WEATHER. We had rain off and on all day… so sadly, we had no view at the top. Less than 30 minutes total by the time we got off the train before we had to be back on it. Rain, and clouds everywhere. Not a single decent view. We were IN a cloud and it even started sleeting so we had to run inside. The donuts were greasy (take the hour drive into Denver for Voodoo donuts, they’re better) but the coffee and tea options were good. I can’t give this railway less stars because of the weather, even though we didn’t get to see anything from the top since they can’t control the weather. If we go back, we’ll drive to the top so we can wait out any rain though.