One of the highest points you can drive to in the continental United States, Pike’s Peak has been a road trip destination since 1901 when the first car (a two-cylinder Locomobile Steamer) made its way to the 14,110-foot summit. Opened as a toll road in 1915, the Pike’s Peak Highway now winds its way to the top—climbing nearly 7,000 vertical feet in under 20 miles, with no guardrails to comfort you or block the amazing 360-degree Rocky Mountain panorama. The road is now owned and operated by the city of Colorado Springs, which charges a $10 per person toll; go early, before the clouds and haze build up, for the best long-distance views.
And if the views aren’t enough, another good reason to climb Pike’s Peak is that to get there you pass through the delightful old resort town of Manitou Springs. A National Historic District, Manitou Springs has all the grand hotels, hot springs, tourist traps, and cave tours you could want, plus my very favorite pinball arcade in the entire world—dozens of ancient machines in perfect working order, and still charging the same nickel or dime that they did in the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s.
Besides places to play, Manitou Springs also has some classic places to stay, like the historic motor court cabins of the El Colorado Lodge ($50 and up; 719/685-5485) at 23 Manitou Avenue, arrayed around four acres of pine trees, with fireplaces, a pool, and a horseshoe pit!
North of Manitou Springs, the 1,350-acre Garden of the Gods (daily; free) is a photogenic geological outcropping of red sandstone spires, some rising to heights of 300 feet.
Pike’s Peak and Manitou Springs are along US-24, just west of Colorado Springs. From US-50, Hwy-115 runs north from just outside Cañon City to Colorado Springs, where you can take I-25 north to reach US-24. For more information, contact the visitors bureau (719/685-5089 or 800/642-2567) at 354 Manitou Avenue.
