Our plan for the first full day in Colorado was to drive to the top of Pike’s Peak. Unfortunately Mother Nature had other plans, and the mountain received about 8 inches of snow the night before our visit. It was interesting because it poured rain in Manitou Springs the previous afternoon, and when the skies cleared it was clear everywhere except the top of Pikes Peak, which was still shrouded in clouds.
When we got to the entrance that morning the ranger warned us that the road was not open to the top and offered us the chance to change our minds But we were there and wanted to see what we could see, so decided to take our chances.
The entrance part of the road is at an elevation of 7,800 feet – 1,000 feet above Mount Mitchell, the highest point in North Carolina! The lower part of the road is just like driving any mountain road – winding and steep in spots with a few nice viewpoints. Beautiful views, for sure!
We spent some time at Crystal Reservoir Visitor Center at Mile 6, which is at 9,160 feet. That was our first view of where Pikes Peak was, although we couldn’t see it, as it was still buried in clouds. The ranger there said that the road had been opened a little farther up, but that they still didn’t know if they would be able to open it to the top. We decided to press on and take our chances.
The higher elevations are where things get interesting. There are very few places to pull off, and on the day we visited most of the pulloffs were socked in with clouds. We made it to the overlook at Mile 18 – known as Sheep Sign because there is a sign there about Bighorn Sheep – where they had the road blocked. The ranger there said it was still snowing above and not safe to drive, so that was as far as we could go. It was snowing on us as we talked to him!
We had a little bit of vertigo and dizziness at the higher elevations. This is normal, and wasn’t helped by the fact that we couldn’t see anything to orient ourselves! This feeling subsided as we returned back below 10,000 feet, and we never had another problem with elevation the entire rest of the vacation. For that we were very thankful.
I did manage to get a few photos to document our visit. We’ll have to plan and visit again sometime when there is less of a chance of snow. We thought June was late enough, but maybe it will need to be July or August next time!
Very Interesting series of shots, Tom. I’ve always wondered what Pike’s Peak looked like from the ground and your photos gave me that opportunity. Thanks!
Thanks, Steven! There was a lot of it we couldn’t see but what we saw was awesome!
Awesome! As always, a fun and informative read, along with great pics!! Thanks for the share! Glad you both enjoyed!
Thank you, April! Glad you enjoyed the photos and the words.
I’m envious you have a photo of Big Foot! Must put that back on my list. Great set of images.
He was shy and elusive but we coaxed him out with cookies. 🙂
Ah, the joys of elevation. We didn’t have time for Pikes Peak when we were in that area, but that was more or less “good news” for Barbara. I think she suffers more from elevation sickness than I do. And yes, snow is fairly common in the higher peaks of the Rockies in June. We saw it once in June when we went through the Eisenhower tunnel on I-70. I think August and early September are the safest times to avoid the white stuff……
I wasn’t sure what kind of effect it would have on us. Fortunately it was minor, although we did notice some shortness of breath and faster pulse rates, but driving the road would do that to anyone! Who knows what we might have felt like had we stayed longer. By the time we got up on Trail Ridge Road we were better acclimatized and had little problem. I’m ready to do it again!
A return visit is a must, I think. Next time we go we’ll definitely plan to get there a little later in the season to avoid the snow. Some friends were just there, and while it didn’t snow they were in the clouds most of the time and didn’t get to see much.
I’m not a fan of altitude sickness. I had it in Breckenridge, but our rental was at 11,500 ft. Talk about tough to climb one flight of stairs! You got some nice views there, Tom. I guess for Pike’s Peak, it must adhere to what they told me in Breckenridge: We have two seasons: August & Winter! Maybe try August next time.
Well Paul, I think the key for next time will be to spend a lot more time there! 😉 That way you get adjusted to the altitude, really get to enjoy the laid back attitude, and you might even make it to the top of Pike’s Peak!
Not wanting to do many repeats it may have to wait for our leisure years, but for now we made the best of and had a great time regardless of not making it all the way to the top!
In a way you’re lucky you weren’t driving that Falcon in those higher elevations, especially in snow. My sister had one like it and offered it to me for $200 and I said “No thanks”. Wish I had it now.
One of the things I do remember about those older cars is that the carburetors weren’t as good at adjusting for altitude as our cars are today. I’d love to have an old Falcon like that but would probably keep it close to sea level most of the time!