Hike And Rail

Again for 2012, we offer one way tickets on the first and last trains of the day except holiday weekends (and a few dates). Specifically, no one-way tickets are sold on  May 26th, 27th or 28th; June 30th, July 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th or 8th; September 1st, 2nd or 3rd.  However, you can buy a round-trip ticket and use it one way any day or time.

 

Please accept our apologies, but read this entire page. Much data is repeated because we have many misunderstandings throughout the year.

  •   Tickets Are Not Refundable Nor Are They Exchangeable!
    This is extremely important for you to understand. Our trains are sold-out and empty seats are going up that are saved for you as a one-way.  If you underestimate your ability, get injured or dehydrated, or cannot make the train for ANY Reason, your ticket is NOT refundable nor is it exchangeable!
  •   No back pack  or luggage that is larger than 15” x 15” x 24”,
      or you will have to reserve and pay for an additional seat.
  •   No Dogs / No Bikes
  • No Large Backpacks (unless you pay for an extra seat)  see size restrictions above.
  •   MOST IMPORTANTLY: There is a $500 Per Person Fee if you call 911
      from the Summit of Pikes Peak and Must Be Evacuated!
      Be aware of this if you miss the last train of the day. Be prepared to hike back down!

 

Barr Trail at the Cirque - One mile below Summit


 

For a true workout, one can hike to the top of Pikes Peak and ride the Cog Railway down (almost 13 miles one-way / allow 8-10 hours to hike up). Many people prefer to ride the Cog Railway up one-way then hike down (allow at least 6 hours to hike down). Of course, these times vary tremendously according to your personal fitness level, your degree of acclimatization to altitude, etc. During the Pikes Peak Ascent, a rule of thumb is that your ascent time (one way up) correlates closely with the time you take to run a full marathon. Altitude can wreak havoc with this rule!

There are some restrictions to the dates and times that you can make one-way reservations. Remember, you can simply reserve a regular round-trip ticket to ensure availability.

Download a Map of Barr Trail (right click and save, if Acrobat doesn't auto-open).

On Barr Trail - Enchanted Forest at 11,000 ft

 

Reserve a One-Way

Key Points

  1. The reason we do not allow more times is the extremely limited parking availability. You can, however, purchase a round-trip ticket and use it as a one-way.
  2. We do NOT allow mountain bikes or dogs on the train.
  3. One-Way tickets may be reserved ONLY on the dates listed below and you must PRE-PAY  the reservation with a credit card.
  4. TICKETS ARE NOT REFUNDABLE NOR ARE THEY EXCHANGEABLE! This is EXTREMELY important for you to understand. Our trains are sold-out; if you underestimate your ability, get injured or dehydrated or cannot make the train FOR ANY REASON, your ticket is NOT refundable nor is it exchangeable!

WARNING

Any time of year, but ESPECIALLY from mid-August through late May, weather conditions on a 14,115 ft mountain can change at a moments notice. There can be times that the train CANNOT make the summit due to wind, snow, thunderstorms, falling trees, rock slides or other factors that we do not control. There will be times that we make the summit part of the day and not the entire day. Safety is our number one concern.

What does this mean to the hikers who climb Pikes Peak and want a train ride down? On the day of your hike, please do the following:

  1. Check the weather forecast for the day you want to hike.
  2. Take your cell phone with you and call the depot (719) 685-5401. We usually open at 8am.
  3. Check at Barr Camp (half way up) on trail conditions.
  4. If you do go to the top, just be prepared to hike back down. If the train can not make it, then the road would be usually also be closed and there would not be anyone up there. (The Summit House would be closed). THERE IS A $500 PER PERSON FEE IF YOU NEED TO BE EVACUATED OFF PIKES PEAK!
  5. If the train can not make the summit, you will NOT be charged for a ticket. If you paid cash, we will refund your money or else we will credit your card.

Barr Trail - Timberline Shelter

 

The Pikes Peak Cog Railway is pleased to make one-way tickets available for reservation on a very restricted basis. Please understand that the reason we do not allow more dates and times is the extremely limited parking availability in the upper Ruxton Avenue area. We simply do NOT have enough spare parking (nor empty spaces on the trains) to allow people to park the long times needed to hike down from Mountain View or the Summit of Pikes Peak. As lovers of the outdoors, however, we realize the appeal of hiking and running and the possibilities opened up via the Cog train.  Please be aware, we do NOT allow mountain bikes or dogs on the train. Also, if you have a back pack that is larger than 15” x 15” x 24”, YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR AN ADDITIONAL SEAT ($11.00).

 

You must pre-pay with  a valid credit card when you make the reservation. You can reserve a trip to the Summit of Pikes Peak, from the Summit to the Manitou Depot, from the Manitou Depot to Mountain View (1.5 miles from Barr Camp) or from Mountain View to the Depot.

 

PLEASE NOTE THAT NO PARKING IS ALLOWED ON COG RAILWAY PROPERTY UNLESS YOU HAVE A VALID PARKING PASS WHICH WILL BE ISSUED WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR PAID RESERVATION! From 13th June to 23rd August, Parking Passes will be extremely limited as we just do not have parking spaces available.

 

Times shown are DEPARTURE TIMES from the Manitou Depot. To reserve a trip DOWN from the Summit, departure time from the Summit is EXACTLY 2 HOURS LATER THAN MANITOU DEPOT DEPARTURE TIME (2:40 PM train departs the Summit at 4:40). For trips down, please remember that TICKETS ARE NOT REFUNDABLE NOR ARE THEY EXCHANGEABLE. If your boyfriend is a bigger wimp than you anticipate and he cannot make the scheduled departure time, HIS TICKET IS USELESS (as is yours if you do not make the departure).

 

You can cancel your reservation at any time UP TO 24 HOURS BEFORE YOUR TRAIN IS SCHEDULED TO LEAVE. There is a FEE OF $5 per ticket.  THIS MEANS YOU MUST CANCEL 24 HOURS BEFORE YOUR TRAIN IS SCHEDULED TO LEAVE. Any time after, you will forfeit your tickets AND your money!

Dates You May Reserve a One-Way

January 1, 2012 thru December 31, 2012 *

FIRST and LAST Train of the DAY ONLY - NOT ON SELECTED DAYS (see below)
 

* To repeat, NO One-Way Tickets SOLD on any of the following dates:

May 26th, 27th or 28th;

June 30th, July 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th or 8th;

September 1st, 2nd, or 3rd.

 

Barr Trail - 2 miles below Summit

 

If you cannot reserve a one-way ...

or we do not offer them on the date/time you want, the following applies:

 

You CANNOT PARK in any Cog Railway parking spaces if you are hoping to buy One-Way Tickets! All parking is for Round-Trip customers Only!

One-way tickets are sold on a space-available basis only. They cannot be reserved or purchased in advance. To get a one-way ticket, you must show up and hope that there is room on the train. You CAN purchase a round-trip ticket and use just one portion (to go up or to come down). Keep in mind that train tickets are good for ONE TRAIN on ONE DAY. If you have a round-trip ticket for the train that departs the summit of Pikes Peak at 4:40 PM, and you arrive at the summit at 4:45 PM, your ticket is useless and you will NOT be allowed on another train nor will your ticket be refunded. Many hikers grossly underestimate the 13 mile and 7,600 foot elevation gain of Barr Trail. Due to the extremely limited parking at the Cog Railway, the Railway may limit the amount of round-trip tickets used to go one-way (cars for round-trip customers stay only 3.5 hours while one-way customers are gone nine or more). If available, they are $22.00 per adult and $11.00 per child (age 3 through 12). You can also get (again, space-available ONLY) a ride to Mountain View for $12.00 and $6.00 respectively, and access to Barr Camp.

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