Pikes Peak Highway

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Pikes Peak Highway is a thirty one kilometer ( 19-mile ) long toll road, located in the state of Colorado in the United States. It starts from Cascade and leads to the 4302 meter (14,115 feet  )  high Pikes Peak. The road is open all around the year, although this is greatly influenced by weather conditions.
Built by Pikes Peak Highway in 1915 and costing half a million dollars, it was funded by a Colorado businessman, Spencer Penrose.  A year later, in 1916, the first mountain race took place, with the starters fighting with cars and engines on the winding road. This competition is still alive today, and is one of the most significant annual races in American sports.
The road was in private hands for years, and in 1936, it was taken over by state agencies.
The Pikes Peak Highway includes 150 turns, and climbs more than 4,700 feet to 14,115 feet. Although the road reaches 19 miles from a tollgate just off U.S. Highway 24 in Cascade, cyclists are encouraged to start their ride to the summit at Crystal Reservoir Visitors Center, 12.5 miles below the summit. Riders must sign a user agreement and liability waiver at the tollgate, and they must pay the regular admission fee of $12.

The highway has been home to an annual automobile and motorcycle race called the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb since 1916.

Access : Coordinates: / From I-25, take U.S. Highway 24 west to Cascade. At Cascade, turn left at the stoplight and follow the signs to the tollgate. The highway is open year-round, depending on weather conditions.

Attractions :

  • the 360-degree panorama from the 14,110-foot summit of Pikes Peak. / Santa’s Workshop, North Pole, Colorado / Three lakes are available for fishing from May to October
  • Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument / Pikes Peak Highway , Pikes Peak Highway provides you the opportunity to enjoy 19 miles of mountain terrain As the second most-visited mountain on the planet, Pikes Peak stands tall as far more than just a majestic Colorado 14er. /  – The highest cog railway in the world winds up Pikes Peak 14,115 feet
  • North Slope Recreation Area, / “Hell’s Gate,” a natural opening through the mountains /Broadmoor Seven Falls / Cheyenne Mountain Zoo / Echo Canyon River / Gardens of the Gods Trading Post / Historic Manitou Springs / Historic Cripple Creek / Manitou Cliff Dwellings / Ghost Town Museum / Historic Old Colorado City / North Pole-Santa’s Workshop / Royal Gorge Bridge & Park / Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad
  • May Natural History Museum / Iron Springs Melodrama and Dinner Theater / Miramont Castle Museum / ProRodeo Hall of Fame / Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine / Western Museum of Mining and Industry / Space Foundation Discovery Center / Garden of the Gods  outdoor park

Ammenities available :picnic areas, visitors centers,

Admission Fees : Admission $12 adults, $5 children 6–15, free for children 5 and under, $40 per car up to 5 passengers Hours : America’s Mountain is open year round

Go next : Front Range / Denver Area / Eastern Plains / Northwestern Colorado / Southwestern Colorado

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