Pikes Peak Summit Visitor Center — Attraction in Cripple Creek

We drove up to Pikes Peak on Sept 29. Overall we would definitely make this drive again as opposed to taking the railway as the views up top are phenomenal and we enjoyed being able to stop off at various viewpoints and places on the way up! Also got to see wildlife on both the way up and down. We did find that we needed to take our time to adjust to the altitude and feel that we wouldn’t have enjoyed ourselves with just 45 min at the peak if we had taken the Cog. We were satisfied with the food offerings and the available space to sit.

However we were disappointed that the souvenirs in the Summit Visitor Center were rather limited. There were no shot glasses or magnets and few t-shirts with Pikes Peak on them. We chose to window shop at the first two shops just in case something caught our eye at the top. We unfortunately missed stopping back into the Crystal Reservoir shop by a few minutes to pick up something we had seen earlier.

We also believe there needs to be a piece of tape or something on the floor to indicate where to stand for the photo machine and/or better lighting where the machine is located as we were disappointed in the quality of our photo compared to the displayed photos. The photo machine idea was a unique option and reasonably priced, next time I just won’t purchase the photo unless I’m 100% satisfied with the clarity shown on the screen - rookie...

PRO TIP, when you get to the last two hair-pin turn to the visitors center and traffic is stuck, do yourself a favor and park by the vista area just a minute south and hike that last bit. I waited about 1 hr to get through the last two turns. There was actually plenty of parking but people crossing from parking lot to the visitor center slowed the whole thing down. If you get there by 12pm or after, you may wait more than 1.5 hours to get through that last stretch.

I would highly recommend using the tram, way cooler than driving up anyways; it’s not like that one 90s french rally video where it’s gravel and you get to floor it your way up. If you enjoy torture, you can hike or bike up, though biking up may be the worst option because you have to use the busy road.

The visitors center could probably have devoted more to social history of the peak and educating the public about geology, but hey, you gotta make money right? You can skip the gift shop, comon, for the...

Drove to the top of pikes peak on a sunny day, but the higher we got, the cloudeir it got. But it was still worth it! It was a little chilly at the top, but I was okay in shorts.

Had so much fun in the gift shop, but they were all out of post cards. They had so many stickers and magnets to choose from. I had to try the donuts. They were a little dry and crumbly but not expensive.

The restrooms were so clean, and there were so many stalls you didn't have to wait. But only 2 hand dryers were working, so I did have to wait to dry my hands.

You also need a reservation to drive up, and it costs about $50 for 1 car. It takes about 1 hour to drive to the top, and on the way down, they have a ranger station to check breaks, and if yours are too hot, they will ask you to pull over. If you are scared of heights, I recommend not being the driver due to cliff faces.

I highly recommend driving up there at least once. Beautiful views and visitor center...